They had almost everything to achieve success in the sport, but it just wasn't meant to be....

Toyota has been a very successful name in the world of motorsport. Some of their biggest achievements include Drivers & Manufacturers titles in the World Rally Championship, multiple race wins in IndyCar/CART, NASCAR and IMSA GT - not to mention their success in the past few years in endurance racing, finally breaking their Le Mans 'curse' by winning the prestigious 24 Hour race last year. Despite all of their success, Toyota haven't been successful in every motorsport series that they've entered. I am of course talking about their Formula One team, Panasonic Toyota Racing - who were on the grid from 2002 to 2009. Despite all the promise and hype surrounding the manufacturer backed team, they fell so short of the mark...

THE ORIGINS (1999-2001)

The TF101, Toyota's first ever car in F1 - it only ran as a test car. The TF101, Toyota's first ever car in F1 - it only ran as a test car.

After limited success in their rally and sportscar programmes during the mid-to-late 1990s, Toyota decided that it was time to pursue a new challenge in motorsport. It was with that in mind that Toyota announced in January 1999 that they would enter a fully fledged works team of their own.

During the late 90s and early 2000s, car manufacturers were beginning to have a massive presence within the sport. BMW signed a contract with Williams to supply them with brand new engines for the 2000 season, Ford bought out the Stewart GP team and rebranded it as Jaguar Racing - and Renault had purchased the Benetton team. Honda was also supposed to enter their own works team around this time - even going as far as building a test car, but after chief designer Harvey Postlethwaite's sudden death during a test session in 1999, the Japanese marquee made the decision to abandon their works team and instead become an engine supplier to BAR for the 2000 season.

In June 2000, Toyota secured its entry into F1 as the series' 12th team. They were supposed to enter in 2001, but instead pushed their entry back for the 2002 season. During 2001, Toyota built the TF101 - a test car that was driven at 11 circuits on the F1 calendar during the year by former Ferrari, Tyrrell, Arrows and Sauber driver Mika Salo, and long-time F1 testing & Toyota sportscar driver Allan McNish. The idea behind the TF101's extensive testing programme was to gain telemetry for races, which would prove invaluable in preparing themselves for the 2002 season. With a big budget, a full year of testing done and two very capable drivers in Salo and McNish - it looked like Toyota were in for a great debut season...

TEETHING PROBLEMS, MULTIPLE DRIVER CHANGES, ESPIONAGE ALLEGATIONS (2002-2004)

Mika Salo driving the TF102, Toyota's first officially entered F1 car. Mika Salo driving the TF102, Toyota's first officially entered F1 car.

Toyota's debut at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix went relatively well, with Mika Salo scoring a single point with a 6th place finish, two laps behind race winner Michael Schumacher. The race was one of high attrition, with eight cars being taken out in a multi-car pile up on Lap 1 - in which McNish got caught up in. The next points scoring opportunity would come at the Brazilian GP, as Salo again scored 6th place and a single point. But for the rest of the 2002 season, neither Salo or McNish would score points - despite the TF102 being a solid midfield car.

All that was left of Allan McNish's TF102 after his horrifying crash at Suzuka. All that was left of Allan McNish's TF102 after his horrifying crash at Suzuka.

At the final round of the season in Suzuka, McNish had an almighty crash during qualifying when he went off at the 130R - smashing through the safety barrier and ensuring that he would take no further part during the race weekend, withdrawing on medical advice. Salo and McNish were dropped by Toyota at the end of the season due to their underwhelming performance. It was later revealed that Salo was not on good terms with the team's management for most of 2002 - and Martin Brundle (who was working for ITV's coverage of F1 at the time) stated that replacing both Salo and McNish was not a good move.

For 2003, one-time race winner and BAR outcast Olivier Panis joined the team, with 2002 ChampCar champion Cristiano Da Matta partnering him. Things improved slightly for Toyota in 2003, as they scored a total of 16 points. Their highest finish of 5th & 6th at the German GP for Panis and Da Matta was a positive step, but the team still only finished 8th in the Constructors standings - only ahead of Jordan and Minardi. Again, it was clear that the team had the potential to move further up the standings - but a number of race retirements and inconsistent form was their biggest draw back. Despite this, Panis and Da Matta were kept on for the following season.

In 2004, Toyota still struggled to find consistency in their performance - and both Panis and Da Matta didn't get points on the board until the Monaco GP. After a string of underwhelming performances, Da Matta was dropped by the team after the German GP. He was replaced by former BAR driver Ricardo Zonta, who himself did little of note for the rest of the season. By the time that the Japanese GP rolled around, Renault driver Jarno Trulli had fallen out with Flavio Briatore and left the French outfit - and Panis had announced his impending retirement from F1. Toyota then saw a brilliant opportunity to fill the void left by Panis, so they signed Trulli before the season ended. Trulli competed in the last two races of 2004 for Toyota, but failed to score any points. Panis left the sport altogether, whilst Zonta was demoted back to reserve driver for 2005.

