Pascal Vasselon (Toyota): “We are still running at full speed”

First of all, Pascal, how are you?

How are you. I am currently at the office (at TMG in Cologne. Editor’s note). We can estimate that we are not directly affected insofar as we have a fairly significant capacity to switch people to teleworking, because they are equipped with laptops, and we were quickly able to put in place systems allowing them to connect securely to any Wi-Fi network. Today we should have around 50% of people working remotely and should go up to 75%. That’s for engineering functions. For production and workshop functions, which require being on site, we have organized team systems limiting the number of people present at any given time in the company. Apart from the functions related to the track – obviously given that there is no race – we are still running at full capacity and we are not yet really feeling the impact of this health crisis.

I imagine you do a lot of video conferences?

Yes indeed. This is perhaps the most difficult at the moment because the networks tend to saturate.

What about Toyota Motor Corporation, in Japan?

They are perhaps a little less affected than us in that they reacted more quickly and the spread of the virus was less significant. But they have similar concerns and obviously, they no longer come here and vice versa. Everything therefore happens by video conference.

© DPPI / Florent Gooden

The timing regarding the design of your Le Mans Hypercar is very tight. You told us that the slightest grain of sand could compromise his competitive debut in September. What about it?

There it is no longer a grain of sand but a rock. We don't have all the information yet, but everything is slipping and shifting. We already know that the 6 Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Le Mans are postponed and we expect that the approval procedures for new cars, scheduled for July, will also be moved. As well as the start of the 2020-2021 season. We may think that it would have been difficult for us to do the burn-in of the new car in July but everything should slide over time, this will not be a problem. We are talking about a general discrepancy here.

What constraints do these calendar changes have for you?

The lifespan of the TS050 Hybrid will be extended in terms of time but not in mileage. We are equipped to do a certain mileage which will not be exceeded. No major concerns there. On the other hand, we clearly cannot replace all the events that have been or will be moved. There is therefore a loss of racing activity. But for the development of the new car, it will give us a little more margin on a program which did not have any.

And the idea is to organize a race during the summer, therefore before the 24 Hours of Le Mans…

It was said, in fact, that the 6 Hours of Spa was postponed. We wait to see what that means. Maybe there will be a second race, we don't know. There are still a lot of unknowns.

Regarding the pilots, do you keep in touch? Do the physical trainers give them instructions?

There is still a sort of break because, obviously, the drivers are exclusively linked to track activity. They are part of the staff directly impacted by the cancellation of races. But they are all professionals and talk separately, respecting the instructions. We would like to organize a few simulator sessions, but even that is difficult.

How many more races will the TS050 Hybrid compete in? © DPPI / Florent Gooden

What will the organization of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in September change?

The first thing I thought of was the tires. Keeping the tires warm overnight could already prove complicated in June, but at the end of September, we risk encountering even more problems. And especially since the night will obviously be longer. But we have time to think about it.

Finally, what about the economic impact?

We have already canceled a lot of engineering services (wind tunnel for example. Editor’s note) and we will lose turnover. At the TMG level, we therefore expect consequences, but not major ones. On the other hand, at the parent company level, Toyota obviously expects a difficult 2020 in terms of profits, like all car manufacturers.