# It's official - Ralf drives for Toyota in 2005



## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

http://www.planetf1.com/news/story_16386.shtml


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

Interesting.

This must have been a case of "*Show me the money * ..."

So, who will drive for Williams BWM next year?

:dunno:

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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Patrick 520iAT said:


> So, who will drive for Williams BWM next year?
> 
> :dunno:
> 
> -


Me and you


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

Alex Baumann said:


> Me and you


 :rofl:

I am ready and properly trained to drive a BMW in any track conditions ... 










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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

Yeah, that picture with the tractor just says "Look! I'm ready for F1!"


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

Please send my sympathies to Toyota for hiring Ralf.

Now who will replace him? :dunno: There are actually two seats to fill, so who knows right now.

Webber is 1 on their list.

After that? :dunno:

JV? Sebastian Bourdais? (fmr F3000 and looking like CART champion)


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

LOL. Thankfully, I was not driving at the time of that high speed accident.

Even Ralf can't say something like that when he wrecks!


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

BTW, does this mean that Panis or de Matta is gone from Toyota? :dunno: 

Or both?

And, I suppose that Coulthard can now only hope to drive for Shaguar next year - assuming Webber goes to Williams.


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

Rumor is both da Matta and Panis are toast. Too bad, because I don't think either of them have been garbage... but the car has made them look that way. Now whoever drives for them next year will probably look great because it will be the first completely Gasgoyne influenced car.

There was also a rumor that DC will fill the other Toyota seat.

This will be fun to watch.


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

There was another "rumor" that one reason why it took so long to finalize Ralf's contract was due to the fact that he and Weber wanted to make sure that Coulthard did not get the other seat.

Me thinks that Ralf wants a crappy #2 driver ...


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## PhilH (Jun 7, 2002)

I don't think I've ever used this smiley before, but it seems appropriate here...

:clap:

Reading that story just reminded me that there's *8* races left to go in the season. Jeeze, I can't wait to see who wins the championship. Such excitement, such drama.

 :snooze: :yawn:


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## Patrick (Dec 23, 2001)

PhilH said:


> Reading that story just reminded me that there's *8* races left to go in the season. Jeeze, I can't wait to see who wins the championship. Such excitement, such drama.
> 
> :snooze: :yawn:


I have started to place bets (for excitement sake) on Zolt Baumgartner's qualifying and race positions ... but that has also turned out to be a no-brainer.

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## Mr. E (Dec 19, 2001)

Good riddance to Ralf. Take your whining somewhere else! Strange article though, saying at the beginning that it doesn't look like Panis or Da Matta will be the #2 driver, but then quoting Toyota team boss Tsutomu Tomita: "We have not finalised who will partner Ralf in 2005, and this is something we are in no rush to decide on. We are happy with the job that Cristiano and Olivier are doing for us and both of them are under consideration for the remaining race seat next season."


I guess it's generally believed that he's lying? Hm.


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## Clarke (Oct 21, 2002)

racerdave said:


> Yeah, that picture with the tractor just says "Look! I'm ready for F1!"


Worked for James "the Shunt" Hunt.


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

so will there be any blowout sales at your local bmw lifestyle shops on ralf and jpm stuff?


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

They were already saying last weekend that it would be Panis's last GP in front of his home crowd.

Now the question is, will Rlaf even drive for the rest of the year with Williams? Or will he be conveniently out for the rest of the season.

I say good riddance to both, although JPM has long term promise. BMW - WIlliams will be better off without Ralf.


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## AC (Apr 28, 2002)

will be a strange rest of the year for Williams, with both drivers leaving they are not really going to want to show them what they have in the works.... :dunno:


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

Pinecone said:


> BMW - WIlliams will be better off without Ralf.


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## Raikkonen (Jan 20, 2004)

I say it's a great move for Ralf.... William's seem as lost as a chicken with its head cut off right now. My real dream is for McLaren and BMW to get together but it will never happen now that Mercedes own so much of McLaren.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

> It is with pleasure that we can announce Ralf as one of Toyota's race drivers for the 2005 season.


That could have come from BMW. :rofl:

I feel bad for Panis and Da Matta; they've been doing as well as they can with suboptimal cars. Da Matta was looking very good at practice at Indy, actually, only to have the damn car keep dying on him during the race.

I'd like to see Wibbah at BMW/Williams. If nothing else, we'd have a looker in the driver's seat (although Gene is pretty easy on the eyes, too).


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## Raikkonen (Jan 20, 2004)

Patrick you have to be a Raikkonen fan... right!?


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## HW (Dec 24, 2001)

The Roadstergal said:


> That could have come from BMW. :rofl:


:bustingup


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

Marc Gene is driving Ralfs skelter till the end of this season, there is nothing known yet for next season except for Ralf and JPM leaving...


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

I thought they hadn't decided if it was going to be Gene or Pizzona?


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

That raises the question though :

Who is going to help to develop the FW27 ? :dunno: 

Since both JPM and Ralf are quasi 'unplugged' from the team, I wonder how this is going to affect the development of the next years car.


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

Gene or Jungle Boy will be the development boys...


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

Mr. Know-It-All said:


> May be one of the reasons why they're so "uncompetitive" this year. They knew JPM was leaving and they weren't going to sign Spoonface Jr. going into the season, so why bring out the best and the brightest for the both of them to take to their respective "next" teams?


I'd have to say they aren't competitive because the FW26 has problems. Steve Matchett was saying at the French GP that the new bits they had added at the front end were a sign of being the type of thing you add when the basic design has problems and you are just adding bits here and there to try and fix it. There was a rumor a while back about a new car being worked on. Frank wouldn't answer any questions about it when asked but did acknowledge it's exsistence.


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## AC (Apr 28, 2002)

Mr. Know-It-All said:


> May be one of the reasons why they're so "uncompetitive" this year. They knew JPM was leaving and they weren't going to sign Spoonface Jr. going into the season, so why bring out the best and the brightest for the both of them to take to their respective "next" teams?


I don't think it started out that way, but at this point it's probably true. No way a team would throw away a season based of future driver line-up. But once they saw that the walrus was not only ugly but slow....


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## AC (Apr 28, 2002)

WILLIA///M said:


> I'd have to say they aren't competitive because the FW26 has problems. Steve Matchett was saying at the French GP that the new bits they had added at the front end were a sign of being the type of thing you add when the basic design has problems and you are just adding bits here and there to try and fix it. There was a rumor a while back about a new car being worked on. Frank wouldn't answer any questions about it when asked but did acknowledge it's exsistence.


I think it's certain that the FW-27 is going to be a single keel design.


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

Spoonface Jr. QUOTE]

:bustingup :bustingup


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

I read that they were considering Jacques Villeneuve


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