Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu is now again out to deny that the Formula 1 team is for sale. Not even if the new partner Toyota were to be interested.
Team manager for the Formula 1 team Haas, Ayao Komatsu, now once again rejects a rumor about a possible sale of the sport's youngest team.
During the Mexican Grand Prix, Komatsu was asked if Toyota, Haas' new technical partner, would have the right of first refusal if owner Gene Haas decided to sell. The speculation has arisen after Haas announced in June a downsizing of its NASCAR team, Stewart-Haas Racing.
– Gene (Haas, ed.) has no intention of selling the team. Every time we talk, he asks me, 'How can we improve? What can we do to make the car go faster?' He is not interested in selling.
– He has had many offers, but has rejected them all. The team is not for sale, says the team manager according to ABC News .
Haas has previously rejected a purchase offer from Michael Andretti. And Komatsu maintains that the team will remain in Formula 1, even if it is among the least competitive. The team is currently placed 6 out of 10 in the constructors' championship.
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Back in October, Toyota announced the brand's comeback to Formula 1 as Haas' technical partner. Toyota's logo already graced the Haas cars at the US Grand Prix in Austin, and Toyota's motorsports division will provide design, engineering and manufacturing services to the American team.
However, this does not mean a comeback for Toyota's factory team, which was last part of the Formula 1 field in 2009.
Haas continues to race under its own name, and Toyota does not supply engines as they did in the 2000s. Haas has a deal with Ferrari to supply engines until 2028, a deal that was extended in July.
The collaboration with Toyota is part of Haas' strategy to use external partners for tasks that other Formula 1 teams carry out in-house. Since 2016, Haas has worked closely with Ferrari and Dallara, who produce the cars' chassis. But now the latter is on its way out.
– Ferrari and Dallara have been excellent partners since day one. Ferrari supplies the engine, gearbox, suspension and hydraulics – those areas Toyota does not work with, says Komatsu.
– Toyota focuses on the areas where we do not get support from Ferrari and which we have so far handled ourselves. It increases our capacity and allows us to understand the car better so that we can become more competitive.
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