TOYOTA TF106

   The excellent results achieved in 2005 rightfully placed the Toyota team among the title contenders for the 2006 season. The new TF106 is a natural evolution of the 2005 car, as well as the embodiment of the “Kaizen” philosophy (continuous improvement), which forms an integral part of Toyota’s global DNA. The new single-seater was once again designed and built by Toyota Motorsport GmbH, the team’s European headquarters based in Cologne, Germany. Under the direction of Technical Director Mike Gascoyne, the new Chief Designer John Litjens works alongside David Neilsen, who also joined the team recently. The two replaced Austrian engineer Gustav Brunner, who left the team at the end of 2005. Head of Aerodynamics remains the Italian Nicolò Petrucci, who had already done an excellent job with Gascoyne on the 2005 car.

TOYOTA TF106, Ralf Schumacher
Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 2006 

   Renowned for its early launches, Toyota once again got ahead of everyone by unveiling the TF106 more than three months before the Bahrain Grand Prix scheduled for March 12, 2006. Mike Gascoyne believed that such a time window could give the Cologne team a significant advantage over rivals, with the new car already ready in November 2005, the same month the team began testing the TF106 on track. Toyota Motorsport President Tsutomu Tomita expressed great confidence in the so-called “Toyota Way” and in the “Toyota Production System” methodology, which serve as the twin strands of Toyota’s corporate DNA. Thanks to this unique approach, the German-based team aimed to compete at the highest level in the 2006 World Championship. To develop the new TF106, Toyota changed several key suppliers for its cars. In particular, it switched from Michelin to Bridgestone tires, with the Japanese manufacturer immediately willing to build a close working relationship to develop new compounds suitable for the TF106’s new chassis-suspension package. The suspension system was also new, now incorporating technology supplied by Penske. This change stemmed from a radical modification of the rear suspension geometry to resolve an issue found in previous Toyota cars. The TF106 thus combined a completely new, stiffer, and lighter rear end, designed to house Toyota’s new V8 engine, with a monocoque and front suspension setup already tested and used in the last two races of the 2005 season on the TF105B, which managed to achieve a pole position and a podium finish.

TOYOTA TF106, Jarno Trulli
Monza, Italian GP 2006

   The new Toyota RVX-06 V8 engine was again designed and developed under the supervision of Italian engineer Luca Marmorini, a former Ferrari technician highly regarded in Formula 1. The 2006 Toyota engine was directly derived from the previous 3-liter RVX V10 series, though it featured only eight cylinders and a 2399 cc displacement, as required by the new technical regulations. The new V8 was tested on track for the first time on March 21, 2005, the day after the Malaysian Grand Prix. From its debut until the end of July, the Toyota V8 covered a distance of 2,143 km, confirming its renowned power and reliability (the 2005 RVX-05 V10 suffered only one failure in 19 race weekends). The Toyota V8’s power output was around 745 hp at 19,000 rpm, comparable to the best engines of the season, and it was paired with a seven-speed semi-automatic sequential gearbox developed by Toyota itself, based on an X-Trac transmission.

TOYOTA TF106, Ralf Schumacher
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2006

   The TF106 was officially unveiled on January 14, 2006, at Toyota’s factory in Onnaing, a small town in the Valenciennes arrondissement in northern France, after having already completed testing at the Catalunya-Barcelona circuit in Montmeló, Spain. Toyota knew that such an early debut could expose them to competitors’ scrutiny but hoped it would also allow more time to improve the car’s performance and reliability ahead of the season opener in Bahrain in March. In fact, the TF106 would change significantly from the version seen on track in November, with several updates planned before the start of the season. Compared to 2005, the car’s white-and-red livery remained largely unchanged, with Panasonic still appearing on the rear wing and sidepods. The driver lineup was also the same as the previous year: Italian Jarno Trulli and German Ralf Schumacher as race drivers, with Brazilian Ricardo Zonta as reserve. Frenchman Olivier Panis continued to play a key testing role, bringing his extensive Formula 1 experience to the team.

TOYOTA TF106, Ralf Schumacher
Imola, San Marino GP 2006

   After a highly successful 2005 season, expectations were high that Toyota would be a strong force in 2006. However, it quickly became clear that this would not be the case. After a disappointing opening race in Bahrain, with Schumacher finishing 14th and Trulli 16th, results slightly improved in Malaysia, where the German scored a single point with an eighth-place finish. Australia finally brought a podium, again with Schumacher, while Trulli continued his poor streak, failing to score points in eight consecutive races. The disappointing start prompted Toyota to introduce a “B” version of the car. Results, however, remained far below expectations, and only from the ninth race of the season, in Canada, did some improvements begin to appear, with at least one of the two cars consistently finishing in the points. The third-place finish in Australia remained the team’s best result in what turned out to be a disappointing season overall, with Toyota finishing sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with just 35 points, while Schumacher and Trulli ended the Drivers’ standings in tenth and twelfth place respectively.