At the start of the season, where Toyota were just picking off the podiums as if they’d done so in pervious seasons, questions about their first race victory flooded forums and message boards world wide, all stating that this year Toyota would break their duck and win their first race. There was also a requiring name; Jarno Trulli, who was the first Toyota driver to start on the front row, and also the first Toyota driver to claim their first podium. Since then Jarno has taken Toyota’s first pole position and holds they’re highest finishing position, 2nd in Malaysia and Bahrain. But what about Toyota’s other driver, Ralf Schumacher? Well Ralf was more back in the pack, never getting it together on Qualifying, leading him to start in the mid field. Although he would easily work his way up into the points, the damage was already done thanks to his starting position, and a possible podium was out of the question. Toyota looked to have two very different drivers, one that qualified well and finished on the podium, and the other that would qualify badly and finish in the points. Therefore this gave everybody the reason to expect Jarno Trulli to take Toyota’s first Formula One victory, which was understandable if you were qualifying up at the front and finishing just behind the race winner.

So the debate was pretty much settled, Jarno Trulli on his current form would take Toyota’s first victory when Renault were having a bad day. But, like with all debates, it was far from over. After analyzing the next couple of races, Toyota slipped back behind McLaren, and at times Williams and Ferrari. Jarno Trulli’s run of podiums seemed like years ago, but there was a return to form being shown by Ralf Schumacher, who ever so slowly, was getting to grips with his Toyota TF105, and every now and then, would move that little higher up the grid, and finish closer to his team-mate Jarno during races. Until at the British Grand Prix, although qualifying higher, Jarno Trulli finished behind his team-mate Ralf Schumacher come the chequered flag. Media stories blamed Jarno’s ‘casual Sunday afternoon drive’ for his fall down through the field, whilst now hailing Ralf Schumacher as the new Toyota favourite to take their first Formula One victory. In fact after the last Grand Prix in Hungary where Ralf Schumacher took his first podium of the season, the debate have shifted into another gear, and that Ralf Schumacher the now labelled ‘racer’ had a better chance than the labelled ‘qualifier’, Jarno Trulli, on taking Toyota’s first victory.

To make things even stronger for Ralf, the German has been catching Jarno in the points with the pair almost even, and when you consider who’s had more podiums and better qualifying slots, you’d expect to see one way out in front and the other somewhere around the mid field.

But where do I stand? Well, Toyota look to have two even drivers, both now qualify on similar rows and finally both seem to end up one in front of the other come race day. It’s the sort of thing you would expect from two highly talented and experienced race drivers, but sadly only one can take the first victory, and the one that does it will always be remembered as the start of Toyota’s success. Who would my money be on? I couldn’t possibly say although Ralf does now seem the stronger, and has won more races than Jarno and knows what it takes to bring a car home. Alright, I’ll admit, I’d put a tenner on Ralf but a fiver on Jarno.

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