Toyota launches 2009 F1 car

By Matt Brogan | January 16th, 2009

Panasonic Toyota Racing has launched its 2009 Formula One car, dubbed TF109.

The team heads into the new season full of confidence following a much improved performance last season and believes it can record its first win this year since joining the sport in 2002.

The TF109 is a radical departure from its predecessor as it conforms to the sport’s new aerodynamic regulations that aim to increase overtaking and reduce speeds In accordance with the new rules, the car sports a significantly narrower rear wing, wider front wing and bodywork with little aerodynamic sculpting.

“We have gained a huge amount of knowledge and improved considerably,” said Panasonic Toyota Racing team president, John Howett. “There are many elements of our team which are at the very highest level so the challenge now is to fill any gaps and ensure the entire organisation is performing at the very top. Then we must put all the elements together and deliver the success we are all fighting so hard for.”

Toyota undertakes the 2009 season with the same driver line-up as last year, with 13-season veteran Jarno Trulli again joined by Timo Glock, while Kamui Kobayashi returns as third driver.

Trulli believes the TF109 will allow the team to reach its potential and the main aim for Toyota’s longest serving F1 driver is to secure the team’s maiden victory.

“I still have plenty I want to achieve in Formula 1, but my dream now is to win the first race for Toyota,” said the 34 year-old Italian. “It has been a long journey and we have had ups and downs, but we have never given up or lost faith. It was fantastic to be back on the podium last year, as well as leading several races, and my target is to enjoy more of those moments.”

Team-mate Glock finished 10th in the drivers’ standings last year as well as equalling the team’s best finish with a second place in his first full season, and believes he will adjust quickly to the new regulations.

“If you look back at the cars I have been racing for the last five years they have all been quite different – the 2004 Jordan, then Champ Car, GP2 and the Toyota TF108 – and I have been competitive in each of them,” said the 26 year-old German. “That shows how quickly I can adapt to a different car so I don’t have any concerns at all about adjusting to the 2009-style Formula 1 cars.”

Apart from the visual and aerodynamic differences, the car is also fitted with Bridgestone slick tyres, which make a popular return for the first time in 12 years. The only other significant change has been to extend engine life from two to at least three Grand Prix weekends, with each driver now having a limit of just eight engines during the racing season.

Australians will be the first to see the car in action at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, Melbourne on Sunday, 29 March.

Wheelnut

There is an old saying :If you want what others have you have to do what others do: Seems Toyota cant manage this in F1…………..

Quote “Chairman and Team Principal Tadashi Yamashina says: “Of course, our ultimate target is the middle step of the podium – we are in Formula 1 to win and we want to do that soon. Our clear target in 2008 is to make a big improvement in our results because we were not satisfied with our performance last year. We expect to have a truly competitive car so our drivers should be aiming to finish in the points regularly and challenging for the podium.”

Ummmm isnt that the same there saying again this year ?
Wheelnut

Trulli believes the TF109 will allow the team to reach its potential and deliver Toyotas maiden victory

Well as if he is going to say ” I think the car is an over-rated heap of s–t…. we have absolultely no chance of beating Ferrari or Mclaren… unfortuantely we will be nothing more than also rans…i think we should just give up”

Instead of being sponsored by Panasonic they should be sponsored by Pantene Shampoo as they believe – It won’t happen overnight but it will happen
Wheelnut

Note: I am not having a shot at Toyota = the company or the cars but the F1 Team which is a seperate entity.
Reckless1

I predict their dream of a win in 2009 will still be a dream at the end of the season.

We all know that when you lose the dream you die….

