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One Team, One Aim
The 2005 season is Panasonic Toyota Racing's fourth year of participation in Formula 1 racing, making it one of the youngest teams on the grid. That fact alone brings with it vast challenges, but the way in which Toyota has approached Formula 1 is a brave, yet rewarding venture hopefully.

Toyota prides itself on building success in its own inimitable way through the implementation of proven Toyota Way principles. The corporation's entry into the pinnacle of motorsport was no different and it was decided at an early stage that Toyota would create its entire Formula 1 car, engine and chassis, as well as the team from scratch at its bespoke F1 factory in Cologne, Germany. Since Toyota's F1 race debut at the 2002 Australian Grand Prix, essential progress has been made, but the team is the first to acknowledge the long road ahead.

"Many things have improved over the last two years but if we are to achieve our dream of becoming world champions in F1, we must constantly challenge to accelerate this process," says John Howett. "The focus of this change is to get performance parts onto the track quicker, better and cheaper than we ever have before."

"Specifically for 2005, we have revised our windtunnel operation to improve productivity, accuracy and correlation to the track," he adds. "The organisation has been reviewed to simplify reporting lines and job functions. This includes the restructuring of the chassis design office to create two car teams, one for the current year and one for the following year, and the establishment of an advanced project team."

Howett continues: "Furthermore, it is not possible to ignore the change in our driver line-up where the addition of two quick and experienced proven race winners and pole-setters will certainly put the right level of pressure on the team to deliver a much better race car to the track."

Toyota Motorsport is also able to draw extra benefits from its technical partners. "In the cases of Intel, BMC Software, Dassault Systèmes and EMC," explains Howett, "we have made some very striking improvements in our Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and advanced calculation activities."

The Panasonic Toyota Racing team's composition of over 600 employees from 32 different nations continues to underline its reputation as the United Nations of Formula 1. Race-by-race, the team continues to learn and step-by-step, continues to mature on its way to becoming a fully grown team, one which will one day challenge for the F1 world championship.

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