During this time, Toyota were implicated in an espionage scandal with Ferrari. It was alleged that the design of the TF104 was based on (supposedly stolen) data files in relation Ferrari's 2003 car, the F2003-GA. Many F1 fans were suspicious of the similarities between the two cars, so much so that criminal proceedings started. A few years later, Mauro Iacconi and Angelo Santini - who had both worked for Ferrari before moving to Toyota - were charged with espionage, including unauthorised access to Ferrari's computers and misappropriation of files. Santini was sentenced to nine months in prison, whilst Iacconi was sentenced to sixteen months - although both of these sentences were suspended under Italian law.

DRAMATIC RISE AND SUDDEN FALL IN FORTUNES (2005-2007)

Ralf Schumacher driving the TF105 at the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix. Ralf Schumacher driving the TF105 at the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix.

Going into 2005, things seemed to be on the up for Toyota. Ralf Schumacher had joined the team to partner Jarno Trulli, and former Jordan and Renault designer Mike Gascoyne came in as Technical Director. With the new challenger - the TF105 - showing some great pace, this was (in a sense) Toyota's breakthrough season.

The season started brilliantly for Toyota, with Trulli taking 2nd place in Malaysia and Bahrain. Although they had a promising start to the season, the team fell off somewhat as Renault and McLaren entered a two-horse race for the title - but they scored a points finish in all but two of the races in 2005. However, they came agonisingly close to taking victory twice - at the Japanese GP, Schumacher qualified on pole in torrential conditions, but fell behind during the race and finished 8th.

This crash sparked the whole "tyregate" debacle at the 2005 United States Grand Prix. This crash sparked the whole "tyregate" debacle at the 2005 United States Grand Prix.

The other missed opportunity (through no fault of their own) was at the infamous United States GP at Indianapolis, where during free practice on the Friday - Schumacher had a left rear tyre failure going into the banked Turn 13 and crashed into the barrier at some speed. On medical advice, he withdrew from the race weekend and was replaced by Ricardo Zonta. After the crash, Michelin declared that their tyres were unsafe to complete a 73 lap race on. Despite this drama and bitching about tyre safety, Jarno Trulli made the most of the situation and qualified on pole for the race - but like all of the other Michelin runners, they were forced to withdraw from the race on safety grounds. If the tyre debacle didn't happen, then Toyota could've been on course for their first ever race win.

The TF106 was a huge disappointment, and led to Mike Gascoyne's sudden departure from the team. The TF106 was a huge disappointment, and led to Mike Gascoyne's sudden departure from the team.

The big question was if Toyota could carry their 2005 momentum going to the 2006 season. The answer to that question was no, not at all. It was clear from the start that the TF106 lacked the quality of its predecessor, and it showed in the team's performance. After the Australian GP (where Schumacher finished 3rd, in the team's only podium of the year), Mike Gascoyne left the team after disagreements between himself and Toyota's management over his role as Technical Director. Toyota themselves were less than impressed with Gascoyne's design of the TF106 - and later promoted Pascal Vasselon to the vacant position.

After that, things didn't improve for the team. Although a B-spec version of the TF106 was brought in from the Monaco GP onwards - it did little to improve Trulli and Schumacher's performances, and the team finished 6th in the Constructors standings with 35 points. The switch to Bridgestone tyres (a decision made in the wake of the Tyregate scandal) pushed the team further back, with the Michelin tyres still being the better of the two in terms of performance.

It was around this time that Toyota started to supply engines to other teams on the grid. Having used Toyota engines under the Jordan name in 2005, the short-lived Midland outfit continued to use them in 2006 - before Williams signed a contract to use them from 2007 onwards.

2007 wasn't any sort of improvement for Toyota. Embarrassingly, the TF107 was thoroughly outperformed by customer team Williams's FW29 (who finished 4th in the Constructors, compared to Toyota's 6th place finish) - and it was at this point that drastic changes had to made. One of these said changes was the departure of Ralf Schumacher - who had his worst season in F1, and chose to retire from the sport in favour of a DTM drive with Mercedes. Trulli was kept on by the team, and would be partnered with that's year GP2 Series champion Timo Glock for 2008.

BACK ON FORM, "IS THAT GLOCK?" (2008)

Jarno Trulli leads Lewis Hamilton at the 2008 Japanese GP in his TF108, which was a big improvement on 2007's effort. Jarno Trulli leads Lewis Hamilton at the 2008 Japanese GP in his TF108, which was a big improvement on 2007's effort.

Toyota were determined to bounce back after a woeful 2007 season. Their 2008 challenger, the TF108, was a big improvement all-round - and it would show almost straight away, as they started scoring more points finishes. To make things even better, Trulli finished 3rd at the French GP - but Glock went one better and finished 2nd in Hungary. However, the old problems of inconsistency became a factor again for the team - as Trulli's longest consecutive points scoring streak was a mere three races, and Glock could only manage two in a row. To be considered even a remote threat to the top teams, they needed to be consistent - which is something that the team always struggled with. However, 2008 was a step in the right direction for the team - but what their season is most remembered for is the final lap of the year-ending Brazilian GP:

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THE (UNEXPECTED) FINAL SEASON (2009)

Kamui Kobayashi driving the TF109 at the 2009 Abu Dhabi GP - in what turned out to be Toyota's last race in F1. Kamui Kobayashi driving the TF109 at the 2009 Abu Dhabi GP - in what turned out to be Toyota's last race in F1.