No reflection on Trulli, I think he’s quite good.
Golfschwein

Well, it’s half red, just like the model a few seasons back, tee hee.
topdog

At least there trying i spose and there good enough to be there.Thats a hole lot more than most other cars makers you dont see any holdens or gm products there but you do see ford engines from time to time powering f1 cars so there always got a foot in there too the more car makers that enter the better i recone i hope we see more
Wheelnut

As times get tougher I don’t think you will see any new manufacturers entering F1.. if anything you will most likely see them leaving.. particularly as things are expected to get worse before they get better

I admit its good to see them having a go at least and they have committed themselves to F1 for another 4-5 years. – Although given that ATM they are the worlds wealthiest car company you would have thought that they would have had won a championship by now if not had mor race victories.

Just think how all the money they have sunk into F1 could have helped them in terms of R&D of their production cars etc….
For example they could have made a RWD car to rival the Falcon and Commodore which would have lead to a real perfomance car from TRD – or they Could have made the Supra into which whould have been released before the Nissan GTR or a etc
Zorro

Toyota and F1 = Epic Fail!

Wheelnut – They are yet to win a single race despite being the biggest spenders in the sport for years on end.

Even the Red Bull junior team Scuderia Toro Rosso (aka Minardi) have managed a win with less than a quarter of the budget and half as many race starts.

Now that Toyota have posted a billion dollar loss, if there isn’t a race win this year expect the F1 team to go the same way as TRD in Australia. Will the last person to leave please switch the lights off…..
James

Wheelnut

The technology in F1 is pretty much epitome of automotive engineering.

“things” they discover, they improve at that level tinkers down towards every other technology below it.

Basically the “findings” they get from F1 they then apply downwards. Its their ultimate performance benchmark in terms of engine/body tech materials etc.

Just like LeMans endurance races… companies use the data or findings from races to apply down to their technology.

Yes it cost billions and sometimes it makes more sense to invest on production, but ultimately companies who like to progress in terms of technology… they need these types of competition to get data and findings…

also marketing helps… having a f1 race team sort of gives credential for performance but mainly its a technology thing… not necessarily for manufacturing but as stated above… performance.
Richo

With the massive rule changes going on this year, pretty much everyone will be starting off from scratch this year which will give the likes of Toyota, BMW, Williams and Red Bull the opportunity to step up, it also provides the opportunity for all said teams, as well as mclaren and ferrari, to take a massive step backwards!

Whenever there is massive rule changes in F1 someone always interprets the new rules better then everyone else and its usually always a very one sided season. Last time they introduced grooved tyres and made the cars narrower, back in 1998 i think it was. Anyway first race of the season it was a McLaren one two with both cars nearly lapping the entire field, and they went on and dominated the season. Who will do that this year???
James

Zorro

Toyota is well known to have a huge budget. But you have to realize they are still new.. if you factor in that all the successful teams today have decade under their belt…

Also as stated before… research on performance and technology is a HUGE thing from competition like the F1 industry…

Toyota is No.1 automotive manufacturer atm.. and they got there for a reason…. in terms of management and vehicle type they introduce to the market… if you do some research Toyota also have many plans in terms of future technologies for the industry.. again they are all assisted by competition such as F1…
WVB

You can have the best tools money can buy in your toolbox but if you don’t know how to use them you’ll still do crap job.
I am hoping this will not be another season of under achievement.
It could be do or die this year for toyota.
Toyota F-none

Is this Caradvice or Wheelnut’s personal myspace page?
I do have to acknowledge though that Toyota F1 have the most proactive PR department in pit lane. What was it Ross McKenzie used to say about pigs and lipstick?
JasonP

Wheelnut,

I thought I was the only one using the “Pantene” theory!

Seriously, with the amount Toyota have spent for minimal results in F1, they could have given us Hybrid Corollas, Camrys, & Aurions here in Oz.

Wouldn’t have needed the $35m from The Green Fund either.

They just can’t seem to get it right in Europe; they were banned for a year in World Rally for cheating, & they’ve blown a vast fortune in F1 for little return.

They should do in F1 what they’ve done in the US.

Get someone else to run the team for them.

