Specifically focusing on the front nose, Toyota Gazoo Racing have made changes to the bodywork of their TS050 ahead of its final season racing in LMP1 for the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The more prominent front nose gives the illusion of a single-seater’s front wing on the newly revised Toyota, which is the highlight of Toyota’s aerodynamic redesign on their LMP1 car. Pushing back the bodywork on either side of the nose reveals more of the splitter, and shows the shape and curves of the design much more clearly that past renditions.
With the regulations of the LMP1 class locked in until next year, when the ‘Hyper Cars’ that Toyota have already committed to running come onto the field, there is not much in terms of developments or changes in the class. However, Pascal Vasselon, the team’s Technical Director, explained that, due to the Privateers’ developments throughout the SuperSeason, “You see a big step in their performance. Out of respect for their ability to improve their cars and extract more performance from their package, we could not stand still.”
“The most obvious change is the bodywork,” Vasselon explained on release of the images of the new look for the TS050. “We have updated the aerodynamics of the car and elsewhere there are minor modifications for reliability.
“We introduced the TS050 HYBRID in 2016 so there has been ongoing development over the seasons… Our car for this new season is not radically different from last season’s car.”
Team President Hisatake Murata added: “As a team we have grown stronger and more resilient during the TS050 HYBRID era and we need to demonstrate this again as we challenge to defend our titles and, in parallel, prepare for the new hypercar regulations.”
This season will see the send off of the TS050 which has raced in the WEC since 2016. In its 26 races, it has earned 13 victories, 21 podiums, 11 pole positions, one Constructors’ Championship, one Drivers’ Championship and two 24 Hours of Le Mans victories. The six 2019/20 drivers will be looking to build on this impressive record for the car, hoping to secure another Drivers’ Championship, Constructors’ Championship and Le Mans victory by the end of its racing campaign.
