Toyota and Haas F1 Team Form Technical Alliance
Toyota has not competed in F1 since 2009, but Chairman Akio Toyoda, who made the decision to withdraw Toyota from F1, wants a way for talented Toyota racing drivers, mechanics, and engineers to experience the pinnacle of motorsports.
That is why Toyota, through its Toyota Gazoo Racing motorsports division, is an official technical partner with the American F1 team Haas.
In an October 11 announcement, Toyota said it had reached a basic agreement with Haas to form a technical alliance on vehicle development and other joint work.
As part of the agreement, Haas' F1 car will carry the Toyota Gazoo Racing logo. The logo will appear on Ferrari-powered F1 cars beginning with this weekend's U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
Toyota says the partnership will not only allow racing drivers to experience the fastest cars in motorsports, but will also improve the development of both Toyota's road racing and racing programs by allowing Toyota mechanics and engineers to learn how to analyze vast amounts of data. He stated that this will help improve the development of both Toyota's road racing and racing programs. Toyota staff will also participate in wind tunnel testing and the design and manufacture of carbon fiber components.
On the driver side, Toyota drivers will get seat time in a Haas F1 car during test sessions. In a statement, Toyota Gazoo Racing chief Tomoya Takahashi said one of the goals is to establish a driver development program that has the potential to make a mark in F1.
This is not the first time Toyota and F1 have been linked in recent years. Last year, Toyota racing driver Ryo Hirakawa, who competes in the hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship, signed on as a reserve driver for the McLaren F1 team.
Toyota competed in F1 from 2002 to 2009, but despite having one of the largest budgets, the team did not enjoy much success. The global financial crisis ended Toyota's F1 challenge, and it seems unlikely that the company will return with its own team.
