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A race weekend that promised a party for the home team at the Japanese Grand Prix ended in a relative whimper for Toyota.
The Toyotas looked genuinely quick in practice and early qualifying, so an eventual sum of four championship points from the race was far less than the Fuji Speedway owners had hoped for.
"We have to be happy with that today but honestly I wanted to give a bit more both to the team and to all the Japanese fans who cheered us on," fifth-placed Jarno Trulli said. "I was really hoping that we could make the podium."
Timo Glock, who had been at the top of the timesheets early in the weekend, was forced to retire after a succession of connected problems. He hit some debris on the
track, which caused him to spin off on a curb, launching him in the air, loosening his seat on landing and damaging the chassis.
The disappointment was apparent early for the home contingent, as Williams's Kazuki Nakajima - the sole local driver - spun off on the first corner after an incident
involving Red Bull's David Coulthard.
Japanese GP winner Fernando Alonso declared after the race that he made up his mind about who to drive for in 2009 and would announce it after the season.
Back-to-back wins and the born-again speed of the Renault meant it was highly likely he would stick with the team that delivered him the 2005 and '06 world championships.
But Honda is not about to give up on wooing the Spaniard. Honda is yet to announce its lineup for next season, much to the frustration of current drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button.
"We want to announce both drivers at the same time, and at the moment we're not in a position to do that because we're awaiting a yes or a no from a certain person," Honda team principal Nick Fry told Britain's ITV. "So until we get that we're just going to hang on."
Nearing the end of the longest straight on the F1 calendar, three laps from the finish, with cars and drivers nearing exhaustion, a flirtation with the pitlane wall looked terrifying.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa, desperate to snatch eighth place and the final championship point, trailed Red Bull's Mark Webber down the straight and pulled inside for an overtaking move.
The Australian, not known for on-track diplomacy, pulled back in front of the Ferrari, forcing Massa closer and closer to the pitlane wall. Just as space was running out
and a crunch beckoned, they passed the end of the wall, and Massa was able to drift onto the fringe of tarmac and complete his pass.
"He moved over on me a little bit towards the wall, which might have looked a bit scary, but it was not like that from the cockpit," Massa said. "Anyway, it was a very important moment in the race and I had to try."
Webber was on a one-stop strategy, so his tyres were rapidly losing grip and he knew he had little chance of holding off the quicker Ferrari in the closing laps.
