Stefan GP agree deal with Toyota

Stefan GP claim they are on course to enter an F1 car in the world championship having agreed a deal with Toyota Motorsport.
A statement on the Stefan GP website said:
Stefan GP has just come to a basic agreement with Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) that Stefan GP will receive technical supports from TMG.
Stefan GP statement
At the [...]

Sauber takes Toyota’s place on 2010 grid

The FIA has confirmed Sauber will be granted the 13th slot on the 2010 F1 grid after it was left vacant by departing rivals Toyota.
Although the team have officially competed as ‘BMW-Sauber’ for the past four years, this confirms the return of Sauber as an independent outfit in F1, last seen in 2005.

2010 F1 teams list sees Virgin replace Manor – and no Sauber or Toyota

The official 2010 F1 teams list published today by the FIA has confirmed long-standing rumours the new Manor entry will be branded by former Brawn sponsors Virgin.
The FIA has also noted the absence of an entry from Toyota and has not yet substituted it with another team – including new BMW owners Sauber.

Toyota in F1 2001-2009 in pictures

Toyota: they arrived, they spent staggering amounts of money without winning anything, and then they gave up.
It’s not the kind of inspiring story that’s likely to get made into a film any time soon. But it wasn’t without its high points and interesting moments. Have a look at some of Toyota’s better memories in this [...]

F1 2009: Team-by-team

The usual McLaren-versus-Ferrari duel was suspended in 2009 and instead all the glory went to a team we hadn’t heard of 12 months ago.
F1 Fanatic’s 2009 season review kicks off with a look at how the ten F1 teams fared in 2009.

How Toyota got it wrong

In the eight years Toyota spent in F1 there was little success and a great number of missed opportunities.
Sport has many examples of teams blessed with an abundance of resources which they proceed to squander. From day one money was no object for Toyota, yet their trio of pole positions and 13 podium finishes – [...]

Toyota quits F1 after eight winless years

F1 has lost its third team in less than 12 months as Toyota has confirmed it will not compete in 2010.
It brings to an end the company’s eight-year involvement in Formula 1 during which time it is believed to have spent more money than any other team on the grid.

Final 2009 F1 championship standings

Drivers’ championship

Driver
Points

1
Jenson Button
95

2
Sebastian Vettel
84

3
Rubens Barrichello
77

4
Mark Webber
69.5

5
Lewis Hamilton
49

6
Kimi Raikkonen
48

7
Nico Rosberg
34.5

8
Jarno Trulli
32.5

9
Fernando Alonso
26

10
Timo Glock
24

11
Felipe Massa
22

12
Heikki Kovalainen
22

13
Nick Heidfeld
19

14
Robert Kubica
17

15
Giancarlo Fisichella
8

16
Sebastien Buemi
6

17
Adrian Sutil
5

18
Kamui Kobayashi
3

19
Sebastien Bourdais
2

20
Romain Grosjean
0

20
Vitantonio Liuzzi
0

20
Jaime Alguersuari
0

20
Kazuki Nakajima
0

20
Luca Badoer
0

20
Nelson Piquet Jnr
0

Constructors’ championship

Driver
Points

1
Brawn
172

2
Red Bull
153.5

3
McLaren
71

4
Ferrari
70

5
Toyota
59.5

6
BMW
36

7
Williams
34.5

8
Renault
26

9
Force India
13

10
Toro Rosso
8

Untouchable Hamilton claims Abu Dhabi pole (Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying)

Lewis Hamilton dominated qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to take pole position by two-thirds of a second.
The two Red Bulls will line up behind him but team mate Heikki Kovalainen was left 13th after his McLaren broke down during Q2.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix grid

1. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes – 1′40.948
2. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull-Renault – 1′41.615
3. Mark Webber, Red Bull-Renault – 1′41.726
4. Rubens Barrichello, Brawn-Mercedes – 1′41.786
5. Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes – 1′41.892
6. Jarno Trulli, Toyota – 1′41.897
7. Robert Kubica, BMW – 1′41.992
8. Nick Heidfeld, BMW – 1′42.343
9. Nico Rosberg, Williams-Toyota – 1′42.583
10. Sebastien Buemi, Toro Rosso-Ferrari – 1′42.713
11. Kimi [...]