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Toyota Racing TF106 F1 2006
Toyota Racing TF106 F1 2006
[B]Panasonic Toyota Racing Kick-Starts 2006 on Home Ground [/B]
Panasonic Toyota Racing officially kicked off its 2006 Formula campaign with a special event for the world's media at the Toyota manufacturing facility in Valenciennes, France on Saturday 14 January, 2006.
Panasonic Toyota Racing has adopted a unique approach to its 2006 racing season and chose to veer away from the more established 'car launch' as its TF106 race car has already completed substantial test mileage since its inaugural run at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on 29 November last year.
A huge effort by the entire team to ready the new car in record time resulted in that unprecedented early rollout, which formed a key part of the team's push for success in 2006, a year that sees special challenges as the entire field adopt new V8 engines and Toyota joins forces with its new tire partner, Bridgestone.
Toyota's aggressive development programme is a clear sign of its intentions in Formula 1. Having introduced the podium and pole-scoring TF105B for the final two races of 2005, the TF106 hit the track just six weeks later, stunning rival teams.
"We feel that the concept of holding a new car launch at the beginning of each year, just for the sake of it, is outdated," explains Technical Director Chassis Mike Gascoyne. "We are updating more major elements on an increasingly frequent basis. Although this can be a difficult process to manage it does mean that we can ensure resources are being spent in areas that make the car go quicker, as and when it is required, and not simply on redesigning existing components just because we feel that we have to. Consequently, we have moved to a process of continuous evolution, hence the smooth transition from TF105 to TF105B and to the early completion of TF106."
While the mechanical heart of the TF106 as tested in November is the same as the car that will first race in Bahrain on 2 March, aerodynamic and suspension updates – parts that in essence 'bolt on' – will be introduced as close to that first race as possible.
Mike Gascoyne continues: "The reason everyone pushes their car back as late as possible is to maximize time in the wind tunnel for aero development. Our philosophy is to get the best of both worlds by releasing the Bahrain aero package as late as possible, to maximize the development time and reliability running of the mechanical package while ensuring that the aero development time is absolutely at its peak. If we'd rolled out a new car for January, we still couldn't have incorporated any of the things we'd learned from testing Bridgestone tires in November. We can now react and introduce the TF106B bearing in mind all that we've learned from testing."
After Panasonic Toyota Racing drivers Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli achieved five podiums, including two second places between them last season, the team can have no other target than to win a race in 2006, but Team Principal Tsutomu Tomita knows full well the tough challenge this will entail.
"It is natural that we enter the 2006 championship with our sights on the top step of the podium," he says. "We are pushing very hard, but we don't underestimate the difficulty of Formula 1 or the challenges we face in 2006. If somebody goes up, then somebody else has to drop down the order. Even if we can get that first win we will have to push ourselves more to keep that position."
Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli will take up racing duties once again, occupying cars 7 and 8 this season, a reflection of Panasonic Toyota Racing's well-earned fourth place in the 2005 championship. Ricardo Zonta and Olivier Panis, both of whom joined the team in 2003, will serve as third driver and test driver respectively.
Both Ralf and Jarno are entering their second seasons with the team, and both are delighted with the pace of development. They relished the chance to try the TF106 early, and make a contribution to its development even before the New Year.
"Hopefully this will give us an advantage for this year," says Jarno. "We cannot say we will be the best, but for sure we will be very well prepared with the new car in terms of mileage and experience. We've tried to solve all the problems and get ready for the first race. Now we're doing very well, and it feels good, although there's still a lot of work to be done in the run-up to the first race and beyond. I am optimistic and confident."
"Of course it is still very early, but the new car felt really good," says Ralf. "Obviously, the power is lower but it is still a very driveable engine, with a nice torque curve. I am happy with the new Bridgestone tyres as well, but we have a full programme of pre-season testing and development to continue making improvements to our package. It is an intensive schedule with a lot of work to cover before the first race, but that is where we can benefit from having our car ready so early. We learned that last year and saw the gains. It helped us a lot in the first few races, and that's what we are aiming for again."
