Toyota discloses unprecedented details of F1 development

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Toyota discloses unprecedented details of F1 development

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While the mechanical heart of the TF 06 as tested in November is the same as the car that will first race in Bahrain on 2 March, aerodynamic and suspension updates – parts that in essence ‘bolt on’ – will be introduced as close to that first race as possible.

Mike Gascoyne continues: “The reason everyone pushes their car back as late as possible is to maximise time in the wind tunnel for aero development. Our philosophy is to get the best of both worlds by releasing the Bahrain aero package as late as possible, to maximise the development time and reliability running of the mechanical package while ensuring that the aero development time is absolutely at its peak. If we’d rolled out a new car for January, we still couldn’t have incorporated any of the things we’d learned from testing Bridgestones in November. We can now react and introduce the TF 06B bearing in mind all that we’ve learned from testing.”

After Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli achieved five podiums, including two second places between them last season, the team can have no other target than to win a race in 2006, but Team Principal Tsutomu Tomita knows full well the tough challenge this will entail.

“It is natural that we enter the 2006 championship with our sights on the top step of the podium,” he says. “We are pushing very hard, but we don’t underestimate the difficulty of Formula 1 or the challenges we face in 2006. If somebody goes up, then somebody else has to drop down the order. Even if we can get that first win we will have to push ourselves more to keep that position.”

He admits that it’s impossible to forecast how the car will stack up against the competition: “It’s very difficult to predict what will happen, especially with all the variables we face this year with a new V8 engine, new Bridgestone tyres and a revised qualifying format. With that in mind, we should aim to be the best Bridgestone team this year. We were a podium scoring team last year, and any team looking to develop must always set its sights higher. Obviously that means finishing on the podium consistently, and ultimately finishing on the top step.” Mike Gascoyne and Luca Marmorini, the respective technical directors of the chassis and engine departments, have ensured that everyone at Cologne has worked in closer co-operation than ever before, guaranteeing that the TF 06 and the new V8 form an optimal package in the quest for the top spot.

“You need integration between departments,” says John Howett. “As soon as you get people to break down the barriers, and integrate across them, you get massive improvements. All Formula 1 teams like to claim that they are teams, but there is a natural tendency to have a not-made-here syndrome between groups or ‘empires’. The back end of the TF 06 is impressive because the engine guys and chassis guys have spent the duration of the design and production process talking, and that’s resulted in a huge step forward and the beginning of the benefits we can derive from our ’one roof concept’.”

Marmorini says that everyone has responded to the challenge of designing and building the V8 in what was a relatively short time frame: “After six years there is a good know-how in the Toyota team, and this engine is the result of our experience. What is important is that we are a young and flexible team. We accepted the V8 as a challenge, and we enjoyed it because it was something different and technically stimulating.”

Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli will take up racing duties once again, occupying cars 7 and 8 this season, a reflection of Panasonic Toyota Racing’s well-earned fourth place in the 2005 championship. Ricardo Zonta and Olivier Panis, both of whom joined the team in 2001, will serve as third driver and test driver respectively.

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