Toyota Racing
Toyota Racing was a motorsport racing team and the work team of the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, where it took part from 2002 to 2009. In November 2009, the team announced the withdrawal from Formula 1. Seat of the Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne - Mars village.
History
His debut had the team in 2002 at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne with Mika Salo and Allan McNish. In his first season, Toyota ranked, despite of the largest budget of approximately 500 million euros, only tenth place in the constructors' standings with two points of Salo.
Shortly before the end of the 2002 Toyota released its two drivers and took Cristiano da Matta ( previously Champ Car champion) and Olivier Panis.
In the seasons of 2003 and 2004 made it after all Toyota each eighth place, but only with 16 and nine points. At times, replaced Ricardo Zonta (Hungary, Belgium, Italy, China, 2004) and Jarno Trulli (Japan, Brazil 2004) the degraded to the test driver Cristiano da Matta. Away from the track fell Toyota at the end of the 2003 season because of a suspected spy.
From 2005 to 2007 drove alongside Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher to Toyota. As a test driver Ricardo Zonta and Olivier, among others Panis were active.
2005 was the most successful season of the team. Trulli and Schumacher were regularly retract podiums and two pole positions ( Trulli at the U.S. Grand Prix and Schumacher at the Japanese Grand Prix ) and a fastest lap of the race ( Schumacher Grand Prix of Belgium). The team finished the season with 88 points in fourth.
The stated goal of Toyota was from the beginning the journey to the World Cup, now the success with the TF designed by Mike Gascoyne seemed set 105. This trend would be with the new TF 106, which was presented on 28 November 2005 to continue in 2006. This for Formula 1 teams unusually early presentation - almost three months before most of the other competitors - is due to the launch of the concept in July 2005, although they had not yet developed a completely revised chassis TF 105B during the 2005 Formula 1 season. Experience has shown that this allows the rapid eradication of so-called children's diseases thanks to a longer trial period, during which competitors test in winter usually with interim models ( V8 engine and old chassis) in Bahrain, France, Spain and South Africa. However, the year 2006 proved to be a very difficult one for Toyota. Only 35 points led to 6th place in the constructors' championship. A setback for the ambitious goals. Blame for this was the fluctuating shape of the car during the season had numerous failures.
The following year was very disappointing for the team. Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli were rarely score and so closed to the season with 13 points in sixth from.
For the 2008 season, alongside Jarno Trulli of German Timo Glock was signed as a driver. Ralf Schumacher left the team in the direction of DTM. As a test driver for this season Kamui Kobayashi is working for the team. Again, it was not possible to meet the objectives. During the tests before the season only average lap times were achieved. At the first race of the season both riders dropped out. Jarno Trulli had the race after a technical failure prematurely, Timo Glock had a serious accident, which he survived but unharmed. Compared to the previous year but disappointing succeeded in establishing in the upper middle. The season was finished in fifth place with 56 points.
This trend could continue at the start of the 2009 season first. After two third places in Australia ( Trulli ) and Malaysia ( Glock ) Trulli drove in Bahrain on the pole position and the fastest lap of the race, but the race could finish only third. Subsequently, the team was able to score but only rarely. At season's end, however, they were able to enter two second places in Singapore and Japan. In Japan, Glock had in qualifying in a serious accident, so he had to be represented in the last two races from the previous test driver Kamui Kobayashi. This succeeded in the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, surprisingly, from twelfth on the grid to sixth place to drive.
On November 4, 2009 Toyota announced that it would suspend the Formula 1 program and to focus on the core business. In the total of 139 partially taken Toyota Grand Prix reached 278.5 points (2.0 points / race ), the most per Grand Prix points scored (13 ) have been run in the Grand Prix of Bahrain 2005 ( Trulli on the second, Schumacher on the fourth place ).
Industrial espionage
During a raid on 30 October 2003 in Cologne Toyota Formula 1 seat on suspicion of industrial espionage by Toyota at Ferrari whose aerodynamics software " Elab " was found. Toyota's own program called "Template" should have been found to be inadequate, so is said to have Ferrari in autumn 2001 abgeworbene Angelo Santini on the then chief designer Gustav Brunner the chief aerodynamicist Rene Hilhorst persuaded to install the Ferrari program. The company "Toyota Motorsport GmbH " denies the knowledge, it was not determined against the GmbH for technical espionage. The leaders and accomplices should be next Santini, Brunner and Hilhorst the former team boss Ove Andersson. Santini was due to the fall in Modena in court, Gustav Brunner was dismissed for alleged restructuring and denies any knowledge of the aerodynamics program. This is with an unquenchable Ferrari emblem - have been protected - the prancing horse. The reason for the suspected industrial espionage to have been the failure of the 2002 model, the successor TF103 similarities in appearance to the old Ferrari winning model was already so clear that there was talk in the industry of copy.