Overnight, the news broke: Toyota is returning to Formula One as Haas F1’s ‘Official Technical Partner’. This marks their second stint in F1, having competed from 2002 to 2009. How did they fare back then?
Toyota announced in 2000 that they’d join the F1 circus in 2002. After a year of testing on 11 tracks, they kicked off with a bang when Mike Salo scored a point right away in Melbourne. The Finnish driver snagged another point two races later at Interlagos, but with Allan McNish, they couldn’t score again and ended their debut year tenth among constructors.
Header Text: Toyota’s Journey Through the Early Years
The next couple of years saw Toyota drivers scoring more often, partly due to a rule change in 2003 that awarded points to the top eight finishers. They wrapped up both seasons eighth in the constructors’ championship. Olivier Panis managed two fifth-place finishes at the German GP in 2003 and the US GP in 2004.
In 2005, Toyota had their best season yet, finishing fourth overall with 88 points. Only Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari outperformed them. Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli led the charge; Trulli secured the team’s first-ever podium by finishing second in Malaysia and repeated it in Bahrain. He also grabbed third place in Spain, while Schumacher added two podiums of his own. The team celebrated two pole positions at the controversial US GP and later in Japan.
Fans might think it’s exciting to see such a big name return to F1.
Header Text: A Final Strong Start Before Departure
But success was fleeting for Toyota after that peak year. In 2006, Ralf Schumacher made it to the podium once in Australia, but the team dropped to sixth overall with 53 fewer points than before. By 2007, podium finishes eluded them entirely, gathering just 13 points through Schumacher and Trulli.
Trulli stayed on board as Timo Glock joined him in 2008. They improved slightly to finish fifth overall; however, their best was Trulli’s fourth place at Sepang. Trulli often qualified well but struggled during races, leading to what’s known as the ‘Trulli train’, where he fiercely defended his position while others queued up behind him.
In an iconic moment during Brazil’s rainy Grand Prix finale of 2008, Toyota’s decision not to switch Glock onto intermediate tires allowed Lewis Hamilton to pass him and clinch his first world title.
The team’s last hurrah came in 2009 when Trulli hit the podium early on in Melbourne followed by Glock’s first-ever F1 podium finish in Malaysia. Trulli shone again with podiums at Bahrain (where he also got pole) and Japan; Glock took second place at Singapore too. They finished fifth among constructors with 59.5 points before leaving F1.
Although nearly ready for the grid with engines and chassis for 2010, Toyota didn’t make it back into competition due to Stefan Grand Prix failing entry negotiations despite reaching an agreement with them.
Header Text: Toyota’s Role as Engine Supplier
Toyota didn’t just power its factory team; they also supplied engines elsewhere! In 2005 Jordan used their engines which continued under new names Midland F1 then Spyker afterward until Williams became recipients from ’07-’09.
What do you think about Toyota’s return?
