'Haas F1 is for sale as the partnership with Toyota makes that clear'
- Ludo van Denderen
Ralf Schumacher believes the collaboration between Toyota Gazoo Racing and Haas shows that the American Formula 1 team is for sale. The former F1 driver turned pundit does believe the deal will benefit the team.
Last week, Haas F1 and Toyota Gazoo Racing announced a technical partnership to share expertise. He believes the team's success hinges on how Toyota works with Haas. "It is important that the way engineers work has to change. In my time, engineers rotated from department to department. But in Formula 1, you need experts in every field, not people who know a little bit of everything. I do trust Toyota to do that, because the financial resources are there."
Does Haas want to sale the team?
Toyota will not make Haas its own factory team, nor will the Japanese build a power unit for the American team. Entering into an alliance on technical matters, then, is the most far-reaching cooperation the two sides could enter into. "For me, the collaboration with Toyota is a clear sign that Haas is for sale," Schumacher stated to Sport1.
Haas F1 revealed to GPblog and others last week that it will not be a title partnership, but they did not rule out Toyota Gazoo Racing being added to the name in the future. Team boss Ayao Komatsu also explained exactly what the partnership entails.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton