The post-World War II era saw Formula One racing that was as much as team versus team as country was pitted against country. It was fairly normal for Brits to race in green, Germans in silver, and so forth.
Of course, in today’s high-tech world of Grand Prix racing, it has become a global effort; and none is as global as Toyota’s F1 campaign.
Under the supervision of Japanese Tsutomu Tomita, the new TF104 was officially showcased at the 30,000-square meter Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) headquarters in Cologne, France.
Designed under the supervision of German Gustav Brunner, the TF104 is the most solid machine since the Japanese car company first joined the ‘fast club’ in 2000.
No front tusks, low sloping nose or extra winglets are visible. In fact, the design is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Although the looks may be as radical as the other team’s, the TF104 is an all-new design with every bit redesigned and improved.
With 90 percent of chassis performance relying solely on aerodynamics, the TF104’s design surely emphasized on the matter of improving airflow around the car. British Technical Director Mike Gascoyne reiterated that consistency rather than speed was the key with the TF104. The team spent countless hours in the company’s own 50 percent scale wind tunnel honing each part for a cohesive product.
Of course, that’s not to say Toyota didn’t improve on any other aspects. Numerous changes were done with the electronics, suspension geometry, and gearbox among other things. The centerpiece of change, along with the chassis, is unsurprisingly, the engine.
Being a symbiotic element of the chassis, it is worth noting that the 900-bhp RVX-04 V10 engine is designed and built in-house by Toyota. This fact makes the TF104 unique, as it is just one of three teams in the entire F1 grid that make both chassis and engines.
With the powerplant’s life expectancy increased from 400 kilometers to 800 kilometers per race weekend, extensive testing was done as early as October to ensure a good balance between reliability and durability without sacrificing performance. Italian Luca Marmorini headed the design team responsible for the compact and light-weight engine.
Piloting the TF104 will still be the French Olivier Panis and Brazilian Cristiano da Matta. The formidable duo, which will continue their one-year old partnership, hopes to see a more competitive season. Their top-three qualifying performances in Indianapolis and Suzuka last year have certainly raised their hopes of continued progression up the F1 grid.
Whether or not the TF104 would become an F1 frontrunner still remains to be seen. However, it has to be remembered that behind every multi-million dollar, hand-built machine made at the TMG headquarters, the blood, sweat and tears of 600 people from 32 countries would label the TF104 not just as a Japanese effort, but truly a global one.
By Ulysses Ang | Photos Courtesy of Toyota Motorsport GmbH
Published Previously on The Manila Times
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