Monday 17th December 2001

Toyota finally launched their racing car, after one of the longest development processes in Formula One history. The Japanese team had an entry for the 2001 F1 season but chose not to compete, instead spending the year setting up the team and testing the car. Panasonic Toyota Racing’s F1 car, TF102, was a successor to the team’s 2001 test car, TF101, and came with a brand new livery. The car retained Toyota’s corporate colours of red and white, while additionally carrying the logos of the team’s newly acquired partners AOL Time Warner and Wella. The new car had been designed by a team led by Chief Designer Gustav Brunner. The 2002 race car was powered by the newly developed RVX-02 engine. President of Toyota Motorsport, Ove Andersson, said: “Success is not a matter of money. It is about a good team working well together and getting everything right.” In 140 Grands Prix between 2002 and 2009, when it finally called time, Toyota failed to win a race.