The announcement of Toyota's decision to enter Formula One was made in January 1999 with an ambitious long-term vision of being able to challenge for championship glory at the pinnacle of motorsport.

By deciding to design and build both engine and chassis from scratch, Toyota made a huge commitment to its F1 programme. Their first ever Formula One car was launched on the 23rd of March 2001 at Paul Ricard. This momentous event preceded an extensive test programme with drivers Mika Salo and Allan McNish, which lasted throughout the 2001 season. During the course of their extensive testing programme, Toyota travelled to eleven different Grand Prix circuits worldwide as well as carrying out numerous sessions at Paul Ricard in order to not only develop the car, but to also build itself up as a team.

In 2002 Allan McNish and Mika Salo remained with the team. It was a development season for the German-based outfit as they finished in last place with two points to their credit. Before the year was over, it was announced that both drivers were to be replaced and they would start 2003 with French veteran Olivier Panis and 2002 Champ Car champion, Cristiano da Matta. The duo went on to score 16 points for the team securing eighth place.

2004 was meant to be the season that Toyota made some serious progress towards the front of the field and with the signing of Technical Director Mike Gascoyne from Renault. It was a tough season for the team as they scored just nine points. Da Matta was dropped from the team mid-season with test driver Ricardo Zonta and then Jarno Trulli taking over the role.

Panis took on a testing role with Toyota in 2005 with the team signing a long-term deal with Ralf Schumacher and Trulli. The season was a massive step in the right direction as the TF105 was effective right from the first race of the season. Trulli would score three podium positions in the first five races while Schumacher would score two podium results in the second half of the season. 88 points on the board brought Toyota fourth in the Constructors' standings in what was by far their most competitive season in the sport.

While the team made huge gains in '05, the following season would prove to be a big disappointment with the squad slumping to sixth in the standings. The TF106 did not make the best use of Bridgestone runner in the early part of the season and come the third round of the championship Technical Director Mike Gascoyne left the team with Luca Marmorini and Pascal Vasselon taking the engine and chassis responsibilities. With an internal restructure complete, the team battled on to tally up 35 points by the end of the season, 53 less than in 2005.

Jarno Trulli had a mixed season failing to score any points in the first eight races of the season before a handful of lower points finishes in the second half of the season. Ralf Schumacher proved altogether more consistent with the highlight of his season being a sole podium at the Australian Grand Prix. The team would put on a show in qualifying in the Japanese race again and qualified a strong third and fourth, but it was a false dawn as the duo pitted before its rivals with Trulli emerging ahead of Schumacher and holding him up to the flag. This fairly typified a disappointing fifth season in Formula One for Toyota.

Under the leadership of Team Principal Tsutomu Tomita, Vice Chairman Tadashi Yamashina and President John Howett, on the surface, there's was not a lot of change for 2007. The team had agreed a new three-year deal with Trulli, while Ralf Schumacher prepared to start his final year of his three year stint with the squad.

2007 was nothing but a disappointment. The team lost its way with the TF107 package and were only able to pick up the final points paying positions on occasion. Ralf Schumacher seemed pretty disinterested in the whole season while Trulli was inconsistent. The team finished sixth in the championship with 13 points, but with the resources it has at its disposal, the squad continued to under-perform.

Things improved in 2008 with GP2 champion Timo Glock joining Jarno Trulli on the driving front. The team are still chasing its first victory heading into the 2009 season, but 56 points and fifth position in the constructors' championship showed progress. With mutterings that the Japanese car giant could be considering its position in Formula One, 2009 will be a critical season for the German-based team.