Toyota plan car overhaul

Big-spenders Toyota plan a complete overhaul of their 2004 car after a disappointing start to the season in Australia.

The German-based team’s F1 budget is reputedly €325m per season – a figure only headed by Ferrari – with their Japanese paymasters desperate to make an impact on the grid.

But the team launched their third season in Melbourne last weekend with Brazil’s Cristiano da Matta and Frenchman Olivier Panis lapped twice as they finished 12th and 13th respectively.

Now British Technical director Mike Gascoyne, who joined for this season from Renault, has spotted deficiencies in the TF104 car which he intends ironing out before the next race in Malaysia on Sunday week.

Gascoyne plans a complete overhaul for the first European race – the San Marino Grand Prix – at Imola next month with further improvements planned for the British Grand Prix in July.

“We’ve already got several new parts for Malaysia and there will be a total repackaging of the car in time for Imola,” said Gascoyne.

“We haven’t concentrated enough on getting weight low in this car and that’s what we’ll be addressing.

“We’re also planning an even bigger update for Silverstone.”