Ludo van Denderen is a motorsport journalist at GPblog, specializing in Formula 1 and international racing series.
Over the years, Toyota has repeatedly stated that a return to Formula 1 is not an option. Yet late last week, the Japanese announced they had partnered with Haas F1. Admittedly, it is not related to engine building. However, they started a technical partnership with their motorsport arm, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR).
The first building blocks for the collaboration were laid at the beginning of the current year, according to Amayo Komatsu, Haas F1's team boss. "I had contact with Kaji at the beginning of the year. Almost half a year ago," said the Japanese boss, after which Masaya Kaji (general manager of TGR) said: "So actually, we have no plan to have a team in Formula 1. At this moment, the best option is to collaborate with Haas."
Why Toyota decided to join Formula 1 now
Speaking to GPblog earlier this year, TGR revealed that it had no plans for a return to F1 as the brand was happy in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and World Rally Championship (WRC). At some point, though, they thought teaming up with Haas would be a good idea. GPblog asked Kaji about it.
"The trigger was from our top management, Akio Toyoda. He's always thinking about the driver. I had communication with Kaji at the beginning of this year. Actually he would like to find a way for our drivers and engineers mechanics to enter the top category [of motorsport] for good learning and developing people. So after this communication, I started communicating with some teams, including Haas. As I said, Haas was the best partner," he added.
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This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton
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