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Toleman

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Toleman
Full nameToleman Motorsport
BaseWitney, Oxfordshire, UK
Team principal(s)Alex Hawkridge
Founder(s)Ted Toleman
Alex Hawkridge
Noted staff
Noted drivers
Next nameBenetton Formula
Formula One World Championship career
First entry1981 San Marino Grand Prix
Races entered70 (57 starts)
Constructors'
Championships
0 (best finish: 7th, 1984)
Drivers'
Championships
0
Race victories0 (best finish: 2nd, 1984 Monaco Grand Prix)
Pole positions1
Fastest laps2
Final entry1985 Australian Grand Prix

Toleman Motorsport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It participated in Formula One between 1981 and 1985, competing in 70 Grands Prix. Today, it is perhaps best known for giving Ayrton Senna his Formula One debut.

The team was generally uncompetitive during its short lifetime, prompting Senna to leave after just one year. However, several of its engineers, including Rory Byrne and Pat Symonds, stayed with the team after its sale to the Benetton Group and eventually built the organisation into the title-winning Benetton Formula. As such, Toleman is the progenitor of the racing lineage informally known as "Team Enstone."

Origins

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In 1926, Edward Toleman established a company to deliver Ford cars from the Ford factory to dealers across the country.[1] Edward's son Albert took over the company in the 1950s, and Albert's sons Ted and Bob succeeded him in 1966.[2] The Toleman brothers recruited Alex Hawkridge to expand their transportation business into Europe.[2]

The Toleman family were enthusiastic gentleman drivers. Albert Toleman won several club-level rally championships.[3] Ted Toleman participated in Formula Two, the Dakar Rally, and the 1976 24 Hours of Le Mans.[4][5] Unfortunately, Bob Toleman died in a racing accident in 1976.[2]

Hawkridge encouraged the company to enter auto racing by sponsoring competitors.[6] In 1976, Toleman began sponsoring Rad Dougall in the British Formula Ford Championship, although Dougall broke his legs in a crash the same day Toleman agreed to fund him. Toleman continued sponsoring Dougall for 1977, and he won the Formula Ford 2000 title that year.[7] Impressed with the results, Ted Toleman agreed to start his own Formula Two team.[5]

Formula Two

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From 1978 to 1980, Toleman spent three seasons in the European Formula Two Championship under the leadership of Alex Hawkridge and Roger Silman.[8] To prepare for the higher level of competition, the team hired Royale Racing designer Rory Byrne, with an eye towards eventually building his own cars.[9] The team steadily improved from year to year.

In 1978, Toleman ran one car, a customer March-BMW. Rad Dougall made the podium in the very first race, but scored only one more point that season.[10] Byrne accused March's Robin Herd of undermining Toleman to benefit March's works team.[11] He concluded that "it’s no use having a customer car, you’re always one step behind."[12]

In 1979, Toleman fielded a second car (piloted by Brian Henton), a customer Ralt-Hart. The team still used the previous year's March chassis when the Ralt was unavailable but otherwise preferred the Ralt.[13] The Hart engines were less powerful than the BMWs but much lighter,[11] with outstanding reliability.[12] Henton finished 2nd in the championship standings, losing the title to Marc Surer by two points.[9] He would have won the title but for the events of the 1979 Mediterranean Grand Prix, where he finished first on track but was subsequently disqualified.[14]

In 1980, the F2 regulations were revised to limit ground effect.[11] Derek Warwick arrived to replace Dougall, bringing with him financial support from sponsor BP.[12][14] Byrne unveiled his first team-built chassis, the Toleman TG280, which exploited a loophole that allowed the team to continue running a ground effect car.[11] In addition, the team switched from Goodyear to Pirelli tyres, as Byrne felt that Goodyear's tyres were optimised for qualifying and not a full race distance.[11] Toleman-Hart dominated the F2 season.[15] Henton and Warwick finished 1-2 atop the standings, with a lead so large they skipped the final race of the season.[14] The car was so strong that when Toleman customer drivers were included, the team accounted for three of the top four and four of the top seven drivers in the standings. Toleman cars also won six of the twelve races.

