Toyota confirmed their return to Formula One on Friday after a 15-year absence, forging a technical cooperation with American team Haas. The Japanese manufacturers competed in Formula One for eight seasons before retiring after 2009 with 13 podium places and no Grand Prix victories. Haas, which is now ninth in the 10-team constructor standings, stated that Toyota would supply “design, technical, and manufacturing services”.
The team stated that their vehicles would bear Toyota branding at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, later this month. Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda stated that he “had finally gotten back to being an ordinary older guy who loves cars”.
“I think that, deep down in his heart, that ordinary older car-loving guy Akio Toyoda had always regretted that he blocked — by pulling out of F1 — Japanese youths’ Toyoda also stated that he considered his decision to resign from the sport in 2009 was “not wrong.”Ayao Komatsu, Haas team principal, said he was “hugely excited” to collaborate with Toyota.
“To have a global leader in automotive manufacturing support and work alongside our organization, whilst seeking to develop and accelerate their own technical and scientific knowledge — that it’s simply a partnership with obvious benefits on both sides,” he told reporters. Esteban Ocon, a French driver, has signed a multi-year contract to drive for Haas next season.