Toyota Partnership Powers Haas F1’s Private Test Milestone

Haas F1 embarks on its first-ever private test, showcasing the tangible benefits of its groundbreaking partnership with Toyota in 2024.

Haas F1 will take to the track this week at Jerez de la Frontera, where three drivers will participate. The two new full-time drivers, Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, will be joined by Toyota Gazoo Racing’s young driver, Ritomo Miyata.

This ‘Test of Previous Cars’ (TPC) is made possible by the Japanese manufacturer, which is funding the session to allow the full-time drivers and its protégé to drive. It will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, with Haas running its VF-23 from the 2023 season.

This marks the first tangible contribution of Toyota’s investment in Haas since the partnership was announced during the United States Grand Prix, where the VF-24 cars debuted Toyota stickers on their livery.

Haas had previously run a Toyota driver, Ryo Hirakawa, during the Abu Dhabi test. Hirakawa has since become a reserve driver at Alpine F1. Haas team director Ayao Komatsu explained that Toyota’s involvement has not yet had a visible impact on the sporting side.

“How quickly do you think these things will have an effect? You announce it, and the next day, the parts are on the car? No, no. This kind of collaboration takes time. We’re still in the very early stages of setting up the project,” Komatsu stated in December.

“There’s actually a slowdown because we haven’t increased the number of people, but we need to establish the project. People are working harder. We’re far from the point where we can feel any advantage. In fact, we’re even more stretched at the moment.”

“This is a low phase, which is normal. We just need to get through it and move to the stage where we can stabilize the project, but that will take several months. To feel its effects on the track, it will take at least a year.”

For the first time in its history, Haas will conduct private tests—something the team has been unable to do since 2016 due to budget constraints. It is also the first time Haas will compete in a season while operating at the budget cap.

With Moneygram’s arrival as title sponsor last year and Toyota’s involvement, the team now has the resources. For the full-time drivers, this will provide additional running time with their new team and engineers, contributing to preparations for the 2025 season.