Skip advert
Advertisement

Toyota is returning to Formula 1 with Haas

A partnership with Haas will see Toyota providing technical and manufacturing support for the F1 team, while gaining expertise to produce better road cars

Toyota/Haas F1 partnership

Fifteen years after a somewhat unceremonious exit from the grid, Toyota is returning to Formula 1. Not as a manufacturer this time around, however, but as a technical partner for the Haas team, which will lean on the Japanese car maker for manufacturing and technical support in return for providing motorsport knowledge and expertise for use in production cars.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Toyota’s comeback is part of a multi-year agreement, and while it isn’t returning to the grid as a constructor, Gazoo Racing (Toyota’s motorsport arm) branding will be applied on the two Haas cars – driven by Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg – from next weekend’s US Grand Prix.

Competing alongside Haas will give Toyota access to the workings of the F1 team, with Gazoo Racing test drivers, engineers and mechanicals gaining expertise to apply to Toyota road cars. Toyota’s GR division has already leant on its motorsport experience to produce the GR Yaris, GR86 and GR Supra, and if Haas partnership allows it to further hone its road-going performance cars, that can only be good news for enthusiasts.

Gazoo Racing engineers will also take part in the Haas team’s aero development – a major performance driver in F1, of course – with this expertise being used in production car development. 

In return, Haas hopes that manufacturing and technical support from Gazoo Racing will help it climb up the Formula 1 pecking order (it’s currently seventh in the constructors standings, on the heels of Red Bull’s sister team RB). 

‘To have a world leader in the automotive sector support and work alongside our organisation, while seeking to develop and accelerate their own technical and engineering expertise – it’s simply a partnership with obvious benefits on both sides,’ said Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu.

Aside from growing Gazoo Racing’s engineering capabilities, President of GR Tomoya Takahashi hopes that the partnership can also help prepare its young drivers for F1 seats through test days run by Haas. ‘Through this partnership, we believe it would be fantastic if we could develop drivers who can secure regular seats in F1 in the future,’ he said. 

The Toyota-branded Haas car will make its first appearance when the US Grand Prix weekend kicks off on 18 October. 

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

This is our first proper look at Toyota's mystery V8 super GT prototype
Toyota GR supercar
News

This is our first proper look at Toyota's mystery V8 super GT prototype

A new Toyota halo model has been spied testing in recent years, and now we've had a closer look at Goodwood Festival of Speed
14 Jul 2025
The automotive takeover that could’ve killed Porsche, Honda and the BMW X6
Toyota Supra
Opinion

The automotive takeover that could’ve killed Porsche, Honda and the BMW X6

In a parallel universe, one particularly shrewd brand partnership reigns supreme
22 May 2025
Toyota Celica GT-Four (1988 - 1999) review – the forgotten Group A rally icon
Toyota Celica GT-Four
Reviews

Toyota Celica GT-Four (1988 - 1999) review – the forgotten Group A rally icon

The GT-Four was a staple of the World Rally Championship and won several of driver’s and manufacturer’s crowns, yet it’s a rare sight today
22 Feb 2025
Lotus Type 56B: the anatomy of a turbine-powered F1 car
Lotus Type 56B side
Features

Lotus Type 56B: the anatomy of a turbine-powered F1 car

Swapping Cosworth DFV for Pratt & Whitney, the turbine-powered Lotus Type 56B is one of the most radical F1 cars of all time
5 Jan 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

TVR: Why we think it’s all over
TVR Griffith
Opinion

TVR: Why we think it’s all over

There’s barely a flicker of life when it comes to TVR and the ‘new’ Griffith. We can only fear the worst
17 Jul 2025
Save £30k on a new Range Rover and buy a Renault 5 with the savings!
Range Rover
News

Save £30k on a new Range Rover and buy a Renault 5 with the savings!

Discounts on new Range Rovers are so big you could buy a new Renault 5 with the money you save…
15 Jul 2025
​Best hot hatchbacks 2025 – affordable new performance cars
Best hot hatchbacks 2025
Best cars

​Best hot hatchbacks 2025 – affordable new performance cars

Contracted though the hot hatch market may be, there are still some great models out there, from the electric Alpine A290 to the five-cylinder Audi RS…
14 Jul 2025