Haas has hired ex-Lotus and Alpine engineer Pierre Genon to manage its Formula 1 technical alliance with Toyota.
Toyota ran a works team from 2002 through 2009, failing to secure a single Grand Prix win.
Since then, the Japanese marque’s Gazoo Racing arm has achieved world championship success in endurance racing and rallying.
Last Autumn however, a deal was struck with Haas to form a technical alliance, which includes, but is not limited to Toyota providing drivers, engineers and resources for a TPC [Testing of Previous Car] programme along with a new simulator.
It’s hoped this will help the smallest team on the F1 grid level up from its strongest campaign since 2018 last year, whereby it finished seventh in the Constructors’ standings with 58 points.
Genon joined Alpine during its days as Lotus in 2012, following stints with Prodrive’s WRC programmes and Peugeot’s LMP1 efforts.
His 12-year stint at Alpine saw him head up Performance Systems and he will now manage relations between Haas and Toyota.
“I am extremely excited to finally join Moneygram Haas F1 team this coming week as Toyota project manager, with the key accountability to drive the collaboration between Haas F1 and Toyota Gazoo Racing,” Genon wrote on LinkedIn.
“I have everything to learn about the team, the project, and the partner, and the state-of-charge is at 100 per cent for a challenge which will be quite different from the previous one.
“I am eager to meet my new team-mates and to contribute to the next steps in the progress of the team via this new project.”
Is Toyota going to buy its way back into F1?
Many have speculated that Toyota’s technical alliance with Haas is its way of tentative progress towards a full-scale takeover.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Masaya Kaji, Toyota’s director of global motorsport revealed that the Japanese marque is evaluating its position regarding a full return to F1 as a team entity.
“We are, of course, studying the technologies for 2026 and even current technologies.
“I feel we’re gradually moving in that direction. We’re not at a stage where we would redirect all our resources there [to a full comeback].
“What happens after 2030 is still uncertain. We’re working on various new technologies, so whether our vector aligns with F1 remains to be seen.
“If we had our own team, we could choose which drivers to put in the car. In that sense, it would indeed bring us closer to putting drivers in F1.
“But realistically, we have to evaluate how much money and how many staff members would be required to make that happen.
“That’s why I don’t think we’re at the stage of saying: ‘Let’s start a team immediately.’
“For now, building partnerships, like with Haas, and working with various teams is what’s important.
“We’re not in a stage to leap over those steps. We need to focus on doing what we should be doing right now.”
Haas not for sale
Should Toyota wish to make a full return to F1, a buyout of the Haas team would be the easiest route, given the connection that has been made.
Still, shortly after Toyota announced its partnership, Team Principal Ayao Komatsu was firm in Haas’ stance that a sale wouldn’t occur.
“Gene’s [Haas] not selling the team,” Komatsu said during the Friday press conference at the Mexico City GP.
“Every single time he’s asking me, how can we go better? What can we do to make the car go faster?
“He’s not interested in selling. I believe he had so many offers, actually, but he refused every single one of them.
“So the team’s not up for sale. And then we haven’t even spoken about a first refusal [for Toyota] or anything like that. That’s not being on the topic.”
However, Komatsu admitted that the deal with Toyota is “long term, very long term.”
READ MORE – Esteban Ocon admits Toyota tie-up has ‘reinforced’ his belief in Haas F1 move
