Haas and Toyota: What does this mean for the Ferrari and Dallara relationships?

Haas’ new technical partnership with Toyota will have no impact on their relationship with Ferrari, team boss Ayao Komatsu adamant Toyota Gazoo Racing will “not replace” Ferrari.

Haas and Toyota announced on Friday that Toyota Gazoo Racing, the Japanese company’s motorsport competition arm, would become Haas’ official technical partner in a multi-year deal.

What does the Haas/TGR partnership mean for Ferrari relationship?

The new agreement , which effectively brings Toyota back to the F1 grid for the first time since 2009, will see both parties share knowledge, expertise and resources, with TGR providing design, technical and manufacturing services while in return Haas will offer technical expertise and commercial benefits.

The deal, though, will have no impact on Haas’ relationship with Ferrari.

Haas’ F1 cars have been powered by Ferrari in every one of the team’s nine seasons on the grid with the American team signing an extension earlier this year that will run through to 2028. The team also runs listed Ferrari parts such as the suspension and gearbox.

Komatsu insists nothing will change.

“We will continue to use the Maranello wind tunnel,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “As long as the technical regulations permit, I can buy the gearbox from Ferrari.

“Our partnership with Toyota, just to be clear, is not to replace the Ferrari partnership. The Ferrari/Haas partnership is the foundation, and it’s always going to be the foundation.

“This partnership [Toyota] is not to take away from it but actually enhance the fundamental partnership with Ferrari. What we get from Ferrari is really, really amazing. It’s the foundation for the Haas F1 team.

“But the areas that TGR can help us is outside of that. Again, we will be completely transparent with Ferrari management from the early stage of this discussion, so we both have an understanding of what engagement we have in which area with TGR and how we need to protect the IP of each company.”

He added that Haas’ partnership with TGR had “nothing” to do with a PU supply and that Haas would run Ferrari engines “until 2028”.

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Ferrari wanted guarantees from Haas

With Intellectual Property [IP] from all parties involved in the mix, Komatsu kept Ferrari abreast of the talks from the get-go, speaking with Scuderia team boss Fred Vasseur.

He revealed Ferrari also sent a list of guarantees they wanted, but that was what Komatsu always intended to do.

“In terms of talks, finalising the order, agreement, to be honest it was relatively straight-forward,” he said. “We’ve been working with Ferrari since day one so we understand each other very well.

“Also I’ve been talking with Fred [Vasseur] from the very early stages on this idea of the collaboration because the Ferrari/Haas relationship is the foundation.

“So I went in completely with the mindset that they need to understand that one. If there’s any, let’s say, threat that this Toyota/Haas alliance will be a threat to them that’s not going to work. So I made sure that was not the case.

“Then I think honestly the key is being transparent and clear in terms of engagement, in terms of parameters from day one so that all parties are involved.

“And then of course Ferrari sent us certain requirements, not requirements, but certain points where I had to guarantee them ‘look we’re continuing with this, and this, and this’. But that’s what we were going to do anyway.

“It was pretty straightforward and very collaborative from all sides.”

Haas and Dallara, what’s next for that relationship?

However, it’s not just Ferrari who Haas have a partnership with as Dallara build the team’s chassis. But while Komatsu was steadfast in saying nothing will change with Ferrari, Haas still need to determine what part Dallara will play going forward.

Asked if TGR will take over Dallara’s role, he insisted: “Dallara is our important partner, they’ve been with us since day one. They have been building our chassis since day one so that’s another key important relationship.

“In due course, we will discuss what parameters we’ll keep working with Dallara, which parameters we’ll keep working with Toyota. But we will co-exist. It’s not a case of replacing one with another.”

Haas will run the Toyota Gazoo Racing branding on the VF-24 cars starting at the next race, the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

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