How Ferrari’s relationship with Haas will change after agreeing a deal with Toyota

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Haas have one of the most unique setups in the history of Formula 1 and it’s arguably just got even more complicated.

There was plenty of disagreement in the paddock when Haas first entered F1 back in 2016 about whether the team was created in the spirit of the sport.

Led by Guenther Steiner, Haas arrived on the grid at that year’s Australian Grand Prix with a car that had almost the maximum number of parts allowed from a rival manufacturer.

Haas went on to score points on their debut through Romain Grosjean in a car that was essentially a B-spec Ferrari.

Throughout their history, Haas have faced accusations that their technical partnership with Ferrari was too close.

Williams’s technical director Pay Symonds at the time told the New York Times that Haas’s introduction to F1 was a sign that ‘the status of being a constructor has been gradually eroded.”

Symonds continued: “What Haas has done is good for him, but I don’t know if that is really the way F1 should be going.”

In 2018, Fernando Alonso, via ESPN, accused that year’s Haas of being a ‘Ferrari replica of last year’.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

However, the FIA have always deemed their cars legal and now, Haas can rely on another global racing powerhouse for support.

Toyota and Haas will be working closely and their logos will appear on Haas’s cars at the United States Grand Prix.

Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm was speaking on The Race Podcast about how Haas’s new partnership will impact their relationship with Ferrari.

Toyota and Ferrari were rivals on the F1 grid before, although the Japanese manufacturer’s initial efforts in the sport didn’t go to plan.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu thinks Toyota solve a key issue for Haas going forward but they appear unlikely to replace Ferrari’s role in building their cars.

How Toyota’s partnership with Haas will impact their relationship with Ferrari

Speaking about the new deal, Mitchell-Malm said: “Basically, we’re going to have a Haas-Ferrari-Toyota-Dallara on the grid sooner rather than later, which is convoluted, to say the least.

“Interestingly, I think it’s the ultimate validation of something Ayao Komatsu, the Haas team principal, was saying earlier this year, which is that he felt when he took the job that the split locations was a big bottleneck for the team, that it just didn’t work with the UK base and the stuff in Italy, the Maranello base design office, as you mentioned, and the Dallara work [and the team’s official headquarters in Kannapolis].

“How it will work. Basically, the Ferrari stuff stays the same.

“Haas stays as a Ferrari engine customer, and it will continue to take as many parts from Ferraris as the rules allow.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota partnerships

“That’s mechanical parts, it’s also the stuff that relates to the engine, so, your gearbox and the rear end of the car.

“It could potentially do something of its own with Toyota’s Cologne facility, and knowhow they have there would facilitate it, I think, but that’s not on the cards right now.

“The Ferrari stuff stays the same. They’ll even keep using the Ferrari wind tunnel.”

Toyota does have a wind tunnel that Haas could start using one day in Cologne, and it was utilised by McLaren and Andretti in recent times, however, as Mitchell-Malm states, that’s not expected to happen in the short term.

Oliver Bearman benefits from Haas-Ferrari partnership before Toyota’s introduction

Toyota may end up wanting to have their say on Haas’s driver line-ups in the future and the role of reserve driver for 2025 still hasn’t been filled yet.

McLaren also have a partnership with Toyota that has seen Ryo Hirakawa test their old F1 cars behind the scenes, although nothing appears to be progressing in terms of an FP1 outing or something more.

While Haas rely so heavily on Ferrari, it’s only natural that their partnership also includes their drivers.

Oliver Bearman acted as reserve driver for both teams going into the 2024 season and has been called upon to replace Carlos Sainz and Kevin Magnussen this year.

This has helped earn Bearman a race seat at Haas for next year, but Toyota may have other ideas about who Haas should be running in the future if their influence on the team grows.