Toyota now have a ‘good chance’ of returning to F1 with £600m team in 2025

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Japanese manufacturer Toyota is reportedly considering a return to Formula 1 by linking up with an existing team on the grid.

The expansion of the F1 grid has been a big topic since the FIA released a tender for new teams last year, for which only Andretti Global was picked to be considered by the governing body and commercial rights holder.

The American outfit subsequently failed to secure a commercial agreement with F1, deciding that an 11th team would not add value and questioned its competitiveness out of the box.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently advised the American team to buy one of the 10 teams on the grid, but Andretti reportedly had no interest in buying into an existing franchise.

The ruling against Andretti effectively leaves many prospective teams shut out of starting their own 11th entity from scratch, which is why some are looking at other ways to get into F1 due to the increased exposure it can offer brands.

According to a report from Formula.hu, Toyota is considering an alliance with one of the 10 teams on the grid.

Toyota could rejoin F1 grid through existing team

Toyota was last on the F1 grid in 2009 before it pulled out at the end of the year after making its first-ever financial loss as a company.

In the eight years that it competed, Toyota failed to win any race and achieved a highest finishing position of 4th in the Constructors’ Championship in 2007.

Now the Japanese manufacturer is looking at a return to the grid with Haas, initially through a sponsorship agreement before helping the team build its cars in future.

The report from Formula.hu states that Toyota branding would feature on the Haas cars, similar to the deal reached between Sauber and Stellantis for Alfa Romeo, as early as next season.

Haas, which is valued at £600m according to Forbes, has had its cars built by Italian chassis-maker Dallara alongside a technical partnership with Ferrari since it joined the grid in 2016.

The deal with Toyota would see it move operations to Toyota Gazoo Racing’s headquarters in Cologne from 2025 according to the report, while it would still have Ferrari engines as part of its deal which runs to 2028.

Toyota could emulate Aston Martin

Haas does not produce cars in the automotive industry, which means any link-up with Toyota would make more sense from a commercial point of view.

It might look odd to have an American team partnered with a Japanese brand powered by an Itallian engine, but Aston Martin has shown these kind of partnerships are possible through its engine deal with Honda for the 2026 season.

F1 engines are expensive and difficult to produce, but manufacturers still see the value in being involved with global motorsport given its increased growth since Liberty Media took over in 2017.

Team owner Gene Haas has been rumoured to be selling the team in recent months, but a partnership with Toyota could reduce the burdens he faces in finding continuous investment.

Such a deal would also be lucrative for Esteban Ocon, who is rumoured to be making the switch to the team alongside Oliver Bearman.