Toleman may not be known to many fans of Formula One these days, but they started off a chain reaction to make one of the most common names in F1.
You may know them as Benetton, Renault or even Alpine F1 Team. Toleman may be long forgotten now but to some people, they’ll remember where it all started.
Who Is Toleman
Toleman first started off in 1926, by Edward Toleman, as a delivery service for Ford cars from the brand’s factory in Old Trafford.
The group moved various times before settling down in Brentwood, Essex.
The first inkling that Toleman would create an F1 team came in the early 70s.
Ted Toleman and his future team co-founder Alex Hawkridge had already become involved in other racing series staged in the UK, entering a Toleman Motorsport car in the 1977 season of the British Formula Ford 2000 series.
The team was a success and by the late 70s, they were entering into the European Formula 2 championship.
The Move To F1
It was first discussed in the early 80s that Toleman were looking to enter F1 and by the November of that year, it had come to fruition.
Toleman entered the 1981 season from Round 4, The San Marino Grand Prix, with drivers Brian Henton and Derek Warwick.
The car, the Toleman TG181, was not fit for purpose. Not only was the car overweight but also severely underpowered.
Both drivers went on a nine-race streak of failing to qualify in one of the top 24 positions. Henton scraped through, qualifying in 23rd at the Italian Grand Prix, finally giving Toleman a race start.
Henton crossed the line in tenth in a race where only 10 cars finished. He was also three laps down on race winner Alain Prost.
The team finished the year with zero points and was not classified in the Constructors’ Championship.
1982 And 1983
Toleman’s misfortune continued into 1982. The team change up slightly. Warwick was retained but Teo Fabi was subbed in for the outgoing Henton.
Despite qualifying for more races than the previous season, a Toleman car didn’t finish a race till Warwick brought home the car in 15th at the French Grand Prix.
Toleman finished the year on another disappointing 0 points.
1983 saw a rejuvenation to the team. The Toleman TG183B had brought a new lease of life for the team as both drivers managed to qualify at every race bar one.
Teo Fabi was dropped, and Bruno Giacomelli was brought in. Even with a good run of form, it took till Round 12 for the team to bring home their first-ever points.
Warwick finished just off the podium in fourth and also went on to score points in the remaining three rounds.
Toleman finished the year on 10 points and ninth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Enter Senna
In 1984, Ayrton Senna joined the world of F1 and Toleman was the home of his first F1 season.
Senna earned his place in F1 after being victorious in the British Formula Three Championship and the Macau Grand Prix.
Senna made his F1 debut in the Brazilian Grand Prix, in front of his home crowd. His year didn’t get off to a great start, starting 17th and being forced to retire due to a Turbo issue on Lap 8.
He claimed the first points of the season for Toleman with two sixth-place finishes in The South African and Belgian Grand Prix.
Senna went on to claim second at the Monaca Grand Prix, the first time Toleman got to stand on the podium and a further two more podiums throughout the year.
The Rookie year was deemed to be a strong one for Senna and he entered talks with Lotus. Toleman suspended Senna for the Italian Grand Prix for a breach of contract due to him talking to other teams without informing his home team first.
The talks were a catalyst to and after just one year with the team, Senna moved on to a different pasture.
Toleman proved a valuable start to Senna’s career as he went on to win the Formula 1 World Championship three times, in 1988, 1990 and 1991.
Change Of Ownership
In the May of 1985, Toleman acquired one of the biggest sponsorships in F1 history. They were sponsored by clothing brand Benetton, who had previously sponsored Tyrrell and Alfa Romeo.
At the time of Benetton becoming the primary sponsor, Toleman were heading into some hard times after failing to secure a tyre contract. Toleman didn’t enter a car in the first three races and could only enter one car for the following six.
In the 1985/86 off-season, Toleman took the difficult decision to cease, and Benetton purchased the team.
By the time Benetton had fully taken over, Toleman had entered a grand total of 70 Grand Prix, starting 57 of those, achieving three podiums and a total of 26 World Championship points across five seasons.
Toleman built the roots to an F1 team that can still live on to this day. Toleman may have become Benetton. But Benetton went on to be Renault and Renault went on to be Alpine, a team which still runs today with Renault alumni and two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso and French driver Esteban Ocon at the wheel.
Toleman In Recent Years
The Toleman-Hart TG184 has been showcased at various car events, including the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Ayrton Senna’s Toleman-Hart TG184-02, the car he drove at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, has previously been on display at Chartwell, Derby.
If you want to take a trip down memory lane then keep an eye out for one of the Toleman cars to make an appearance at an event in the future.
Thank you Toleman for all you did in F1. It certainly won’t have been the same without you.
