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Headquarters: Cologne, Germany
Engine: Toyota RVX-09
Chassis: Toyota TF109
F1 Debut: 2002 Australian Grand Prix
Drivers: Jarno Trulli, Timo Glock
Toyota is one of the most powerful teams in Formula One racing. Although the team is yet to achieve consistently good results in the sport, it is backed by significant financial and technical resources, and is considered to be the sleeping giant of Formula One racing.
Toyota has a history of involvement in European motor sport, having successfully participated in both the Le Mans 24 Hour race and the World Rally Championship. Toyota is, however, the only manufacturer never to have participated in Formula One racing as an engine designer and supplier to independent teams.
[[Toyota F1]]
History
Toyota made its Formula One debut in 2002, ending years of successful participation in the World Rally Championship in favour of investing in Formula One racing. Unlike many manufacturers who purchased existing teams to enter the series, Toyota paid out the full $12 million entry fee, before setting up a base in Germany.
The team’s first year in Formula One was disappointing, as it managed to notch up only two points and finished second last in the Constructors Championship. The next two seasons were not particularly encouraging either, as Toyota moved to 8th spot, and failed to secure a single podium finish.
Toyota’s persistence finally paid off in 2005 when the team achieved three podium finishes, and scored points in all but two of the year’s races to achieve a 4th place finish in the Constructors Championship. Although Toyota has since failed to emulate the success of the 2005 season, the team has consolidated its position amongst the top five constructors in Formula One racing.
Toyota in Formula One
While Toyota has managed to improve significantly in a short period of time, the team is some way off reaching its full potential. Of concern to many fans is the quality of the drivers racing for the team, with critics pointing out that Toyota’s best results were to some extent the product of their association with Ralf Schumacher.
The team attempted to address this problem towards the end of the 2007 season, targeting Fernando Alonso as a driver for the 2008 season. The Spaniard eventually declined, which led to the signing of successful GP2 driver Timo Glock.
The team is under significant pressure to perform, and Toyota routinely fires unsuccessful team principals. At the beginning of the 2008 season, the present team principal was given two years to turn Toyota into a winning team, suggesting that the team may withdraw from the sport unless there is a significant improvement in results by 2010. The subsequent withdrawal of Honda from the sport has piled even more pressure on the Toyota team to win is first Grand Prix in 2009.
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