Formula One

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Toleman entered Formula One for the 1981 season. Although Hawkridge admitted that the team was not ready to compete that year, he explained that the team had a short window of opportunity to enter the top level, because the FISA side of the FISA–FOCA war wanted to add teams to improve its political position against the established FOCA teams like Brabham, McLaren, and Williams.[16] Toleman would later refuse to join FOCA's boycott of the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix.[17]

The team continued to recruited talented engineers, signing Byrne's former Royale lieutenant Pat Symonds for 1981 by promising to double his salary.[8] The team innovated by sourcing the first fibre-optic engine management system, which (according to Hawkridge) improved reliability.[11]

Most importantly, Toleman sought to distinguish itself from other small teams by commissioning its successful F2 engine supplier, Hart, to produce turbocharger engines for the team.[18] By that time, Formula One was beginning to be dominated by turbo-powered cars, which outpaced the naturally aspirated engines previously dominant in the sport. Looking back, Symonds remarked that "if Alex and Ted Toleman had said, 'Let's go F1 racing, let's buy a [naturally aspirated Cosworth] DFV,' we'd have been a hell of a lot more successful in 1981 – but we wouldn’t have been around by 1990. We'd have been just another team."[19]

1981–1982: Difficult early years

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Toleman suffered greatly in the short run, due to growing pains associated with the innovative turbo technology and other issues. During this period, Toleman's cars were mocked in the racing press as "The Pig" (for their poor handling) and "The Belgrano" (for their oil leaks).[20]

In 1981, the team retained Brian Henton and Derek Warwick from 1980's dominant F2 campaign, but the Toleman TG181 was exceptionally poor, qualifying for just two races all season. Warwick remarked that the car was "impossible to drive" and that "we weren't just slow: we were seven seconds a lap off the back row."[20] The team failed to qualify for a race until September, when Henton made the cut for the Italian Grand Prix.[21] Warwick qualified for the final race of the season, winning a £25,000 bet for doing so.[20]

The Toleman TG183

In 1982, Henton left and was replaced by Teo Fabi. Nonetheless, the team managed to start qualifying consistently for races, but finished only two races all season, due in large part to engine reliability issues.[16] The team used upgraded TG181Cs until the carbon-composite Toleman TG183 (the team skipped the number TG182) was ready in late August. The TG183 was used in only two Grands Prix (Italy and Las Vegas) that year, but Warwick did record the team's first fastest lap in the Dutch Grand Prix.

With sponsor Candy threatening to pull funding for 1983, the team resorted to a gimmick strategy to reach second place at the British Grand Prix, however briefly. The team started Warwick on a half-tank of petrol, giving him a speed advantage over the other drivers' fully-loaded cars. Warwick knew going in that he would not finish the race,[22] and ran out of fuel after 40 laps.[20] The team lied to the press that Warwick had suffered a mechanical failure.[20] Satisfied with the positive exposure, Candy agreed to stay with the team.[22]

1983: Emergence as a serious team

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In 1983, the TG183B showed improved form thanks to a major update. Derek Warwick was retained, while Teo Fabi was replaced by Bruno Giacomelli. The budget increased as Candy's sponsorship was joined by Iveco brand Magirus and BP.

The Hart turbos finally began showing true pace, with Warwick qualifying fifth and sixth in the first two races.[16] The team peaked at the end of the season: Warwick scored the team's first points with a fourth-place finish at the Dutch Grand Prix, kicking off a run of four consecutive scoring finishes to close out the year.[16] Toleman finished 9th in the Constructors' Championship with ten points, putting itself a cut above the other backmarkers like Arrows, Theodore, Ligier, Spirit, ATS, Osella, and RAM, none of which scored more than four points.

1984: Peaking with Ayrton Senna

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In 1984, Warwick departed for the factory Renault team,[23] while Giacomelli left F1 for CART. In response, the team scored a coup by signing highly touted rookie Ayrton Senna, who had just won the 1983 British Formula Three Championship. Senna tested for Toleman and immediately developed a rapport with Byrne, who begged Hawkridge to sign him.[16] However, Senna knew that he had the talent to race for a top team – Bernie Ecclestone had considered signing him for Brabham to partner reigning Drivers' Champion Nelson Piquet, but Piquet vetoed the idea[24] – and negotiated a relatively low £100,000 release clause from Toleman.[16][25] Senna was paired with Venezuelan F2 driver and former dual Grand Prix Motorcycle World Champion Johnny Cecotto. However, Cecotto's F1 career ended mid-season when he broke both legs during practice for the British Grand Prix, and Stefan Johansson was eventually signed to finish out the season.

Toleman got off to a poor start, as the team was still using the 1983 cars for the first four races of 1984.[16] Senna made his F1 debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix, at Jacarepaguá.[26] He qualified an unimpressive 17th (Cecotto qualified 18th), and both drivers retired with engine failures.[16][27] However, Senna rallied to score his first F1 point at round 2 in Kyalami, despite suffering major front wing damage on the opening lap.[16] He also scored at the following race at Spa-Francorchamps, but only after Tyrrell's Stefan Bellof was disqualified from the entire season due to technical infringements.[16]

The demanding Senna quickly grew disillusioned with the team's Pirelli tyres;[28] no Pirelli driver scored points through round 5 of the season, except Senna.[29] At Imola, the team sat out the first day of qualifying due to disputes with Pirelli, which along with a fuel pressure problem on the second day, contributed to Senna's failure to qualify for the race (the only time he failed to qualify in his entire career). Following the race, Senna successfully induced Toleman to break its Pirelli contract and sign with Michelin.[28] Ironically, this decision eventually led to Toleman's demise and absorption by the Benetton Group in 1985 (see below).

