Toyota offer Salo four year deal

[Rated R]

So it has been confirmed. Toyota F1 (due to enter in 2002) offered him a four year deal, about $6 million per year plus the necessary pay off to Sauber for 2001.

Hmm, is it likely to be a JV-BARlike stint or will they actually amount to something? Toyota certainly have the budget (so do BAR btw) but considering their total lack of experience it seems very hard. Salo's been rather impressive this season though so there may be some hope. And considering the present plethora of talented young pilots-RS, JB, JT, GF, NH, HPM (to come)to name a few-it'd be unlikely for Salo to be able to land a deal with a top team. All in all-smart move for Salo-sure risky but may propel him to stardom, who knows...

[SL]

Don't under estimate Toyota, after years at Le Mans they have proven that they can get racecars to the finish after 24 hours and lead the field whilst doing so.
Salo also promised a lot while filling in for MS so he could be a future champion, the burning question is who will be no 2 (or =1) any suitable drivers from Japan ??

Simon

[EERO]

I think Rated R has it right; the plethora of young talent is going to make it more difficult for the those drivers a little long in the tooth to find rides in the future. It will take Toyota awile to get up to speed, but a testing contract for 2001 with three years to move up the grid will give Salo his best chance, unless Ferrari comes calling again, (which is unlikely)

[Liz]

For $6 million per year I will drive for ANYBODY. Despite the shameful Toyota engines in this year's CART teams, I agree they are more likely to succeed than BAR et al. and I wish Salo the best of luck and more WDCs than That Other Mika.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally posted by Liz
For $6 million per year I will drive for ANYBODY. Despite the shameful Toyota engines in this year's CART teams, I agree they are more likely to succeed than BAR et al. and I wish Salo the best of luck and more WDCs than That Other Mika.

For that kind of cash I'd drive the second Ferrari. I'd probably be better than the current encumbent as well!! But then again, who wouldn't?

[Bononi]

If anyone offers me this amount I guess I could not say YES before I fall apart from a heart attack !
Despite the failures and success in other categories, I don't think TOYOTA would come in a big dog fight with other manufacturers in F1 just to be in the end of the grid...
Sure it will take some time (read years) until it come to challenge a champioship, but it did not happen to others ?
I hope the "come in" of TOYOTA team doesn't mean any other "goin'out"...

[Minardi fan]

4 years... Thats an awfully long contract.

Japanese driver??? Did I hear someone say Katayama? He did, after all, almost win Le Mans for Toyota, plus he and Salo are old teammates. If he knows he's got a decent crack at F1, he could be persuaded to return.

[AL Racing]

He would be stupid not to take it! If he wants a change for wins and podium finishes that is. Sauber is a lost team, there's no change they will improve in the next few years. It's always the same with that team, they are pretty fast in the beginning races but can't continue developing the car at the same rate as the others.

[bondibill]

It may appear to be a brave move on both sides, but if you look at what each has to offer:

Toyota will spend any amount (and do anything) that they deem necessary to win, look at the WRC effort. They have recently won their first Champ Car race with Montoya at the wheel, years of experience at Le Mans and the BTCC, etc. etc.

Mika has 1/2 a season at Ferarri where he showed Eddie Irvine a trick or two, and picked up a lot of information on how a top team is run. Lets just hope he can do a better job of passing it on than Eddie Irvine has...

And if Mika doesn't take them to the top, $6m x 4 years makes a very nice superannuation fund.

[Sharky]

Well. 6 million dollar contracts are not found on every corner. And it's not like Salo is currenly racing in a top performance team. For that ammount of money I see him racing in toyota in the year 2002.

About Toyota's entrance. I'm sure that they'll make a good entrance but remember that this is F1 and it takes a lot of years of hard work to make a winning team. Maybe they'll win but that's a long term plan.

[Minardi fan]

If anyone can take them to the top it's Salo. He's another criminally underrated driver.

[marcus]

oh i was only dreaming was I...damm "the Kat" was a cool driver

[Rated R]

Still wonder why they didn't choose to buy out an existing team like Prost or ,sorry Minardi fan, Minardi. I'm not a specialist but it seems much easier to develop an engine and integrate it with an existing chasis rather than start completely from scratch. What, are they trying to become Ferrari? Ferrari has been in F1 for ages for God's sake! Anyway, I wish them success-one more competitive team won't hurt the viewer, no? But yes, even if they are to get to the top eventually, it will take them years...

[Sharky]

Rated R. I think that there were some rumors that said that Toyota could buy Minardi. But I think that there was a lot of pressure from the teams and bernie ecclestone to fill that 12'th spot on the grid. remember that once that place is filled anyone who wants to enter F1 will have to buy an existing team and therefore the value of the teams icreases.

[Minardi fan]

Bernie stated that he will not allow Minardi to disappear from the grid.

Marcus, WE CAN ALWAYS HOPE...

THE KAT WILL BE BACK!!!!!!!!

[Green_man4421]

He should take it it is a good chance for his talent to come through.

I was so cut when he had no drive last year I think it would do great things for his carrer.