Super Formula champion who’s ‘fast like the wind’ could appear for Haas in 2025 after Toyota deal

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Haas have announced a technical partnership with Toyota that will serve the interests of both brands. The Japanese manufacturer’s branding will appear on the VF-24 at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

Haas will have access to Toyota’s facilities, as well as their technical staff. With the support of Dallara and Ferrari already in place, Ayao Komatsu’s squad have improved their long-term prospects.

If they’re satisfied with the early results, Toyota could in theory increase their involvement. Craig Slater says Haas could change their name as part of a title sponsorship deal, while it’s worth noting that their Ferrari power unit deal expires at the end of 2028.

For Toyota, who ran their own works team from 2002 to 2009 but failed to win a race, this marks a tentative step back into Formula 1. They have seen rivals Honda achieve huge success in the sport as Red Bull’s engine supplier after a turbulent reunion with McLaren.

F1 has now become more attractive for motoring giants. Audi have taken over Sauber, General Motors have held talks with multiple teams in case their Andretti bid fails and Ford have partnered with Red Bull from 2026.

The stabilising introduction of the cost cap and the sport’s huge growth, fuelled by Netflix’s Drive to Survive series, has no doubt lured all of these big names in. Compared to 2009, the sport is in a very different state.

Ritomo Miyata could benefit from Haas’ Toyota deal

As noted by BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson, Toyota will also be able to run their drivers in Haas machinery from next season. This could be in FP1 sessions, tests or filming days.

Toyota felt they were missing out on some of Japan’s top talent because they weren’t involved in F1. This gave Honda an advantage, which was a ‘driving factor’ behind their Haas deal.

The most obvious candidate to feature for Haas next year is Ritomo Miyata. The Formula 2 driver is the leading talent in Toyota’s roster but hasn’t featured in an official F1 weekend yet.

One of his competitors, Oliver Bearman, will race alongside Esteban Ocon at Haas next season. He’s effectively on loan from Ferrari with a view to eventually representing the Scuderia.

Who is Ritomo Miyata, the Toyota driver who’s ‘fast like the wind’?

25-year-old Miyata boasts an excellent record in the junior categories. He won back-to-back Japanese F4 titles in 2016 and 2017 before finishing as the runner-up in the country’s F3 championship in 2018 and 2019.

Three years on from winning the Super Formula Lights title, Miyata triumphed in the main series, beating Red Bull’s Liam Lawson. In that context, his efforts in Formula 2 have perhaps been a little disappointing.

With two rounds to go, the 25-year-old sits 19th in the championship with 29 points. He hasn’t finished on the podium yet but did take fifth in both races in Australia early in the year.

A driver shouldn’t be written off on the basis of an underwhelming F2 campaign, as Bearman (15th shows). His former boss Jun Yamada told Autosport that Miyata, who’s also the reserve driver for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship, is ‘fast like the wind’.