’No plans’ for full Formula 1 return, says Toyota

Toyota has "no plans" to buy or set up a Formula 1 team or build a power unit.

That’s the insistence of Masaya Kaji, director of Toyota Gazoo, which shocked the F1 world last week by announcing a new technical and operational relationship with Haas.

At the announcement event was Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation - ramping up speculation that the Gazoo deal could be a precursor to the Japanese giant’s full return to Formula 1.

Toyoda insisted: "I don’t want the headlines to be ’Toyota is finally returning to F1’. Instead, we would like to see headlines that inspire Japanese children to dream of the possibility that they too could one day drive the fastest cars in the world."

Toyoda, grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda, admits he was the one who made the decision to pull the carmaker’s Cologne based works team out of F1 at the end of 2009.

"I have now reached a certain age and finally become an ordinary guy who loves racing cars again," the 68-year-old smiled. "I think deep down, this guy always regretted that because of our withdrawal from Formula 1, young Japanese drivers were deprived of an opportunity."

Sources report that Ayao Komatsu, Haas’ new team boss, was the key to the Toyota-Haas deal. Chairman Toyoda admits he instantly got along with his fellow Japanese.

"But I don’t think that the reason we were able to talk like this is because Mr Komatsu is Japanese," he insisted. "If I may say so boldly, I think we had something in common in that we are both fighting on the world stage."

Although Ferrari will still supply Haas with engines and gearboxes, the small American team will have access to Toyota’s Cologne F1 factory, component manufacturing ability, simulators, and personnel support for a new testing of previous F1 cars (TPC) program.

Komatsu clarified: "Ferrari sent certain requirements where I had to guarantee them this, this and this. But that’s what we were going to do anyway.

"The Ferrari-Haas relationship is still the foundation. If they thought this Toyota-Haas alliance was going to be a threat to them, it wasn’t going to work."

Toyota motorsport boss Masaya Kaji insists: "We have no plans to have a team. Nor are we planning to offer the supply of a power unit at this time.

"We have spoken to several teams and we have a relationship with McLaren, but, in reality, Haas and Komatsu-san are the best partners because our scope is exactly the same and we can strengthen the team together. Our strengths and weaknesses fit together perfectly," he added.

Meanwhile, former Toyota F1 driver Ralf Schumacher told Sport1: "For me, the partnership with Toyota is a clear sign that Haas is for sale."

He also told Sky Deutschland: "This could be the next step towards a big team. Toyota was already rumoured to be close to getting back into it, but the teams were too expensive.

"Formula 1 is developing incredibly," said the German. "It has become a cash cow. You earn a hell of a lot of money worldwide. And Toyota’s image hasn’t been particularly good recently."