Toyota has stated that Sho Tsuboi’s test for Haas earlier this month was an “audition” to prove himself worthy of a place in Formula 1 in the future.
The 30-year-old, a Toyota-backed driver, was given the test after winning the Super Formula series back in his Japanese homeland last year.
Held at the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway, Tsuboi drove the VF-23 on August 7, as part of the TPC programme with Haas, which shares a technical partnership with the Japanese marque.
For Toyota, it would be an added bonus for a partisan driver to be given as good a shot as possible to seek a potential F1 seat.
And for its Director of Global Motorsport, Masaya Kaji, the test was an opportunity for Tsuboi to equip himself with the car, and with the team as a whole.
“What comes next totally depends on Tsuboi’s performance and on his communication with the team,” he told Autosport.
“This is a kind of audition, or selection. It’s not just for his experience. We would like to assess his real level of performance.
“He must make a big effort especially to communicate in English. But the main target is to understand his potential.
“Currently his performance is the best among the Japanese drivers, so it’s quite interesting for us, also for the other drivers in Japan and motorsport fans.”
![Toyota Director of Global Motorsport, Masaya Kaji [left], wants to afford Tsuboi and Haas reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa [right] more chances](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Toyota-Haas-F1-Kaji-1-1024x576.webp)
Tsuboi Haas test ‘not a reward’ for Super Formula title win
Kaji explained that the test was not merely a gift for his Super Formula title victory, a series that has provided a good education for drivers who have gone on to F1 in the past.
“To be honest, we don’t have any clear boundaries,” he explained.
“Tsuboi has very good potential, so it’s not only about his results. The test is not a reward for becoming Super Formula champion.
“We will not have the same situation for other drivers [in future] who become champion. It is purely based on performance.”
Another Japanese driver featured in the test, with Ryo Hirakawa also taking to the track the day before.
The 31-year-old was signed to be Haas’ reserve driver for this year, and has had two FP1 outings at Bahrain and Barcelona.
Hirakawa switched from Alpine to Haas just after the season began due to his Toyota links, and Kaji is keen to provide him with further chances.
“At the moment, we want to give him as much experience as we can,” he added.
“It’s important to give him the environment where he can focus on driving, regardless of the team or the car.”
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