TOYOTA TF101

  On January 21, 1999, the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota announced its intention to enter Formula 1. The Japanese company dominated the world rally scene in the 1990s, when, with the team managed by its European headquarters in Cologne, Germany, TMG (Toyota Motorsports GmbH) it won three drivers’ titles with Carlos Sainz (father of the current Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz), Juha Kankkunen, and Didier Auriol, as well as three constructors’ titles, first with the Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD and later with the Toyota Corolla WRC. At the same time, Toyota carried forward the GT-One prototype project, with which it participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998 and 1999, achieving in the latter year the LM-GTP class victory and second place overall, behind only the BMW V12 LMR. Given the growing interest in Formula 1 in the Land of the Rising Sun, at the end of the 1999 season the management of the Japanese giant decided to withdraw from the international motorsport scene, focusing solely on designing a Formula 1 single-seater to debut in 2001.

TOYOTA TF101, Mika Salo and Allan McNish
Catalunya-Barcelona private tests

   The task of designing and building the car within 19 months was entrusted to the TMG operational headquarters in Cologne. The initial project envisaged the use of a V12 engine, later banned by the federation with the 2000 regulation mandating a V10 configuration. For this reason, the debut was postponed to 2002, and the first single-seater designed, named AM01, was equipped with the new RVX-01 V10 and used solely as a test car. The TF101 name would be used only later, when, at the presentation of the car that would compete in 2002, it was designated TF102.

TOYOTA TF101,
the prototype of the car at the Cologne headquarters

   In the role of Technical Director for the TF101 project in Cologne, the French engineer André de Cortanze was appointed. He had previously been involved in Formula 1 in the late 1970s as the head of the first Renault Turbo project, and in the mid-1990s when he worked with the Sauber team. After his Renault experience, De Cortanze worked for Peugeot-Talbot alongside Jean Todt, sharing in the French manufacturer’s rally and Le Mans triumphs. The Chief Designer of the single-seater was the young French engineer Jean-Claude Martens. The decision not to rely on big names was emphasized during the press conference presenting the project, when Ove Andersson, then president of TMG, stated that large investments and famous names were not always necessary to achieve results. However, by mid-2001, he had to accept the idea of hiring highly experienced engineers to progress with the car’s development. Thus, Austrian engineer Gustav Brunner arrived in Cologne to revise Martens’ design, and Italian engineer Luca Marmorini, formerly of Ferrari, was brought in to redesign the Japanese V10.

TOYOTA TF101, Mika Salo
Catalunya-Barcelona, private tests

   The TF101 was a very traditional single-seater, echoing the classic shapes of late-1990s Formula 1 cars, with a nose cone reminiscent of the Ferrari F399, tall and squared sidepods tapering toward the rear where classic flow diverters sat in front of the wheels, and a typical “coke bottle” shape toward the back. The mechanics were also very conventional, with a classic carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, push-rod suspension with torsion bar, and a 6-speed longitudinal semi-automatic sequential gearbox. The tires used were the new Michelins, and the drivers of the new German-based team, racing under a Japanese license, were Finnish veteran Mika Salo and the not-so-young but Formula 1 race-inexperienced Briton Allan McNish, who had only served as a test driver for McLaren and Benetton.

TOYOTA TF101, Mika Salo
Catalunya-Barcelona, private tests

   The new TF101 was unveiled to the public on March 23, 2001, and before hitting the track for the 2002 season it covered an impressive 20,967 km of testing, almost all done by Salo, across eleven different circuits, all part of the Formula 1 World Championship calendar. From the outset, the car proved slow, heavy, and equipped with an underpowered engine. During the early phases of testing, the team faced several setbacks, including an accident that completely destroyed the car. However, the testing process smoothed out as the car, driver, and team accumulated mileage, and the new engine was installed in September of that year. By the end of the year, TMG was ready to present the TF102, with which it would face the 2002 championship.