"We came, we saw, we learned."

Adapting a famous phrase, that's how Toyota's racing boss Ove Andersson sums up the team's first season in Formula One. It's going to take a while before Toyota can say "We conquered" instead of "We learned."

"We are still beginners; we are greenhorns in the business," Andersson said. "We have a lot to learn, both when it comes to race strategy and how to prepare ourselves and so on. We learned a lot last year, but we still have a long way to go before we can be competing on a top level in all aspects."

Toyota's aim in its first season was to learn and gain respect. Toyota had plenty of racing experience in everything from the World Rally Championship to the Le Mans 24 Hours and from IMSA to CART, but it chose a modest and low-key approach to F1. Although the performance of the car tailed off as the 2002 season progressed, Toyota did gain respect thanks to two sixth-place finishes, nine top-10s and 10 top-10 qualifying efforts.

But 2002 wasn't without its controversy. In August, Toyota informed its two loyal drivers that they would not be back in 2003. Allan McNish, Andersson would later say, lacked speed, and Mika Salo's personality sometimes clashed with the crew.

Enter the team's new drivers: veteran Olivier Panis and F1 rookie and CART champion Cristiano da Matta. Both have two-year contracts, but then Salo has a contract for 2003 as well. But Toyota made it clear it would be uncompromising if its drivers did not perform to its standards.

	Toyota earned valuable experience and respect during its first season in F1 in 2002.

At the end of the 2003 season will da Matta and Panis get the same uncompromising assessment?

"Well, yes," Andersson said.

So there is a chance they might not be invited back next year if they do not perform?

"That is clear, yes," he said.

Toyota hired Panis for his immense technical ability.

"He has a very clear technical understanding," Andersson said. "He knows what he wants, and that is a big help for all the engineers to have someone with that experience that understands the techniques."

So can da Matta put Panis under pressure?

"In terms of driving it will be very interesting to see," Andersson said. "I believe so, yes. Da Matta seems to be a fairly laid-back young man. I think he will fit in well. I don't think he will have any problems."

Toyota's F1 base is in Koln, Germany, a legacy of the Japanese company's rally days. Germany is a long way from Japan. Stories and rumors circulated in 2002 that the hierarchy in Japan didn't have its fingers on the pulse of the F1 operation all those miles away and was issuing edicts that were out of touch.

"There are so many rumors and so many discussions," Andersson said. "We have to realize that Toyota Japan come with the money, and they own the company, and they obviously tell us what we have to do. This is very clear. The one that pays normally pulls the strings."

Yes, but do the people back at the home base have a good enough view of F1 compared those who are in the center of things?

"The decisions are not made in Japan, and then (they say) 'You do like this and you do like that,'" Anderson said. "We are communicating every day. We have videoconferences with them, and it's not that somebody in Japan says, 'Gentlemen, do like that.' We discuss the problems that we have and try to find a solution for everything. Technically they have big resources in Japan, and they can be of a big help."

	“	If you want to get to the front with the big boys we have a big step to do, and it is not going to happen this year or next year, but hopefully sometime in the future. ”
		— Ove Andersson

Andersson's job will be easier this year now that John Howett has been hired as Toyota's Motorsport President and will look after everything back at the factory leaving Andersson free to run the team at the track. Andersson is now Vice Chairman and Team Principal of Toyota Motorsport. The whole technical department has also been restructured.

Now, Andersson believes, it is time to stabilize things.

"If you want a team to succeed long term you have to leave it to stabilize," he said. "You can't just keep changing, and changing and changing. You can see that in Ferrari -- stability is something that is needed.

"You have to analyze your organization, you have to look at it, and you have to maybe make changes here and there where you see things are not working, but you have to be very careful if you re structure and restructure and restructure, you will never get anywhere because after all, it's team work and everyone has to know how to work together."

New teams such as Jordan and Stewart (now Jaguar) have had solid rookie seasons only to stumble badly in their second years. Andersson hopes Toyota can skip the sophomore slump.

"There are always unexpected difficulties and problems when you are in this business," he said. "But I really do hope that it will not hit us too much in the face. I hope that we will be able to overcome it. For sure it is a struggle. We are learning. We have only one year of experience."

So what should be expected from Toyota in its second season?

"We have to be very careful," Andersson said. "It is OK to play midfield, but if you want to get to the front with the big boys we have a big step to do, and it is not going to happen this year or next year, but hopefully sometime in the future."

It's going to be a while until Toyota conquers. But it can take off its rookie stripes.

Dan Knutson covers Formula One for National Speed Sport News.