Former Toyota team principal, Tadashi Yamashina, has branded Formula One as too elitist, and that’s the likely reason the brand will not return to F1.
The Japanese manufacturer withdrew from the sport after the 2009 season, following fellow Japanese company Honda, who withdrew a year previous.
Many reasons as to why Toyota left have been discussed, ranging from their failure to perform despite running the largest budget in the sport to the economic climate.
However, Yamashina reckons it’s F1’s ‘elitist’ image which prevents fans from gaining in-depth access to the sport, unlike other motorsport events.
“There is a big gap between F1 and Toyota’s actual car users,” he told Automotive News. “F1 remains the pinnacle of auto racing, but its image grew too elitist.
“At races such as Nurburgring [24 Hour], fans can get right into [the] pitlane, mingle with the teams and touch the cars. They can soak up the atmosphere and feel part of the event. By contrast, average fans have no hope of strolling the paddock at an F1 race. For the fortunate few who can afford to do that, it’s fine.
“I think the best kind of races are those in which people can get in close to the race.”
