Ted Toleman passed away – Mark Hughes reflects on Ayrton Senna’s initial team leader in Formula 1.

Ted Toleman, former boss of a Formula 1 team in the 80s, passed away at the age of 86. Toleman, a car enthusiast businessman, sponsored a young South African driver based in the UK named Rad Dougall in the Formula Ford series. During this time, he crossed paths with another South African, Rory Byrne, who would later become a renowned Formula 1 designer. Toleman eventually formed his own team, skipping Formula 3 and going straight to Formula 2. With Brian Henton as his driver, Toleman’s team came close to winning the F2 title in 1979. The following year, Toleman decided to establish himself as an F2 constructor and enlisted the help of Rory Byrne to design the TG280. Henton ended up winning the title in 1980, with teammate Derek Warwick finishing third. Toleman, Byrne, and Hart then turned their attention to Formula 1, spending most of 1980 preparing a new turbo car. The 1981 season was a struggle for Toleman’s team, but they quickly improved and became more competitive in the following years. In 1984, they nearly won the Monaco Grand Prix with driver Ayrton Senna. Toleman eventually sold his team to the Benetton family in 1985, who would go on to achieve great success in Formula 1 with drivers like Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. Outside of Formula 1, Toleman also found success as an offshore powerboat racer and attempted various other challenges, such as a transatlantic crossing record and competing in the Dakar and Le Mans rallies. Toleman spent his final years between the Gold Coast, Australia, and Manila, Philippines. He passed away after a long-term illness related to cardiorenal syndrome. He is survived by his wife Maiti and son Michael.