The new regulations for 2009 shuffled the running order of the grid, and Toyota were one of the teams to benefit from these changes. The TF109 was one of the best cars in the early part of the season - with Trulli and Glock scoring a podium each in the first two races. The TF109 was one of only three cars to use the controversial double diffuser, which gave them (along with Williams and Brawn GP) a massive advantage over the rest of the field. A few of the other teams lodged a complaint to the FIA about the double diffuser, but due to a loophole in the regulations allowing for the design to be implemented - the FIA deemed the diffuser legal.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity for the team's first ever win came in 2009, as Trulli and Glock qualified 1-2 in Bahrain - but Trulli fell victim to Brawn's Jenson Button and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel before finishing 3rd, whilst Glock (despite leading the race from Lap 1 to 12) finished 7th. The team's tyre strategy cost them in this race, and if they hadn't gone on to the harder tyres at the first pit stop - we could've seen one of the Toyotas win.

From then onwards, the team was wildly inconsistent. For the next two races in Spain and Monaco, no points were scored. At this time, a few of the other teams had fitted their own double diffuser - meaning that they were starting to show their true pace. Indeed, the European leg of the season was a difficult one for both Trulli and Glock - with the highest finish being 4th place at the Turkish GP for Trulli. It wasn't until the Singapore GP that the next podium finish came around, with Glock finishing 2nd in the race.

Timo Glock injured his leg in a massive shunt during qualifying for the 2009 Japanese GP - and missed the last three races. Timo Glock injured his leg in a massive shunt during qualifying for the 2009 Japanese GP - and missed the last three races.

At the Japanese GP, Timo Glock crashed into the barrier near the main straight at Suzuka during qualifying. He was airlifted to hospital with a leg injury, but it was later discovered that he also suffered a cracked vertebra - ensuring that he would be out for the remainder of the season. Despite this, Trulli qualified and finished in 2nd place - giving the team its fifth podium finish of the season. For the next race in Brazil, the team's reserve driver and Japanese starlet Kamui Kobayashi was confirmed as Glock's replacement - and made quite the first impression on the grid by taking fellow countryman and Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima out of the race. At the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Kobayashi and Trulli finished 6th and 7th respectively.

SUDDEN DEPARTURE (NOVEMBER 2009)

The unraced TF110, which the Stefan GP team tried to purchase for their failed 2010 entry. The unraced TF110, which the Stefan GP team tried to purchase for their failed 2010 entry.

In light of the global economic crisis of the late 2000s and Toyota's record £2.9bn loss in the previous financial year - the decision was made to pull Panasonic Toyota Racing out of F1 with immediate effect on Wednesday 4th November 2009. The move shocked many in the world of F1, as it was widely believed that the team were getting closer to achieving their championship aspirations. They had even gone as far as building their 2010 challenger, the TF110, before corporate management shut them down - and Pascal Vasselon said in an interview that the TF110 had the potential to be a title challenger in 2010: “When we stopped the development, we had 20 to 30 points more downforce (with the new car) than the last version of its predecessor. We had far exceeded our goals, for even the TF109 was good enough for podiums."

STEFAN GP (2010)

Stefan GP founder Zoran Stefanovic (left), who wanted to use the TF110 for his team's proposed entry in 2010. Stefan GP founder Zoran Stefanovic (left), who wanted to use the TF110 for his team's proposed entry in 2010.

By the start of 2010, Serbian engineer and businessman Zoran Stefanovic was in talks with Toyota Motorsport GmbH to use the TF110 for his team - Stefan GP - provided that they could first gain entry into the 2010 F1 World Championship. Stefan GP's ambitions were big - as they had apparently signed Kazuki Nakajima and Jacques Villeneuve to driver for them. With technical support from Toyota in place, it seemed as if Stefan GP would inherit Toyota's vacated slot on the F1 grid - but it fell through after the FIA refused them entry into the championship.

CONCLUSION - WERE TOYOTA REALLY THAT DIRE IN F1?

Ralf Schumacher driving the TF107, his final attempt in F1 before retiring. Ralf Schumacher driving the TF107, his final attempt in F1 before retiring.

It's hard to say for definite if Toyota's attempts in F1 were a waste of time. They achieved some decent results during their seven years in the sport - in particular 2005 and 2009 - but a lack of consistency and a sense of overconfidence in their lofty ambitions is what killed the team. And this wasn't just a typical run of the mill privateer entry, Panasonic Toyota Racing was a heavily funded, manufacturer backed outfit whose sole ambition in F1 was to be on top. On paper, Toyota's time in F1 wasn't too bad - but when you look at the money and time invested into the team, it becomes clear that Toyota would like you to forget about their entry into the so-called pinnacle of motorsport.

On a personal level, I grew up with Toyota being in the sport - so when they did leave I was quite sad about it. 2005 in particular (my first ever season as a fan) was memorable to me in part thanks to Toyota's rise up the running order. If I had to choose a second favourite team during that time, it definitely would've been Panasonic Toyota Racing for me.

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