The TG184 was powered by the Hart 415T four-cylinder turbocharged engine, producing approximately 600 bhp in 1984 — the same unit used in the preceding TG183B. Toleman was one of the smaller, privateer outfits on the grid, lacking the resources of the major manufacturer teams yet competing in an era of escalating turbo power. The car made its race debut at the French Grand Prix at Dijon.
The TG184's potential announced itself almost immediately. At only its second grand prix — the rain-soaked Monaco Grand Prix — rookie driver Ayrton Senna delivered one of the most electrifying performances in Formula One history. Starting 13th on the grid, Senna picked his way through the field with extraordinary precision until he caught and passed race leader Alain Prost of McLaren-TAG on lap 32, crossing the start-finish line just as Clerk of Course Jacky Ickx displayed the red flag to halt proceedings due to worsening conditions.
The result, however, was governed by the rule that positions be taken from the lap prior to the flag being shown. This meant Prost was declared the winner and Senna was classified second, receiving only half points as the race had not surpassed 50 percent of the scheduled distance. The decision was widely perceived as having denied Senna, Toleman, and engine supplier Hart their first Formula One win. In a later revelation, the team disclosed that the TG184 driven by Senna had in fact been suffering suspension damage that they estimated would have lasted only another three or four laps regardless.
That Monaco podium was the first for what is now the Alpine F1 Team, tracing its lineage through Toleman, Benetton, and Renault.
Senna went on to finish third at both the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch and the season-closing Portuguese Grand Prix, where he also qualified third — the best qualifying result the TG184 would achieve. The Portuguese podium reinforced Senna's standing as a future champion and highlighted the competitiveness of the Toleman package when circumstances aligned.
Three other drivers raced the TG184 during 1984. Stefan Johansson of Sweden and Pierluigi Martini of Italy each contested races during the season. Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto, a former FIM 350cc and Formula 750 motorcycle World Champion, also drove the car but his season ended in tragedy. During practice for the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, Cecotto badly broke both ankles in an accident with the TG184. He recovered from those injuries but never again competed in Formula One, pivoting instead to a lengthy and successful career as a touring car driver.
The TG184 marked the peak of Toleman's competitive life in Formula One. It demonstrated that a small, well-organised team could extract genuine race-winning potential from a privateer engine package under the right conditions. More significantly, it gave Ayrton Senna a platform to demonstrate the qualities that would define his career — a willingness to attack in the rain, mechanical sympathy under pressure, and an instinct for overtaking that bordered on the supernatural. The TG184 was replaced in 1985 by the Toleman TG185, and the team itself was sold to the Benetton Group at the end of that year.