F1 News: 2009 Toyota F1 car to be auctioned for COVID-19 charity by FIA
One of the last Toyota Formula 1 cars is one of the star items in a COVID-19 online charity auction that has been put together by the FIA


Teams and drivers have provided some impressive lots for the #RaceAgainstCovid auction, which will be organised by RM Sotheby's and held in aid of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The FIA has already given €1 million to the organisation.
Toyota has donated chassis TF109-01, which was tested early in the 2009 season by Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock.
Its sister cars earned five podiums and a pole position, and Toyota finished fifth in the world championship.
However at the end of the year the manufacturer pulled out of the sport, and its 2010 prototype was completed, but never raced.
TF109-01 subsequently became a Pirelli tyre test car, and was driven by Nick Heidfeld, Pedro de la Rosa, Luca di Grassi and Romain Grosjean.
It remains in Pirelli's black livery, and comes complete with engine and gearbox.
Other star items include the 1995 Australian GP-winning helmet and overalls donated by Damon Hill, and overalls from Tom Kristensen that the nine-times Le Mans winner used in his last WEC race for Audi at Interlagos in 2014.

Ferrari has provided race-winning 2019 overalls from both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc along with a chance to spend a day in the Maranello simulator, while Mercedes has given suits and other items from Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
Further lots will be announced in the coming days
"Since the beginning of the health crisis, the FIA and the entire motor sport community have been committed to fighting the pandemic through many initiatives such as #RaceAgainstCovid," said FIA president Jean Todt.
"Today, we have another opportunity to show our strength and unity.
"I very much welcome the FIA and RM Sotheby's collaboration for the benefit of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I thank all the drivers and teams for their contributions as well as the FIA Foundation for its generous donation.
"To ensure this auction the success it deserves, I urge each and every one of our motor sport family to join us."
The auction opens via rmsothebys.com on 15 June, and will close on 22 June.

F1 News: How F1 has stopped 'insane' engine spending war
F1 News: Williams confirms loans brought £28m into company

Latest news
Why physical fitness is an understimated challenge for IndyCar rookies
The lack of in-car physical fitness is an “underestimated” hurdle for an IndyCar Series rookie, according to Dale Coyne Racing's Indy Lights graduate Sting Ray Robb.
Bubba Wallace ‘got dumped’ by Austin Dillon in NASCAR Clash
Bubba Wallace says Austin Dillon “dumped” him out of second place in NASCAR’s chaotic Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night.
Albon warns Williams has "long road ahead" to recover in F1
Alex Albon admits that his Williams Formula 1 team has a “long road ahead” as it tries to progress up the field this year.
Toyota won’t put more pressure on Katsuta at WRC Rally Sweden
Toyota World Rally Championship boss Jari-Matti Latvala says the team won’t "put more pressure" on Takamoto Katsuta to deliver in his first drive for the factory team this weekend.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.