Is Toyota inching closer to a full return to F1?

– Toyota becomes Haas F1 title sponsor for 2026

Toyota’s growing involvement in Formula One has taken a major step forward, with the Japanese giant confirmed as the new title sponsor of the Haas F1 Team from 2026. The squad will compete as the TGR Haas F1 Team, marking a deepening of what had previously been described as a technical partnership.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said in a statement the expanded collaboration had already delivered results. “It’s naturally a privilege to deepen our relationship with TGR through this new title partnership agreement,” he said.

Komatsu added that the joint work carried out so far — including this year’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme and the installation of a new simulator at the team’s Banbury base for 2026 — had been invaluable. “The cultivation of personnel, all working collaboratively between Haas F1 Team and TGR, has benefited us greatly and that’s something that will only increase as our partnership matures,” he said. “We’re excited to further grow with the likes of our driver program too, and it’s been encouraging to see the depth of talent TGR is backing in that process.”

That talent pool includes several Japanese drivers who took part in Haas’s first major TPC programme in the past year. Ryō Hirakawa, Ritomo Miyata, Sho Tsuboi and Kamui Kobayashi all sampled the previous-generation VF-23 during the evaluation phase.

There’s no confirmation yet on whether Toyota’s growing footprint will influence future driver decisions. Haas has already locked in Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman for the 2026 season, but the team may face pressure if its current line-up struggles under the new regulations.

Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda hinted at the wider ambitions behind the partnership, describing the progress of young TGR drivers and engineers as inspirational. “Throughout our challenges in the 2025 season, I witnessed young TGR drivers and engineers begin to believe in their own potential and set their sights on even greater dreams,” he said.

Toyoda added: “By taking our partnership with Haas another step forward next year, TGR’s ‘People, Product, Pipeline’ mantra will accelerate in a way we have never seen before. The time has come for the next generation to take their first steps toward the world stage.”

The newly rebranded TGR Haas F1 Team will reveal its 2026 livery on 23 January, ahead of private testing in Barcelona shortly after.