Toyota is now “regularly transferring” in the direction of a full-scale return to Formulation 1 after its technical partnership with Haas started in 2024, says the director of its sportscar and rallying squad.
The Haas-Toyota alliance kicked off within the closing levels of final season, with the Japanese firm’s branding showing on the American squad’s automobiles and equipment, plus the 2 sides working collectively to begin Haas’s first Testing of Earlier Automobiles (TPC) growth programme and constructing of a brand new F1 simulator on the staff’s Banbury base.
However when the deal was introduced final October, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s director of world motorsport, Masaya Kaji, mentioned there was “no plan” for the producer to both construct its personal F1 engine or re-enter as a works staff – a standing it held between 2002 and 2009.
Along with this, the corporate at all times firmly acknowledged that its F1 hyperlinks with Haas prolonged solely to serving to its engineers be taught the championship’s processes by working with the squad and supply a pathway for one its drivers to presumably compete in grand prix racing.
However in an interview with Motorsport.com after it was confirmed that Toyota World Endurance Championship driver Ryo Hirakawa has joined Alpine as a reserve driver for 2025 – with the aim of at some point racing in F1 – Kaji revealed a change in Toyota’s intent concerning an F1 return of considerably better depth.
“We’re, after all, finding out the applied sciences for 2026 and even present applied sciences,” mentioned Kaji, a pal of Haas staff principal Ayao Komatsu. “I really feel we’re regularly transferring in that route.”
Jarno Trulli, Toyota TF108
Photograph by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Pictures
However Kaji’s extra feedback recommend any better F1 dedication from Toyota would nonetheless be a number of years away – taking it properly into the period the place the championship’s simplified V6 turbo hybrid engines might be racing.
“We’re not at a stage the place we’d redirect all our assets there [to a full F1 return],” he mentioned. “What occurs after 2030 remains to be unsure. We’re engaged on numerous new applied sciences, so whether or not our vector aligns with F1 stays to be seen.”
Kaji additionally mentioned, “if we had our personal staff, we may select which drivers to place within the automotive”.
“In that sense, it could certainly convey us nearer to placing drivers in F1,” he added. “However realistically, we now have to guage how a lot cash and what number of workers members can be required to make that occur.
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“That’s why I don’t suppose we’re on the stage of claiming, ‘Let’s begin a staff instantly.’
“For now, constructing partnerships, like with Haas, and dealing with numerous groups is what’s essential.
“We’re not in a stage to leap over these steps. We have to deal with doing what we needs to be doing proper now.”
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Formulation 1
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