Tuesday 1st June 2010

Toyota's 2010 F1 Car Could Rise Again

Aspiring teams chase Toyota for unraced 2010 F1 challenger

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Toyota's Moribund 2010 F1 challenger looks likely to race in the 2011 championship season, with several fledgling and prospective teams clamouring to get hold of the stillborn TF110 chassis.

Hispania racing (HRT), which recently broke off its deal with chassis supplier Dallara, is said to be keen to get hold of both the chassis and Toyota's former F1 HQ in Cologne. Murcia - one of HRT's main sponsors - might not be too chuffed about that, however, given that HRT had pledged to establish a long-term base in the Spanish region.

Meanwhile Durango - a former GP2 outfit and one of the 15 teams who have expressed an interest in the 25th and 26th slots on the 2011 F1 grid - is also reported to be after the Toyota chassis.

Interested teams have until 21 June to submit a formal bid for the 2011 F1 grid, and the FIA is likely to name a reserve team alongside the successful entry in case one of the currently competing teams withdraw.

[pagani1]

I hope it doesn't have the same faults as it's road cars have recently shown and will it have a warranty?

[KaraK]

I'm suprised HRT aren't after it for this season to be honest - after all it can't be any worse than the sack trolley they are currently pottering around in. Plue it would give them time to work on developments of it for 2011. Thinking about it though does any one know if it was homologated before Toyota pulled the plug? I'm kind of assuming it was since Stefan attempted to race it?

[Gizmo!]

Stefan GP announced that it had passed all its crash tests etc, they just couldn't do rolling testing because they couldn't get hold of any tyres.

Which raises the question - who are HRT trying to buy it from? Because as far as I'm aware Stefan GP own the cars, parts, designs, factory and everything else...

[Marc W]

I'm pretty sure Toyota still own it as the Stefan GP deal was supposed to be subject to them recieving an entry which they didn't in the end.

[touring fan]

Gizmo! said:

Stefan GP announced that it had passed all its crash tests etc, they just couldn't do rolling testing because they couldn't get hold of any tyres.

Which raises the question - who are HRT trying to buy it from? Because as far as I'm aware Stefan GP own the cars, parts, designs, factory and everything else...

Stefan didn't buy a thing. It was all 'smoke and mirrors' to try and get an entry.
When that failed, Toyota took back all their stuff.

[AlexS]

Will this car be suitable for next year though?

Double Diffusers will be gone and with a change in tyre supplier and also size the cars weight distribution will likely be all wrong.

[Merry]

AlexS said:

Will this car be suitable for next year though?

Double Diffusers will be gone and with a change in tyre supplier and also size the cars weight distribution will likely be all wrong.

I would still suspect it would be better than HRT's own effort, or any other new team for that matter

[ajprice]

Of the new teams, I hope HRT get it. They seem to need it the most and a Toyota as a base is better than nothing, which is what they've got now since they told Dallara to jog on.

[Fire99]

As a wild stab in the dark, i'd say HRT should get the kit. They are now 'somewhat' established into the F1 paddock and are starting to get their act together. A decent setup from Toyota would be well used in HRT.

If yet another team appears, starting from scratch, it's gonna make the back of the grid look like a weekend trip to the dodgems and IMO, won't do F1's credibility any good.

[Merry]

Some pictures, btw

[LocoBlade]

KaraK said:

I'm suprised HRT aren't after it for this season to be honest...

From this season, the chassis design each team uses is homologagated and cannot be changed until next year, so HRT couldnt use it until next year regardless.

[LocoBlade]

AlexS said:

Will this car be suitable for next year though?

Double Diffusers will be gone and with a change in tyre supplier and also size the cars weight distribution will likely be all wrong.

Yep they wouldnt be able to use the car as-is, but the double diffuser ban is the only major change for next year apart from tyres which nobody knows anything about yet, so most 2011 cars will be an evolution of this season's designs tweaked to suit the tyres as and when they get the data. Given that, the Toyota is a much better basis for a 2011 car than what they have currently, and don't forget they didnt design their 2010 car either so it's not as if they have significantly more design knowledge of their current car than the Toyota meaning development time would be faster with either solution.

[ajprice]

LocoBlade said:

KaraK said:

I'm suprised HRT aren't after it for this season to be honest...

From this season, the chassis design each team uses is homologagated and cannot be changed until next year, so HRT couldnt use it until next year regardless.

Did Toyota homologate the car before bailing out? If they did and the actual car was homologated and will be sold to another team, wouldn't the new team hold the homologation and be able to run it this year?

[LocoBlade]

ajprice said:

LocoBlade said:

KaraK said:

I'm suprised HRT aren't after it for this season to be honest...

From this season, the chassis design each team uses is homologagated and cannot be changed until next year, so HRT couldnt use it until next year regardless.

Did Toyota homologate the car before bailing out? If they did and the actual car was homologated and will be sold to another team, wouldn't the new team hold the homologation and be able to run it this year?

The purpose of the homologation is to prevent development during the season so I assume the FIA would only homologate entrants to the championship, so I doubt the Toyota has been through that process unless it was done just before the Stefan GP thing fell through.

Even if it was homologated though, I don't think any other team would be able to transfer the chassis to themselves because they already have a chassis design registered against their team, and Im pretty sure the FIA wouldnt allow them to register a second, regardless of it's origins, otherwise buying a new chassis design from a third party is an easy way to completely circumvent the rule.