.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%;padding:5px;border:none;font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .hidden-title{font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .hidden-content{text-align:left}@media all and (max-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .hidden-begin{width:auto!important;clear:none!important;float:none!important))You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (December 2021) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 1,452 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at [[:fr:Toyota TF101]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template ((Translated|fr|Toyota TF101)) to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Toyota TF101
The Toyota TF101
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorToyota
Designer(s)André de Cortanze (Technical Director)
Jean-Claude Martens (Chief Designer)
SuccessorTF102
Technical specifications
Chassiscarbon-fibre and honeycomb composite monocoque
Suspension (front)Push rod with Torsion bar
Suspension (rear)Push rod with Torsion bar
EngineToyota RVX01
TransmissionSix Gear, Semi-Automatic
FuelEsso
TyresMichelin
Competition history
Notable entrantsPanasonic Toyota Racing
Notable driversFinland Mika Salo
United Kingdom Allan McNish
DebutN/A
RacesWinsPolesF/Laps
0000
Constructors' Championships0
Drivers' Championships0

The Toyota TF101 was a Formula One car used solely for testing purposes during the 2001 season, in preparation for the team's full-scale assault on the series in 2002. The car was designed by Toyota F1's chief of chassis Jean-Claude Martens and was driven by Mika Salo and Allan McNish. The TF101 was unofficially called the "AM01" by Toyota until the name of its successor, the TF102 was announced.

This was the first Formula One car to run on Esso fuel since the 1960s.

Development

The car was designed and built from the ground up by the staff at Toyota Motorsports GmbH (TMG) in Cologne, Germany over a period of nineteen months, in preparation for Toyota's entry to Formula One in 2002. After the initial unveiling of the car, the test team, including drivers Mika Salo and Allan McNish took on an intensive testing programme, accumulating a total of 3,000 laps and 22,967 km at eleven F1 circuits around the world, and also the specialist testing facility at Paul Ricard in Southern France.

During the development of the car, the initial designer André de Cortanze was replaced by Austrian Gustav Brunner and he oversaw the continued development of the car, eventually molding the TF102 car, the team's debut racegoing machine based on the work done during the 2001 season.

The car was handling poorly and being overweight, Mika Salo described it as being "a piece of shit".[1]

References