The Haas Formula 1 team has announced a technical partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing, the motorsport division of the Japanese manufacturer.
The deal will see Toyota, which is to become Haas’s ‘Official Technical Partner’, join the American-owned operation in a relationship where they will share knowledge and resources.
Toyota Gazoo Racing will provide design, technical and manufacturing services to the grand prix squad, while Haas will offer its own expertise and commercial benefits in return.
There are several areas where Haas and Toyota will work together as part of the agreement.
Toyota Gazoo drivers, engineers and mechanics will be involved in Haas F1 tests – helping them all understand the challenges of modern grand prix machinery in a live environment.
Furthermore, Toyota staff will assist Haas with aerodynamic development, as well as helping design and manufacture carbon fibre parts to be used by the race team.
Toyota Gazoo Racing currently competes in the World Rally Championship, the World Endurance Championship and the World Rally-Raid Championship.
Its European base is Cologne which has two rolling road wind tunnels, and was the original factory of Toyota’s F1 team that competed from 2002 to 2009, before quitting the series after failing to win a race.
As part of the deal, from next weekend’s United States Grand Prix, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s branding will appear on the Haas F1 cars driven by Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu, who has been working on the deal for several months, believed it was a significant moment for his squad as it bids to push up the grid.
“I’m hugely excited that MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and Toyota Gazoo Racing have come together to enter into this technical partnership,” he said.
“To have a world leader in the automotive sector support and work alongside our organisation, while seeking to develop and accelerate their own technical and engineering expertise – it’s simply a partnership with obvious benefits on both sides.
“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 utilise and subsequently advance their in-house engineering capabilities.”
Komatsu said that the tie-up with Toyota had received the blessing of its long-term partner Ferrari – which supplies the squad with engines, gearboxes and other parts. Earlier this year, Haas also extended its deal to use Ferrari’s wind tunnel in Maranello.
He added: “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 endeavours."
Toyota Gazoo president Tomoya Takahashi believed the arrangement would benefit his company’s development.
“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,” he said. “And we desire to contribute to motorsports and the automotive industry.”