Ayrton Senna's Toleman TG184 car in which he took second place at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix.

The TG184 and the new Michelin tyres were ready for the French Grand Prix. Although both drivers retired, Senna was delighted with the immediate improvement in performance.[28] The very next race, Senna announced himself to the world with a dazzling second-place finish at the torrentially rain-soaked Monaco Grand Prix.[30] When Jacky Ickx controversially called off the race after lap 31 of 78, Senna was closing in on leader Alain Prost, whose brakes were repeatedly locking up due to a deteriorating brake balance. (That said, Senna's suspension was already on the verge of failure,[citation needed] and Bellof's (later-disqualified) Tyrell was actually faster than Senna at the end of the race.[29]) In the following years, a conspiracy theory developed that Ickx, a Porsche sportscar driver, called off the race to ensure that Prost's Porsche-powered McLaren would win.[29][31][32]

The team's performance fell off in mid-season, with Senna finishing only one out of six races at one point. In addition, Cecotto finished only two out of nine races that season. The lone bright spot, of sorts, was the British Grand Prix. The weekend was marred by Cecotto's injury, but Senna qualified fourth and scored his second Formula One podium. Fighting for third, he "hound[ed] [Elio] de Angelis unmercifully" and picked up the position with two laps to go once de Angelis' engine faltered. Following the race, he received a large ovation from the Brands Hatch crowd.[33]

Towards the end of the season, Senna announced his departure, having triggered his release clause to sign with Team Lotus. In response, Hawkridge suspended Senna for the Italian Grand Prix; release clause or not, the Brazilian was still contractually obligated to inform Toleman before negotiating with other teams.[34] Pierluigi Martini filled in for Senna at Monza. Cecotto's belated replacement Stefan Johansson made his way from 17th place to 4th in his Toleman debut,[35] while Martini failed to qualify. Senna returned to the team for the final two races and finished off the year in style with a third podium at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Toleman finished a career-best 7th in the Constructors' Championship, scoring 16 points, 13 courtesy of Senna. Senna also recorded the only three podiums in the team's history.

1985: Near-collapse and sale to Benetton

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Following Senna's departure, the Toleman team sought to maintain its momentum by retaining Johansson and signing John Watson for the 1985 season.[35] In addition, that year's TG185 was the first carbon monocoque to be fabricated in-house at the Witney factory.[9]

However, the team nearly collapsed. Michelin withdrew from F1 at the end of 1984, forcing the team to confront the fact that it had alienated every remaining tyre supplier in Formula One. Pirelli was unwilling to supply Toleman again after the events of 1984,[19] and Goodyear was also upset at Hawkridge due to the manner in which Toleman switched from Goodyear to Pirelli in Formula Two. Without F1-quality tyres, Toleman was forced to sit out the first three races of the 1985 season.[35] The team parted ways with both drivers: Johansson quit the team to join Tyrell and later Ferrari,[35] and Watson unsuccessfully asked to be paid for the races Toleman was unable to enter for tyre reasons.[citation needed]

Toleman returned in round 4 at Monaco, after Italian fashion label United Colors of Benetton bought the team in mid-season and acquired a Pirelli supply contract from the defunct Spirit team.[19][36] Benetton kept the Toleman name until season's-end.[19] The team initially lacked the funds to run multiple cars, so Teo Fabi was Toleman's sole driver for the first six races. Piercarlo Ghinzani joined Fabi for the final seven races. Toleman's final year in F1 was as unsuccessful as its early years, as the team finished only two races and scored no points. The team's last hurrah was Fabi's pole position at the German Grand Prix.[37]

Legacy

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When Ted Toleman sold the team to Benetton, the Italians promised to keep the staff together.[38] Rory Byrne and Pat Symonds, in particular, remained with the newly rebranded Benetton Formula, which proceeded to hire a new crop of talent, including Flavio Briatore and Ross Brawn. Led by Michael Schumacher, the Benetton team won two Drivers' Championships and one Constructors' Championship in the 1990s. Schumacher took Byrne and Brawn with him to Ferrari, and the two helped lead the turn-of-the-century Ferrari dynasty.[7] Symonds and Briatore stayed with Benetton, which was later renamed to Renault (colloquially, "Team Enstone" after Benetton opened a new factory in Enstone, Oxfordshire). With new star Fernando Alonso, Renault won two Drivers' Championships and two Constructors' Championships in the 2000s.[39]

