I would like to think so but I'm not so sure. I recall Trulli accused Renault of sabotage during his last few months at the team. Later he also mentioned that he knew it didn't come from Flavio. Given all the horrors I thought was so improbable playing out in public at Renault this year, it gives much credibility to his "accusation" now right?

Having worked for a Japanese multi-national for 8 years (admittedly this was almost twenty years ago) I can’t help but think that success in Formula One may continue to elude them.

Unless it’s changed radically in the last twenty years, I really don’t think Japanese corporate culture, organisational structure, or management style suits the dynamic environment of F1.

While I have enormous respect for what Toyota have accomplished, the very elements that make them strong as a manufacturer, hinder them in Formula One:

1. The Japanese like to manage by consensus (mostly committee). This doesn’t work well in F1 which sometimes requires an almost dictatorial management approach.

2. The Japanese are conservative and risk-averse. Success in F1 is all about being innovative and taking (calculated) risks.

3. Japanese corporate structure is very hierarchical, - you never question your boss’s decision. In F1, ideas come from every level of the organisation and constructive feedback is essential and encouraged.

4. The Japanese take a long-term approach to any venture, - slowly refining techniques and strategies until they eventually succeed. In F1’s dynamic environment, regulations change so frequently, that this approach cannot work.

While the characteristics mentioned above may be slightly clichéd, there’s evidence to suggest that Honda’s lack of success resulted from many of these elements.

Toyota may well suffer the same fate unless they are prepared to almost completely relinquish corporate control of the F1 team’s operations.

I certainly don’t think they have the right management team in place, but the corporation may not be able to accept the “right” management team anyway.

The dispute between Trulli and Howett would appear symptomatic of an organisation with insufficient autonomy, a misaligned structure and quite possibly, ambiguous objectives.

I'd be calling Ron Dennis, "Hey Ron, want a bag of cash? How does $100m sound if you deliver a WCC and WDC within 5 years.

He'd be all over it like a mule eating an apple.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79656

About Yamashina telling Trulli to wait till November 15th before doing anything. John Howett knew nothing...

I still take his line about respecting the 15th Nov with a large pinch of salt. That says to me that none of the established teams are interested in him.

Sounds to me like a man who is being put in his place for being the idiot he is, and is now backtracking.

Toyota's first move if they want to improve is to dump Howett. He's dead weight.