Willem Toet

Background

Willem Toet, a Dutch-born aerodynamicist who holds both Australian and British nationality, has spent decades in Formula One. Born on 29 March 1952, he currently serves as Senior Sales Manager and Aerodynamics consultant for Sauber Aerodynamics and Alfa Romeo Racing. His career began after earning degrees from the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University in 1974, when he took a job with Ford Australia. By 1977, he was working as a racing engineer in Australian Formula 2 and Formula Ford.

Relocating to Great Britain in 1982, Toet became chief mechanic and engineer for sports cars. Three years later, he joined the Toleman team—later Benetton—where he handled aerodynamics and wind tunnel work. Following 1994, he moved to Scuderia Ferrari to lead their aerodynamics department. In 1999, he shifted to British American Racing, later Honda, as a senior aerodynamicist and design engineer, staying until 2005.

On 13 January 2006, he took charge of aerodynamics at BMW Sauber. After a stint as managing director of the RML Group in 2010, he returned to Sauber as head of aerodynamics in November 2011. He stepped down in 2015, entering part-retirement, and now consults for Sauber Aerodynamics, bridging their F1 and non-F1 operations. Outside F1, Toet competed in the British Hill Climb Championship from 1998 to 2006, earning numerous wins and podiums, mostly in single-seaters.