F1 team founder Ted Toleman dies aged 86

Between 1981 and 1985, Toleman evolved from hopeless backmarker to potent giant-killer in grand prix racing, across five seasons in which it gave a host of key personalities their F1 break, including drivers Derek Warwick, Teo Fabi and Stefan Johansson – but most notably Ayrton Senna and the man who would go on to design every one of Michael Schumacher’s seven world championship-winning cars, Rory Byrne.

Ted Toleman and his older brother Bob ran the family company centred on a car transportation business based in Brentwood, Essex from the mid-1960s. Encouraged by managing director Alex Hawkridge, the Toleman Group became a familiar sponsor of drivers in grassroots club motorsport in the following decade, perhaps most notably on the DFV-powered Super Saloon ‘DFVW’ 1600 fastback of Colin Hawker, as a means of promoting the business. The brothers and Hawkridge also began racing themselves.

Tragedy struck in 1976 when Bob Toleman was killed when he crashed his Royale Formula Ford at Snetterton. Undeterred, Ted Toleman continued to race a Lola Sports 2000 on occasion as Hawkridge stepped up investment in motorsport as an entrant, the company backing South African Rad Dougall, who dominated FF2000 in 1977. The company then hired promising designer Byrne from Royale and jumped straight into F2, running a March 782-BMW for Dougall in 1978.

Two years later Toleman stamped its mark with its own Hart-powered TG280 F2 designed by Byrne and John Gentry, running on Pirelli tyres and with backing from BP. Brian Henton and Derek Warwick swept to a famous team 1-2 in the European F2 Championship, prompting Toleman to take the plunge into F1 for 1981.

The team initially appeared out of its depth with Byrne’s Hart turbo-powered TG181, Henton and Warwick only qualifying for one race each in a fraught maiden season in the top flight. But across the following three years Toleman evolved into a genuine force, coming of age in 1984 when Hawkridge signed British F3 champion Ayrton Senna, who almost won a rain-affected and controversially red-flagged Monaco GP.

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But the following year, after Senna had acrimoniously defected to Lotus and the team found itself without a tyre supply deal, Toleman’s final F1 car, the TG185, failed to make the start of the season. The team was sold to Italian fashion house…