Toyota confirms surprise driver ‘audition’ as Haas stages private F1 test

Haas is fielding Super Formula Champion Sho Tsuboi across its two-day TPC test at Fuji Speedway this week, an outing which is “an audition” to assess his potential.

Haas is holding a two-day Testing of a Previous Car (TPC) outing at Fuji Speedway in Japan this week, fielding two high-profile Japanese drivers for the private test.

Super Formula Champion drives Haas F1 car

Haas has been able to embark upon a TPC programme in recent months, off the back of beginning a technical partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing towards the end of last year.

The partnership has enabled Haas to deploy the resources needed to begin a TPC programme, and it was recently revealed that a special two-day outing with the 2023 VF-23 would be held at Fuji Speedway immediately after the Hungarian Grand Prix – one of precious few F1 events outside of the usual Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

Team boss Ayao Komatsu flew to Japan straight after the race weekend in Budapest, and was on hand to watch as reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa climbed behind the wheel on Tuesday to peel out onto the track, last used in Formula 1 in 2008.

Ticket prices were kept very low for adults and students, as well as being free for children, enabling a strong turn-out of fans for what essentially was a festival of celebration for Haas and Toyota.

Hirawaka completed his day behind the wheel, saying afterward that, “It was a wonderful experience! Starting this career after watching F1 here in Fuji in 2007, it was truly emotional to be driving in F1 today.

“I’m grateful to everyone involved in this project, and I was thrilled that so many people came to watch today, despite it being a scorching hot weekday!”

For the second day of the test, Haas handed over its VF-23 to the reigning Super Formula Champion, Sho Tsuboi, who also races in Japan’s Super GT championship.

While a domestic racing league in Japan, Super Formula’s light and powerful machinery is considerably closer in performance to the current Formula 2 machinery, meaning the top drivers in the category can be evaluated quite closely against F1 drivers.

That’s exactly what the plan for Toyota was as it fielded Tsuboi, according to Masaya Kaji, director of global motorsports for TGR. His outing wasn’t merely a reward for having achieved the title with Vantelin Team TOM’s last year (and is en route to another title this year), but allowed the F1 team and Toyota to see how he adjusted to the challenge of driving an F1 car.

“What happens next depends entirely on Tsuboi’s performance and his communication with the team,” Kaji said.

“This is an audition or a selection test, not just because of his experience. We want to assess his real performance. He has to work hard and communicate in English. The goal is to assess his potential.

“Tsuboi has great potential, but it’s not just his results. The test is not a reward for becoming Super Formula champion.

“These TPC tests are part of our people efforts, as we will focus on human resource development.

“I believe that Sho [Tsuboi], a former Super Formula champion, will not only contribute to the development of his skills, but will also provide great motivation for the other TGR drivers.

“In addition, mechanics and engineers from Toyota Motor Corporation will be present, making this an invaluable opportunity for them as well . Experiencing first-hand the technologies and skills required on the world’s highest stage, F1, will certainly be an important experience for their growth.”

While Tsuboi’s outing may be an audition, there is currently no way into Haas’ F1 line-up for 2026, with both Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman already confirmed for next year.

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Recently, Haas and Toyota fielded Ritomo Miyata and former F1 driver turned WEC Champion Kamui Kobayashi in the VF-23 at two other TPC outings, meaning comparative data is available to evaluate Tsuboi closely against known quantities.

While Toyota is getting the opportunity to evaluate drivers in its programmes by climbing into a Haas F1 car, there is a secondary benefit for the outings in the eyes of Komatsu.

Given the lack of exposure to Formula 1 for the passionate Japanese fans, such unusual and rare outings offer an easy way for fans to get their F1 fix.

“Toyota wanted to run Tsuboi, as a Super Formula Champion,” Komatsu explained to media, including PlanetF1.com, at the Belgian Grand Prix.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity because, in Japan, F1 is gaining popularity. But, if you look at sports news, baseball is there, Football is there, F1 is still a very, very minor. That wasn’t the case like 30 years ago.

“Unlike Europe, there’s no Formula 1 happening in Japan. So I think it’s a really good opportunity, just taking advantage of this partnership, to put that test out there. We said to the Fuji circuit to just open there, and keep the entry price as low as possible.

“I just wanted to make it more available to people. The Japanese Grand Prix, like any Grand Prix, is quite a high hurdle to actually buy the ticket and commit to go. Unless you are really into it, you’re not going to make that commitment.

“But testing, hopefully, it’s much more easy to get into it. So if some people who are just general sports fans just have a passing interest, ‘I might just see what it’s like for a few hours’ at that level.

“If we can get people in for that, I think it’s good for Formula 1 and Japan.”

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