You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (December 2021)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Category | Formula One | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Constructor | Toyota | ||||||||
Designer(s) | André de Cortanze (Technical Director) Jean-Claude Martens (Chief Designer) | ||||||||
Successor | TF102 | ||||||||
Technical specifications | |||||||||
Chassis | carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite monocoque | ||||||||
Suspension (front) | Push rod with Torsion bar | ||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Push rod with Torsion bar | ||||||||
Engine | Toyota RVX01 | ||||||||
Transmission | Six Gear, Semi-Automatic | ||||||||
Fuel | Esso | ||||||||
Tyres | Michelin | ||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||
Notable entrants | Panasonic Toyota Racing | ||||||||
Notable drivers | Mika Salo Allan McNish | ||||||||
Debut | N/A | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||
Drivers' Championships | 0 |
The Toyota TF101 was a Formula One car used solely for testing purposes during the 2001 season, in preparation for the team's full-scale assault on the series in 2002. The car was designed by Toyota F1's chief of chassis Jean-Claude Martens and was driven by Mika Salo and Allan McNish. The TF101 was unofficially called the "AM01" by Toyota until the name of its successor, the TF102 was announced.
This was the first Formula One car to run on Esso fuel since the 1960s.
The car was designed and built from the ground up by the staff at Toyota Motorsports GmbH (TMG) in Cologne, Germany over a period of nineteen months, in preparation for Toyota's entry to Formula One in 2002. After the initial unveiling of the car, the test team, including drivers Mika Salo and Allan McNish took on an intensive testing programme, accumulating a total of 3,000 laps and 22,967 km at eleven F1 circuits around the world, and also the specialist testing facility at Paul Ricard in Southern France.
During the development of the car, the initial designer André de Cortanze was replaced by Austrian Gustav Brunner and he oversaw the continued development of the car, eventually molding the TF102 car, the team's debut racegoing machine based on the work done during the 2001 season.
The car was handling poorly and being overweight, Mika Salo described it as being "a piece of shit". [1]
Mika Pauli Häkkinen, nicknamed "The Flying Finn", is a Finnish former racing driver. He won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1998 and 1999, both times driving for McLaren. Häkkinen is one of three Formula One drivers from Finland that have won the World Drivers' Championship, and the only one to have done so more than once. He currently works in driver management and is a brand ambassador for various companies.
The 2002 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 3 March 2002 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. With 127,000 people in attendance, the race was the first of the 2002 Formula One World Championship and the 18th Australian Grand Prix in Formula One. Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher won the 58-lap race starting from second position. Juan Pablo Montoya of Williams finished second and Kimi Räikkönen took third for the McLaren team, his first podium finish.
Panasonic Toyota Racing was a Formula One team owned by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota Motor Corporation and based in Cologne, Germany. Toyota announced their plans to join Formula One in 1999, and after extensive testing with their initial car, dubbed the TF101, the team made their debut in 2002. The new team grew from Toyota's long-standing Toyota Motorsport GmbH organisation, which had previously competed in the World Rally Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite a point in their first-ever race, Toyota never won a Grand Prix, their best finish being second, which they achieved five times.
The 2002 Brazilian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 31 March 2002 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo, Brazil. It was the third round of the 2002 Formula One season and the thirty-first Brazilian Grand Prix. The 71-lap race was won by Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher after starting from the second position. Ralf Schumacher finished second for the Williams team with David Coulthard third in a McLaren.
The 2002 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 26 May 2002 at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo. It was the seventh race of the 2002 Formula One World Championship, and the sixtieth Monaco Grand Prix.
The 2002 Canadian Grand Prix was the eighth round of the 2002 Formula One season and was held on 9 June 2002 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Michael Schumacher won his sixth Grand Prix of the season and his fifth Canadian Grand Prix win. Schumacher fended off the challenges of Juan Pablo Montoya, who later retired, and his teammate Rubens Barrichello, whose race strategy cost him a chance of victory and demoting him to third. Fresh off his victory at Monaco, David Coulthard finished second in the race and earned his fourth podium finish of the season.
The 2002 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Suzuka on 13 October 2002. It was the seventeenth and final race of the 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship. It is also the last race held on this layout.
