Following today's announcement that Toyota has quit Formula 1, we bring you a feature from the archives from when the Japanese manufacturer earned its place on the grid ahead of the 2002 season

After a year of testing in solitude, Toyota's F1 team finally faced the competition at Spain, for the pre-2002 testing. Karl Ludvigsen believes they have reasons to sigh with relief. There are also other reasons to be worried...

Some of our readers have interpreted Ove Andersson's remarks about the first Toyota test results as indicating that he's worried about the team's prospects. I'll bet he is! One of the world's biggest auto makers has entrusted him with the job of organising the effort to put Toyota on the world's grand prix circuits in a way that won't cause embarrassment. Toyota would also like success, I'm certain. But above all it won't want to be mortified the way Jaguar was during its first year on the tracks.

To continue reading this feature...

You must have an AUTOSPORT subscription. Prices start from just $1.43 per week and give you full unrestriced access to all PLUS features. View package options? Magazine subscriber?

Online subscription

from just

$1.43

per week

• Unrestricted access to all PLUS features
• View website in ad-free environment
• Full F1 stats since 1950 in FORIX

View all package options