The original Toleman leadership (Toleman and Hawkridge) did not compete in Formula One again. Ted Toleman left England in 1993,[3] but intermittently remained involved in motor racing, managing the Australian Mini Challenge one make series.[40] Alex Hawkridge eventually chaired a company that used racing simulators to coach aspiring drivers.[41]

Complete Formula One results

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(key)

Year Chassis Engines Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points WCC
1981 TG181 Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t P USW BRA ARG SMR BEL MON ESP FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA CAN CPL 0 NC
United Kingdom Brian Henton DNQ DNQ DNPQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 10 DNQ DNQ
United Kingdom Derek Warwick DNQ DNQ DNPQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ Ret
1982 TG181B
TG181C
TG183
Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t P RSA BRA USW SMR BEL MON DET CAN NED GBR FRA GER AUT SUI ITA CPL 0 NC
United Kingdom Derek Warwick Ret DNQ DNPQ Ret Ret DNQ RetF Ret 15 10 Ret Ret Ret Ret
Italy Teo Fabi DNQ DNQ DNQ NC Ret DNPQ DNQ Ret Ret DNQ Ret Ret Ret DNQ
1983 TG183
TG183B
Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t P BRA USW FRA SMR MON BEL DET CAN GBR GER AUT NED ITA EUR RSA 10 9th
United Kingdom Derek Warwick 8 Ret Ret Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 4 6 5 4
Italy Bruno Giacomelli Ret Ret 13 Ret DNQ 8 9 Ret Ret Ret Ret 13 7 6 Ret
1984 TG183B
TG184
Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t P
M
BRA RSA BEL SMR FRA MON CAN DET DAL GBR GER AUT NED ITA EUR POR 16 7th
Brazil Ayrton Senna Ret 6 6 DNQ Ret 2F 7 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret 3
Sweden Stefan Johansson 4 Ret 11
Venezuela Johnny Cecotto Ret Ret Ret NC Ret Ret 9 Ret Ret DNQ
Italy Pierluigi Martini DNQ
1985 TG185 Hart 415T 1.5 L4 t P BRA POR SMR MON CAN DET FRA GBR GER AUT NED ITA BEL EUR RSA AUS 0 NC
Italy Teo Fabi Ret Ret Ret 14 Ret RetP Ret Ret 12 Ret Ret Ret Ret
Italy Piercarlo Ghinzani DNS Ret DNS Ret Ret Ret Ret
Notes
  • † – The driver did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified, as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
  • ‡ – Half points awarded as less than 75% of the race distance was completed.

References

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  1. ^ Hilton, Christopher (1 February 2010). The Toleman Story: The Last Romantics in Formula 1. Veloce Publishing. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-84584-217-8.
  2. ^ a b c Williams, Richard (23 April 2024). "Ted Toleman obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Ted Toleman, boss of the underdog Formula One team that gave Ayrton Senna his first drive – obituary". Yahoo Sports. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  4. ^ Diepraam, Mattijs; Muelas, Felix (Christmas 2000). "The last of the non-championship races". forix.autosport.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b Hughes, Mark (11 April 2024). "Ted Toleman obituary - Mark Hughes on Ayrton Senna's first F1 boss". The Race. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  6. ^ Smith, Damien (11 April 2024). "Obituary: F1 Team Founder Ted Toleman Dies Aged 86". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b Rencken, Dieter (28 January 2004). "The Alchemist". Atlas F1 Magazine. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
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  24. ^ Malik, Ibrar (22 April 2020). "Ayrton Senna's Lotus years, by Ibrar Malik". Talking About F1. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
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  27. ^ "F1 - The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  28. ^ a b c Noble, Jonathan (6 May 2021). "The day Ayrton Senna failed to qualify for an F1 grand prix". Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  29. ^ a b c Collantine, Keith (3 June 2024). "40 years ago today: How a tyre war prompted Senna's unfinished Monaco masterpiece". RaceFans. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  30. ^ "F1 - The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
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  33. ^ "1984 British Grand Prix race report - A four-ring circus". Motor Sport Magazine. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  34. ^ "Remembering Ayrton Senna's Toleman Year". www.alpine-cars.co.uk. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  35. ^ a b c d Taylor, Simon (7 July 2014). "Lunch with... Stefan Johansson". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  36. ^ "MCZ F1 Teams: Toleman Info Page". Mcz.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
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  38. ^ Smith, Damien (30 September 2023). "Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers". Autosport. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  39. ^ Elson, James (15 December 2023). "The 'overwhelming confidence' linking Senna, Schumacher & Alonso". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  40. ^ "Australian MINI CHALLENGE under new management". AUSmotive.com. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  41. ^ Foster, Ed (7 July 2014). "Sidetracked with Ed Foster". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
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