The 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 57th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It began on 9 March 2003 and ended on 12 October after sixteen races. World Championship titles were awarded for both drivers and constructors with Michael Schumacher winning the former and Ferrari awarded the latter.
The 2002 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 56th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It began on 3 March and ended on 13 October after seventeen races.
Mika Juhani Salo is a Finnish former professional racing driver. He competed in Formula One between 1994 and 2002. His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999, when he stood in for the injured Michael Schumacher at Ferrari for six races, scoring two podiums and contributing to Ferrari's constructors' championship win. He also won the GT2 class in the 2008 and 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Allan McNish is a British former racing driver, commentator, and journalist from Scotland. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, most recently in 2013, as well as a three-time winner of the American Le Mans Series, which he last won in 2007. He won the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2013. He has also been a co-commentator and pundit for BBC Formula One coverage on TV, radio and online and was team principal of the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Formula E team.
Ove Andersson, nicknamed Påven, was a Swedish rally driver and the first head of Toyota's F1 programme.
The Ferrari F399 was the car with which the Ferrari team competed in the 1999 Formula One World Championship. The chassis was designed by Rory Byrne, Giorgio Ascanelli, Aldo Costa, Marco Fainello, Willem Toet, and Nikolas Tombazis, with Ross Brawn playing a vital role in leading the production of the car as the team's technical director and Paolo Martinelli assisted by Giles Simon leading the engine design and operations.
The Renault R23 is a Formula One car that competed in the 2003 Formula One season. The driver lineup were Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso who replaced Jenson Button who left for British American Racing.
The Toyota TF102 was the car with which the Toyota team competed in the 2002 Formula One season, the team's inaugural Championship campaign. The car reflected the results of a year's testing in 2001 with the TF101, and was designed primarily by Dago Rohrer, Gustav Brunner and René Hilhorst. The engine was designed by Luca Marmorini. As with the TF101, it was piloted during the season by Mika Salo and Allan McNish.
The Toyota TF103 was the car with which the Toyota F1 team competed in the 2003 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Gustav Brunner and René Hilhorst with Luca Marmorini designing the engine. Unveiled on January 8, 2003 at the Paul Ricard circuit, its drivers were the Frenchman Olivier Panis and Brazilian Cristiano da Matta, the reigning CART FedEx Championship Series Champion from 2002.
The Toyota TF104 was a Formula One car used by the Toyota F1 team during the 2004 Formula One season.
The Lola T95/30 is a Formula One motor racing car which was tested by Allan McNish during 1994 and early 1995. The car, however, was not raced during any Formula One races. The car was designed as a prototype ready for Lola's arrival in Formula One. Lola, instead of actually racing the car in the season, chose instead to test the car while searching for a big-name sponsor as money for the project dried up. The T95/30 version could not be raced as it was made obsolete by regulation changes enforced by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), Formula One's governing body.
The Toyota TF109 was a Formula One racing car engineered by Toyota for the 2009 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Pascal Vasselon, Mark Tatham and Mark Gillan with the engine being designed by Luca Marmorini and Noritoshi Arai overseeing the entire project. It was revealed online on Toyota's website on 15 January 2009 and made its track debut on 18 January at the Autódromo Algarve. This was the last Formula One car to be developed by Toyota, as after the 2009 Formula One season was completed Toyota Motor Corporation announced their decision to withdraw from Formula One. As far as performance went, the car was extraordinarily inconsistent. It started the season well with three podium finishes in the first four races as it got the jump on rival teams with the "double-decker" diffuser. In the span of only two races however, the TF109 went from locking out the front row in Bahrain to locking out the back row in Monaco. The car from then on was uncompetitive despite a few glimmers of hope in Singapore when Timo Glock finished 2nd and Japan when Jarno Trulli also finished second. The TF109 was the last F1 car to run on Esso fuel along with the Williams FW31 until the McLaren MP4-30 in the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship, as well as last non-British based F1 car to run on Esso until Toro Rosso STR12 in the 2017 season.
There have been nine Formula One drivers from Finland who have taken part in races since the championship began in 1950. Three drivers have won the World Drivers' Championship, with Keke Rosberg being the first in 1982. Mika Häkkinen won it in 1998 and retained it in 1999, becoming the first - and so far only - Finnish double world champion. Kimi Räikkönen is the most recent Finnish champion having won the title in 2007.