Toyota was heading for good season in 2010

Toyota was reportedly heading for a competitive season in formula one this year until the Japanese carmaker decided to pull out of the sport altogether.

The Cologne based team had completed its 2010 car, dubbed the TF110, when the shock decision to withdraw at the end of last season was made.

Timo Glock, now at the back of the grid with Virgin, has said earlier this year that – according to the data – he might currently be fighting for the 2010 title had Toyota stayed another season in F1.

“When we stopped the development, we had 20 to 30 points more downforce (with the new car) than the last version of its predecessor,” Toyota’s technical Pascal Vasselon has told Auto Bild in Germany.

“We had far exceeded our goals, for even the TF109 was good enough for podiums,” he added.

“Many of our aerodynamic people have changed to other top teams and we know that our downforce values were quite high,” said Vasselon.

Leaked photos of the unraced TF110, which would have been used by the unsuccessful 2010 applicant Stefan GP this year, depict it with a very high nose.

“I dare to suggest that we would have had the highest nose of all the current cars,” Vasselon confirmed.  “Only in this way would the diffuser operate perfectly.”

He said other aspects of the 2010 design were also “extreme”.

“For the first race, we had an update package with the blown diffuser in the pipeline.  So with Red Bull we would have been the first,” said Vasselon.

It is now rumoured that HRT is close to a deal to base its 2011 car on the TF110.

“We would convert the car to match the new rules, and also provide aerodynamic updates,” said Toyota Motorsport’s development manager Jens Marquardt.

© RIF | GMM