- Toyota Gazoo Racing becomes Official Technical Partner of the Haas F1 team
- The deal will provide Toyota drivers, mechanics and engineers with F1 experience
- Collaboration includes vehicle development, data analysis, wind tunnel testing and carbon fiber part design
Toyota hasn’t raced in Formula 1 since 2009, but its president, Akio Toyoda, the man who decided Toyota should abandon the sport, still wants a way for talented Toyota drivers, mechanics and engineers to experience the pinnacle of motorsport.
That’s why Toyota, through its motorsports department Toyota Gazoo Racing, is partnering with American F1 team Haas like the Official Technical Partner of the team.
In an announcement on Oct. 11, Toyota said it has reached a basic agreement with Haas on entering into a technical partnership regarding vehicle development and other collaborative efforts.
As part of the agreement, the Toyota Gazoo Racing logo will appear on Haas F1 cars. The logo will appear on Ferrari-powered F1 cars as early as this weekend’s United States Grand Prix at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
Haas F1 race car with Toyota Gazoo Racing logo
Toyota said the partnership will not only allow its drivers to experience the fastest cars in motorsport, but its mechanics and engineers will also be able to learn how to analyze large amounts of data to improve the development of Toyota’s road and racing programs. The Toyota team also participate in wind tunnel testing as well as in the design and production of carbon fiber parts.
On the driver’s side, Toyota drivers will have seat time in Haas F1 cars during test sessions. In a statement, Tomoya Takahashi, head of Toyota Gazoo Racing, said one of the objectives is to establish a driver development program whose graduates have F1 potential.
This is not the first time that Toyota has been associated with F1 in recent years. Last year, Ryo HirakawaToyota driver who competes in the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship, has been hired as a reserve for the McLaren F1 team.
Toyota competed in F1 from 2002 to 2009, although the automaker was not very successful despite having one of the biggest budgets. The global financial crisis has put an end to Toyota’s F1 effort, and the carmaker is unlikely to return with its own team.