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Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
The Haas Formula 1 team has announced a new multi-year technical partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing, the motorsport department of the Japanese car manufacturer.
Toyota Gazoo Racing, which competes in the World Endurance Championship and the World Rally Championship, is based in Cologne, Germany, at the company’s old F1 facility.
The new deal will see Haas benefit from “technical and manufacturing services” as well as the sharing of expertise and knowledge between the two entities.
Haas also has a technical partnership with Ferrari, which includes the supply of engines through to 2028, and team principal Ayao Komatsu said the Toyota agreement had the support of its existing partner.
“To have a world leader in the automotive sector support and work alongside our organization, while seeking to develop and accelerate their own technical and engineering expertise — it’s simply a partnership with obvious benefits on both sides,” Komatsu said of the Toyota deal.
“The ability to tap into the resources and knowledge base available at Toyota Gazoo Racing, while benefiting from their technical and manufacturing processes, will be instrumental in our own development and our clear desire to further increase our competitiveness in Formula 1.
“In return we offer a platform for Toyota Gazoo Racing to fully utilize and subsequently advance their in-house engineering capabilities.
“I’m naturally pleased that we’ve had the support of the likes of Formula 1 and our long-term partner, Scuderia Ferrari – who we announced our further continuation with earlier in the season, in the formation of this new technical partnership – designed to achieve continued success in our Formula 1 endeavors.”
Toyota is one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world but has not been directly involved in F1 since it withdrew from the sport at the end of 2009.
The Japanese manufacturer entered F1 in 2002 after investing heavily in its own works team, but despite targeting world championships it failed to win a race.
The company’s wind tunnel in Cologne has been used by a number of F1 teams since Toyota’s withdrawal, including McLaren and Ferrari while they were waiting on upgrades to their own facilities.
Toyota has invested heavily in hydrogen technology in recent years, making a full works entry under F1’s turbo-hybrid regulations unlikely.
The president of Gazoo Racing, Tomoya Takahashi, said Toyota’s main aim from the partnership was to strengthen its own workforce, including potential drivers.
“By competing alongside MoneyGram Haas F1 Team at the pinnacle of motorsports, we aim to cultivate drivers, engineers, and mechanics while strengthening the capabilities of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and Toyota Gazoo Racing, and we desire to contribute to motorsports and the automotive industry,” Takahashi said.