Gardening Leave

I'll admit to being curious about the Gascoyne saga. Why are Toyota getting rid of him just at the point that the team seems to be picking up? And of course, there's no guarantee in a competitive sport that a team can maintain progress.

Williams in particular seem to be doing a great job with Cosworth, although a bit of reliability wouldn't go amiss. But it's always said that it's easier to make a fast car reliable, than it is to make a reliable car go fast. So I'm sure Frank and co aren't too worried. And could Toyota expect to be ahead of Ferrari? Renault? McLaren? I'd say no to all three, their improvement in the last couple of years was due to Ferrari struggling with the changed tyre regs, and McLaren's appalling reliability. Which means that seventh place is as good as they can expect, if they are better than Williams, one of only four teams to have ever won the World Championship. So getting a podium is a pretty good achievement. Honda haven't done any better, and you'd have to say that they look more like winning a race than Toyota do.

But either way, it looks like at least six months of gardening leave for Mr G. If you're reading this Mike, and are feeling generous, there's quite a bit of weeding needs doing at my place.