Toyota ready for German 'test'

The German-based, Japanese-owned team has only scored points on three occasions this year and lies seventh in the constructors' standings. It has repackaged the chassis completely for the remainder of the season, starting this weekend.

"Most of the parts that make a difference to the lap time will appear for the first time this weekend," said Gascoyne. "We know from simulations what kind of step we could make, but we have to wait until Friday to see how the data translates to the track. The German Grand Prix will be something of a test session for us, as we establish a baseline of the TF104B's potential.

"The car has an upgraded aero package, as well as a substantially repackaged chassis with lower weight and centre of gravity. The debut of the TF104B now marks the start of a renewed development process for Toyota which will take us to the last race of the season in Brazil."

Toyota will also introduce a revised engine at Hockenheim as part of the new package.

Engine department chief Luca Marmorini said: "As part of the TF104B package that will race at Hockenheim for the first time this weekend, we have worked tremendously hard in the engine department to incorporate a new specification RVX-04 engine. This spec was originally intended for the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, but we have pulled out all the stops to introduce the new version three races earlier than planned.

"We have run extensive tests in the dyno to ensure our excellent reliability rate continues, whilst introducing a performance increase of around two percent. The TF104B, as a chassis-engine package, should be a good performance gain for Toyota."