Toyota: A Bold Team With Racing at its Heart Makes its Own Way in Formula 1

Tsutomu started at Toyota in 1969 as an engine development engineer. In 1987, he ran the full Toyota racing engine department, including for the Le Mans program and the World Rally Championship. He joined the board of directors of Toyota in 1996. As the head of Toyota's international motor sport department, he was behind the company's move to F1. It was his idea to build both chassis and engine. Several other manufacturers have followed the same path, but none started from scratch as Toyota did. In 2004, Tsutomu became the team leader, working along with John Howett.

Pascal been acting as technical director since the departure of Mike Gascoyne at the beginning of 2006. He began his F1 career at the Renault team in 1985, working on suspension. From there he joined Michelin in road cars, before returning to racing in 1991 at Michelin's competition department. There he worked closely on the Toyota Le Mans project. In 2000 he was assigned to head Michelin's return to F1. But in 2004 when he was transferred back to the road car division, he decided he preferred to leave the company and stay in racing, and he joined the Toyota F1 team.

Toyota has been involved in motor sport since the 1950s. But its greatest successes did not begin until the 1970s. It won its first World Rally Championship race in 1973. In 1985 it entered the 24 Hour of Le Mans, and finished 12th. In single-seater racing in Britain in 1988, a Toyota engine powered to the drivers' title. In 1993 Toyota became the first Japanese manufacturer to win in the World Rally Championship, both the drivers' and constructors' series. That year a Toyota also won the 24 Hours of Daytona. Toyota finished second at Le Mans in 1994.

In 2002 Toyota made a daring move to enter Formula 1 as a full constructor, starting from scratch. On the other hand, the team at the motor sport factory in Cologne had worked together for many years, and their teamwork showed clearly. Even so, in its first season, Toyota scored only two points. But by the second year it had improved to 16 points. Unfortunately, between 2002 and 2004 the team had five different drivers, before finally settling on Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli, who have raced for the team from 2005 to 2007.

With a steady pair of drivers, Toyota has appeared to find the stability it needs to build the team little by little. On the other hand, in 2006 it got rid of the technical director, Mike Gascoyne, that had directed the team during its greatest year, 2005, when it finished fourth. The team then immediately dropped down the rankings, finishing sixth.