It’s time to show strength

Their involvement in motorsport has been since the late 1950s, but it was only five seasons ago that Toyota entered the world of Formula 1. Although they had tried to move earlier, they could never make the transition. The most notable of these efforts was in 1997 when they failed to make an impact on the Le Mans Race of 24 Hours.

As a team, Toyota F1 debuted at the 2002 season with Alan McNish and Mika Salo at the wheels. The TF102, designed by Gustav Brunner, was not expected to set the tracks on fire, but they were expected to put up a good enough show. Unfortunately, the team was not ready and neither were the drivers. They managed just two points through the season and these came in the first three races of the season. Endless retirements followed as the car simply failed to deliver.

For 2003, Toyota changed their line-up and included Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis as the main drivers. The results improved but were still nowhere what was expected by many. Among the many points finishes the team managed, fifth in Germany was their best. If Toyota were to choose their high-point for the season, it would undoubtedly be the third place qualification of Panis at the US Grand Prix.

2004 as a year and season was tough for Toyota. They had retained both drivers and while the car was supposed to be improving, the team was disqualified from the Canadian GP for running illegal parts. Da Matta left the team halfway through the season and was replaced by another Brazilian, Ricardo Zonta. In a quest to significantly improve the car, Toyota brought in former Jordan and Renault designer Mike Gascoyne to oversee works. Although the team scored only half as many points as in 2003, they equalled their best finish of fifth at the European Grand Prix and retained their 8th place in the Constructors' Championship! Olivier Panis retired from F1 and made way for Jarno Trulli to join the team.

Apart from what happened on the track, Toyota was also involved in an off-track imbroglio. They were accused of industrial espionage thanks to the similarities between their TF104 and Ferrari’s F2003-GA. The investigation did not go far and the issue remain unresolved. Once they got past this, though, they continued their hard work into making an impression on the track.

Although Trulli had joined Toyota in 2004, it was a stop-gap arrangement but Toyota decided to retain him for 2005 and replaced long-time third driver Ricardo Zonta with Ralf Schumacher. Toyota made a good start to the season with a podium finish in Australia, but they could not keep up the pace as other teams developed faster! Their results were better than before and more points were also scored (88) but had they kept up the momentum from the start of the season, things may have been even better. As it was, they finished 4th, a significant move up from 8th in 2004.

Toyota unfortunately, could not keep the results going and in 2006, managed just the one podium finish (Ralf Schumacher, Australia). They occasionally got among the points, but were never a threat to the major teams. 35 points and a sixth-place finish was hardly the follow up to a fine 2005, but on the whole, the season was seen as unlucky.

Toyota retained both its drivers for the 2007 season and the amount of time both have spend with the team should have meant something. Unfortunately, it only translated into mediocre performances. Like many other teams, poor car reliability was the cause. But it also mattered that Ferrari and McLaren were in another league altogether.

For 2008 too, Toyota retained Jarno Trulli, but did away with the expensive and non-performing Ralf Schumacher. Timo Glock, the GP2 champion made his Formula 1 debut but the team didn’t do any better. Jarno Trulli showed his worth for the team notching up a podium position in France only to see his performances steadily decline. Singapore, the first ever night race was another highlight for the team with Glock finishing fourth, narrowly missing a podium position.

For 2009, the driver line-up remains unchanged but Toyota is hoping there will be an improvement in their fortunes with the introduction of KERS and other technical changes. Whether this happens, only time will tell.

TF109 Technical Specifications

Monocoque: Moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb construction.
Fuel tank: ATL safety cell
Suspension: Carbon fibre double wishbone arrangement, with carbon fibre trackrod and pushrod.
Dampers: Penske
Wheels: BBS forged magnesium
Tyres: Bridgestone Potenza
Brakes: Toyota/Brembo callipers, Brembo master cylinders, Hitco material (carbon/carbon)
Steering: Toyota power-assisted steering. Toyota carbon fibre steering wheel with Toyota / Magneti Marelli instruments
Driver's seat: Carbon fibre
Restraints: Takata
HANS device: Hubbard-Downing
Electronics: Toyota, Magneti Marelli plus McLaren Electronic Systems ECU (as required by FIA rules)
Transmission: 7-speed unit plus reverse