11 replies to this topic

[HistoryFan]

Jarno Trulli writes on his homepage he sould drive in Japanese F3000 in 1997 if there were no call from Minardi. Had he yet an contract? With which teams?

[HistoryFan]

no one?

[D-Type]

Well, he drove for Minardi in 1997. If he says that he would have driven in Japanese F3000 if the F1 drive hadn't materialised then I think we have to believe him.

As there was no fuss or litigation: either he hadn't signed a contract or if he had, it must have had an escape clause.

As to the question of which team. We are talking of Japanese teams. You must appreciate that no Japanese could accept the 'loss of face' from admitting they had entered negotiations with a driver who chose not to race for them. And a Japanese employee would not reveal his employer's secrets of his employer - such disloyalty would not be honourable.

There may have been speculation in the Japanese specialist press, but you would need fluency in Japanese and a knowledge of their publications to find out.

So, I don't think you will ever know.

[Michael Ferner]

Japanese F3000 was replaced by Formula Nippon in 1996, so I guess that's what you are talking about. I don't have any hard info, but I do not think it's too difficult to guess if you're looking at the line-up of teams in 1997: Le Mans Co. had two new drivers, Norberto Fontana and Estéban Tuero, who were both Minardi test drivers around that time, if I recall correctly. I would be surprised if that was an accident.

Edited by Michael Ferner, 11 July 2012 - 12:16.

[PS30-SB]

As to the question of which team. We are talking of Japanese teams. You must appreciate that no Japanese could accept the 'loss of face' from admitting they had entered negotiations with a driver who chose not to race for them. And a Japanese employee would not reveal his employer's secrets of his employer - such disloyalty would not be honourable.

Sorry, but this Japanese "loss of face" thing is just about as outdated an idea as me - being an Englishman - walking about at all times wearing a bowler hat and carrying a furled umbrella.

If HistoryFan wants to get the full goss about Trulli's possible Japanese domestic race drives it would just be a matter of talking to the right people. There's no code of omertà...

[Michael Ferner]

... or me having a peaked helmet in situ, and an insuppressible urge to raise my right arm and shout "High Litter!" to the world!

Stereotypes never die...

[D-Type]

Sorry, but this Japanese "loss of face" thing is just about as outdated an idea as me - being an Englishman - walking about at all times wearing a bowler hat and carrying a furled umbrella.

If HistoryFan wants to get the full goss about Trulli's possible Japanese domestic race drives it would just be a matter of talking to the right people. There's no code of omertà...

It's still there beneath the surface - as I found out when working for Mitsubishi for seven years. Admittedly somewhat diluted, but still there and still as complicated as ever to fathom out!

[kayemod]

It's still there beneath the surface - as I found out when working for Mitsubishi for seven years. Admittedly somewhat diluted, but still there and still as complicated as ever to fathom out!

I agree, and I don't think things have changed much at all. I've done business with a few Japanese customers, and as a nation I've found them to be scrupulously correct in all their dealings. I've no doubt that results from the 'loss of face' they'd suffer if anything they did could be criticised. They just aren't like most other nations, where else on earth could you be at a major sporting event like the Japanese GP, and when the crowds disperse, there's almost no litter left behind, and there are few places where you're less likely to get mugged. As you may be able to tell, as a people, I like them a lot.

[bsc]

Le Mans Co. had two new drivers, Norberto Fontana and Estéban Tuero, who were both Minardi test drivers around that time, if I recall correctly. I would be surprised if that was an accident.

Norberto Fontana was a Sauber test driver between late 1994 and 1997 and competed in four races in the '97 season (although Martin Brundle was offered his seat for Silverstone) in place of the injured Gianni Morbidelli. Fontana did test for Minardi in late 1999 with a view to racing for the team in 2000; however, the seat eventually went to Gaston Mazzacane.

[PS30-SB]

I agree, and I don't think things have changed much at all.

Changed from what though? This "loss of face" thing is largely a non-Japanese viewpoint, and a cliche that covers a wide range of scenarios.

Not trying to trump anyone here, but I have over 27 years of experience with Japan and the Japanese under my belt now. 27 years since my first visit and going back several times a year, four years solid living and working there ( in an office where no English was spoken ) and 25-odd years of a Japanese 'Other Half' and inlaws, not to mention many good friends, work colleagues and acquaintances. Japanese society is just as much of a moving target as any, and - like everyday language - it's constantly evolving. In my opinion the more you try to see any differences between Japanese society and your own, the more you will force yourself to see even if it isn't really that significant. It's probably a lot better to try to look for the common ground, and to try to see how things would look through Japanese eyes. But much depends on generation, class ( yes, it exists ) and/or pecking order, situation and viewpoint.

But back to the topic:

So, I don't think you will ever know.

Why not? In my opinion, he's only got to talk to the right people. It will of course help if the people who have the answers trust the person who is asking for them, and think that he has a good reason to be looking for them. If a Japanese team owner / manager was in negotiations with a driver but didn't quite manage to sign him or get him in the car, I can't see why they wouldn't be happy to discuss it for the right reasons, and with the right person. I've had many many discussions on such matters with Japanese team personnel, mechanics, drivers and - yes - the odd team owner and manager over the years, and in my opinion the Japanese racing scene from roughly the early Sixties through to the present day is an untapped well of stories.

[Michael Ferner]

Norberto Fontana was a Sauber test driver between late 1994 and 1997 and competed in four races in the '97 season (although Martin Brundle was offered his seat for Silverstone) in place of the injured Gianni Morbidelli. Fontana did test for Minardi in late 1999 with a view to racing for the team in 2000; however, the seat eventually went to Gaston Mazzacane.

All right, so I was off a few years with Fontana, but I checked and Tuero was test driver in '97, and got a race seat in '98. For the scenario of Minardi buying out a contract by supplying a substitute, one is enough anyway.

[Pablo Vignone]

IIRC, Fontana was German F3 champion in 1995, driving for KMS team, with Trulli as team-mate; that was Fontana's second second with team, but Trulli's first. At the end of the year, Fontana had his accident at Macao and Sauber, who had the argentine committed as a test driver since 1994, decided to have him a go at Formula Nippon in 1996, the year that Trulli efectively won the German F3 crown. Maybe the mechanism was repeated then, Trulli following Fontana's path.
Tuero was developing another path to catch F-1 staying only half a year within any series, to be promoted to the following before winning anything.