Why Toyota racing boss was spotted in the Haas garage at Silverstone amid F1 comeback rumours

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Japanese manufacturer Toyota is reportedly considering an alliance on the Formula 1 grid and their motorsport general manager Masaya Kaji was recently spotted in the garage of one team at the British Grand Prix.

Toyota has not been in F1 since the 2009 season, having failed to win any race and achieving a highest finishing position of 4th in the Constructors’ Championship in 2007.

The team exited F1 after making its first financial loss as a company during the height of the global financial crisis, joining fellow car-makers BMW and Honda.

Now it is reportedly considering a return to the grid with the Haas F1 team, initially through a sponsorship agreement before helping them build their cars by allowing them to use their wind tunnel facility in Cologne.

According to AMuS, Toyota’s general manager in the motorsport department, Masaya Kaji, was spotted in the garage of Haas during the British Grand Prix weekend.

Why was Toyota’s general manager spotted in Haas’ garage?

Kaji was spotted in the back of the garage at Haas, fuelling rumours that a partnership could be imminent between the two entities.

According to the report, Kaji is good friends with Haas team principal and fellow compatriot Ayao Komatsu and was present because of the Toyota junior drivers competing in the F1 support categories.

Kaji was spotted in the pits of LMP2 team Cool Racing at Le Mans earlier this year, supporting Japanese driver Ritomo Miyata.

Miyata currently drives in Formula 2 and runs a Toyota Gazoo Racing livery on his Rodin Motorsport car, having been selected as part of the Japanese manufacturer’s WEC driver challenge programme.

Toyota’s return to F1 makes sense commercially

Toyota currently only competes in the World Endurance Championship and World Rally Championship as a works entity, but the recent introduction of a budget cap and added commercial exposure makes F1 a more lucrative venture.

Returning to F1 as a sponsor would make financial sense as they will not be faced with the burden of making a competitive engine, which other manufacturers have shown can be difficult due to the efficiency targets power units must meet by regulation.

Haas team owner Gene Haas has been rumoured to be selling the team in recent months due to a lack of performance contract, but a partnership with Toyota could persuade him to continue.

It would also be a lucrative deal for Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon, who has been linked to the team after announcing he would be leaving Alpine at the end of the season.