Haas F1 has recently signed a technical partnership deal with Toyota, which has seen the return of the Japanese brand name on an F1 car for the first time since 2009. Former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner has revealed that he doesn’t know much about what this partnership might entail.
However, when he was asked during a recent appearance on The ‘Red Flags Podcast’ if Toyota could use this deal to make a proper comeback in F1, Steiner agreed that it “could be” the case.
He compared the partnership between Haas and Toyota to that of Sauber and Audi, where the German brand initially bought a partial stake in Sauber before acquiring the brand completely. However, Steiner also thinks that Toyota made a smart move by first signing a technical partnership rather than buying into the team.
| BREAKING: MoneyGram Haas F1 Team enters into a technical partnership with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing.
In the new multi-year partnership, TGR will provide design, technical and manufacturing services to Haas, while Haas will offer technical expertise and commercial benefits in… pic.twitter.com/6TgB62UqSr
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 11, 2024
He explained how Toyota might be thinking to “Get in slowly, learn about it, and then make the move instead of making the move a little bit like Audi is doing and then struggle you know because Audi/Sauber at the moment [are struggling].”
Steiner then added, “I think maybe they saw that one, but I don’t know… It wouldn’t be a bad move from Toyota if they want to get in, get their feet wet, and then see when we make the next step.”
Toyota made its debut in F1 in 2002 as a proper constructor and left the sport after the 2009 season. While they did have their moments of success with several podiums, Toyota never actually managed to win a race with their best result in the constructors’ championship being fourth place in 2005.
Toyota has been brilliant outside of F1
While the Japanese manufacturer did not taste the ultimate success in F1, they have been regularly competing in other motorsport disciplines like the FIA World Endurance Championship and have been hugely successful across various categories.
They have been the constructors’ champion in the Hypercar category in the last three seasons and won the championship in the LMP1 category in 2019 and 2018.
With such a history of success in motorsport, Haas stands to benefit from this technical partnership and could even get their hands on Toyota’s state-of-the-art wind tunnels if it was part of the deal, as Haas currently does not have their own wind tunnel and has to rely on Ferrari.
#NASCAR Cup owner Gene Haas isn’t leaving the sport with SHR ceasing operations after this year. He will form Haas Factory Team and compete in Cup and Xfinity in 2025https://t.co/dbcSd33zkH
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 20, 2024
This partnership could also be a way for Gene Haas to eventually find a way to limit his involvement in the F1 team, much like he has done in NASCAR by jointly shutting down the Stewart-Haas Racing team in agreement with Tony Stewart and only retaining one charter to form a new team after the 2024 season.
