Komatsu outlines vision with Toyota at Fuji event

Haas principal Ayao Komatsu has revealed details of his recent talks with Toyota Motor Corporation chairman Akio Toyoda during a joint event at Fuji Speedway.

The gathering, staged as a “Haas-Toyota day”, featured Japanese drivers at the wheel of Haas’ Formula 1 car under the Toyota-funded new Haas TPC initiative.

Although Toyota has repeatedly ruled out an F1 team or engine program, the collaboration represents a significant extension of support for Gene Haas’ Ferrari-powered team.

Toyoda, who has long guided Toyota’s global motorsport activities through Toyota Gazoo Racing, was on hand for discussions with Komatsu, who took charge of Haas last year.

“I was able to talk with Akio for about an hour at the circuit, and we reaffirmed our vision for what we want to achieve through the partnership between Haas and Toyota, and discussed what we need to do to make it a reality,” Komatsu told as-web.jp.

“At the press conference on the first day, (Toyota Gazoo boss) Masaya Kaji said that we want to ‘create a culture,’ and that’s what I want to do too. I believe that if Haas and Toyota do this together, it will help to establish a culture of motorsports in Japan, and both Akio and myself also feel that way.”

Turning to Haas’ current campaign, Komatsu said the VF-25 has improved but results have not yet matched expectations.

“The first half of the 2025 season was full of ups and downs, and while there were many good things, there were still many bad things,” he admitted.

“We made improvements at the seventh round, and an update at the twelfth round made the VF-25 really fast. I’m really happy because I’ve seen how we responded and our teamwork throughout this series of events.”

Still, Haas sits only ninth in the constructors’ standings. “In terms of car speed, I think Haas is around fifth place, so we need to achieve results that are commensurate with that, and I believe this is possible with this car,” Komatsu added.