Motoring: The Formula of triumph

In recent years, some auto manufacturers are putting up 'works' teams for Formula 1 racing. This is by no means an easy task. Apart from the huge sums of money required, the team must produce a car that is competitive as well as comparative

For any new team from an automotive manufacturer entering the world of Formula 1 Grand Prix racing for the first time, the challenge is a daunting one. Apart from the huge sums of money required, the team must produce a car that is competitive if they are to preserve their reputation.

In recent years, many of the world's leading brands have become actively involved in F1 GP racing including BMW, Honda, Ford and Mercedes-Benz as engine suppliers and Ferrari, Jaguar (Ford) and Renault as 'works' team entrants. This year, the mighty Toyota Motor Company of Japan entered the Formula 1 series as a 'works' team entrant in its own right and using their own engines.

Success in Formula 1 rarely happens as an overnight sensation. For new teams, there was a steep learning curve despite the years of planning and preparation before Race 1 started in March 2002 at the Australian Grand Prix. In this debut race, Mika Salo finished in 6th place to earn the team its first championship point. Since then, the Panasonic Toyota racing team have achieved modest successes they can be proud of in a first season of racing.

F1 cars

The heart of a F1 car is its engine and Toyota have designed and built a V10 (90 degrees angle) 2,998 cc engine with undisclosed horse power but to be competitive, it would have to be in the region of 750-800 bhp. The transmission driving the rear wheels is by a 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox with driver controls on the steering wheel.

The car's chassis is a carbon monocoque with torsion bar and push rod suspension, front and rear, with large disc brakes. The front wheels are 12J and the rears are wider at 13.5 J and are fitted with Michelin Pilot tyres.

The FIA technical regulations require the car to have a minimum weight on 600 kg with overall height and width less than 95 cm and 180cm respectively. The engine must have a maximum of 10 cylinders with no more than five valves per cylinder and the maximum displacement is 3,000 cc. No turbochargers or superchargers are allowed. Fully automatic transmissions or CVT transmissions are not allowed either.

Tyre size is also regulated and each of the dry weather 'slick' tyres must have four distinct lengthwise grooves and these must be visible at the end of the race. The aerodynamic components such as front and rear wings are also regulated for size and position.

Race weekends

On average each team, including Panasonic Toyota racing, would take about 60 people to work at the race circuit on any given race weekend. These would include the drivers, team management, engineers, pit crews, hospitality staff, media staff and so on. A typical race weekend would involve arriving at the circuit on a Wednesday to set up the motorhomes and pit garages over the next two days. On Friday, the cars are checked by the FIA Technical Scrutineers and unofficial practice sessions are scheduled with one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Based on the data feedback from these sessions, the cars are tuned ready for official practice and the qualifying timings on Saturday.

On Saturday, there are two practice runs of 45 minutes each. In the afternoon, the one-hour qualifying session begins with each driver allowed a maximum of 12 laps. The times set during this qualifying session determines the driver's position on the starting grid for the race itself. If a driver's time is greater than 107 per cent of the fastest qualifying time set by the driver on pole position on the grid, that slower driver will not be allowed to start.

Early on Sunday morning there is a half-hour warm-up session when final adjustments are made and race tactics (number of refuelling stops and tyre selection) are decided. Such strategies are vital as the timing of pit stops can decide the outcome of the race. The race itself will be over two hours or a distance of about 350 kms.

Media coverage

In 2001 it was estimated that the TV coverage to over 200 countries, world-wide, and the spectator attendance at each race resulted in over 54 billion people watching Formula 1 racing. This is greater than the number of people who watch the soccer World Cup – estimated at 40 billion for 1998.

No wonder Formula 1 is so attractive to large multinational companies with products and services to sell on a world-wide basis.

Formula 1 racing will become a powerful marketing tool for Toyota in the coming years as the Panasonic Toyota Racing Team achieves greater successes. Although nothing definite had been announced for 2003 at the time of writing the team is planning to hire the very experienced French F1 driver Olivier Panis as one of its two drivers for 2003.

No doubt the choice of his team colleague will be of vital importance in the team's quest for podium places and points in the FOCA (Formula One Constructors' Association) championship for next season.


The road to Formula 1

In January 1999, Toyota announced to the world its intention of competing as a works team for the 2002 season and by the end of that year, the FIA had granted participation after the submission of detailed plans by TMC.

Throughout 1999, 2000 and 2001, Toyota engineers were kept busy designing and building a Formula 1 car until, in March 2001, the prototype Toyota Formula 1 car (TF 101) was unveiled at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France. During the summer of 2001, the team's driver, Mika Salo, carried out test drives at most of the Grand Prix circuits around the world – 11 in total. Mika was joined by British driver Allan McNish later in that year as the selected driver for the team in their first season of F1 racing.

The development of the F1 team was entrusted to Toyota Motorsport GmbH, based in Cologne, Germany, with its large staff of about 550 persons with veteran motor sport guru Ove Andersson as president of the company. The senior members of the TMG team are a cosmopolitan group coming from Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The TMG centre is fully equipped with a wind tunnel for aerodynamic testing as well as spacious workshops and design and development facilities.

The financial needs of a modern Formula 1 team are enormous and even a cash-rich company like Toyota needs financial partners to support the overall project. In July 2001, a deal was announced with the electronics giant from Japan – Matsushita Electric Co – that their brand Panasonic would be featured in the racing team's official title. AOL Time Warner was signed up as the Multimedia partner with no less than 26 other companies as official partners. The contribution of these other partners ranged from hair care products from Wella; trucks from MAN; weather forecasts from Meteo France; tyres from Michelin; team clothing from Sparco; motorhomes from Pocklingtons; sunglasses from Vuarnet, and so on.