They’re blitzing NASCAR.
Richo

James – Toyota aren’t that new! This will be there 7th season in F1. Other new teams have won in less time then that.
Falcodore

At the end of the season toyota will be saying “someones gotta come last!”
Zorro

James

Unlike the 50′s, F1 today shares very very little with road going cars. BMW, Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari are in it for the PRESTIGE, which they hope translates into showroom sales.

So far all Toyota have done is spend a monumental amount of money, far more than anyone else over the same period, for little or no result. Which simply highlights, to a global audience, how completely out of their depth they really are.

And as Wheelnut so rightly points out, now in their 8th season they’re hardly newcomers… Any more excuses?
realcars

Whitegoods on wheels?
realcars

Buying a new Toyota about as exciting as buying a new dishwasher or Fridge.
realcars

Forget F1 and bring back TuRD to give us something to laugh about.
Fasthonda

It just shows(in reference to Toyota in F1)if you don’t have the right people in place,all the money in world won’t help.
Wheelnut

Apparently Toyota’s F1 budget is big enough to buy the Ferrari F1 team…. if so it’s something worth conisdering
Frontman

Rather funny isnt it though. Toyota pushes the green car manufacturer harder than the others, but is happy to invest in a sport that wantonly chews up natural resources and spits out CO2 at a per hour rate second to none….

On the flip side though how about this for a combination???
Mark Webber needs reliability to win…
Toyota need a winner to race……
Aren’t Toyotas supposed to be the most reliable vehilces????
Frontman

Wheelnut Says:
January 16th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Apparently Toyota’s F1 budget is big enough to buy the Ferrari F1 team…. if so it’s something worth conisdering

Maybe they should just look at buying Mr E
Stevo the Devo

Oh what a failure!!! After blowing billions on a failed F1 gimmick they will surrender and go home after getting their backsides handed to them time and time again. Will their car be nicknamed the Hiroshima Screamer?
Big_End_Bearing

Wheelnut, please explain your comment regarding Toyota F1 team being able to purchase the Ferrari team? Is this just a joke or is it something you have read/overheard? Over the 2008 period, according to Formula Money, Toyota spent 445 million whereas Ferrari “only” spent 414 million.

I’m pretty certain the Ferrari F1 team has a higher asking price than 400 odd million dollars when they spend that much on their own motorsport division alone for a single year.
Wheelnut

Stevo The Devo – I was being sarcastic; it was just that a particularly E-x-t-r-e-m-e Toyo-phile on this site said that Toyota has enough money to buy Ferrari.[that is before he was banned].

I was expecting a response from of him using one of his numerous split personaltiies/aliases.

I myself don’t think that Ferrari would ever sell their F1 team as their cars [such as the Enzo] have a much stronger connection with F1 than a Yaris does.
Menzes

Toyota canceled TRD in Australia,so they could afford to buy a set of brake pads for there F1 car.
Bavarian Missile ( . ) ( . )

hahaha Menzes…..thats gold !
Cupid Stunt

Apparently the F1 thing is based on a Aurion floorpan running Toyota sorry Yamaha 3.5 engine driving the front wheels with 235 width tyres. Truly or should I say Truli dynamic handling.
Go Toyota Go……wooosh Ooooch hit the wall.
FRUGAL–ONE

[”Your comment is awaiting moderation.”....I THINK NOT!!]

WAS ON POLE!:

*****PRIMO!*****

With the more electronics then ever before, ie KERS system, this could well be a better chance for BIGT to get closer to the front.

For mine the engine supplied to Williams should have Lexus on the rocker-covers not Toyota, give it a bit of “euronese”

Best of luck to them, as long as they follow Ferrari home!

Cheers

F-0
JAMIE WHINCUP IS A LEGEND

All Toyo F1 cars are front wheel spinning, boring, can’t win a race, common whitegood.

Toyo-philes need to take off their warm fuzzy cardigans and stop buying fleet orientated cars based on brainwashed ads on TV.. Test drive other brands before rushing to that overrated Toyoda dealer and broaden your mind.

OH WHAT A FAILURE !!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…