Toyota returns to Formula 1 in technical partnership with the US-based Haas team

TOKYO — Toyota is returning to Formula 1 after 15 years as the Japanese automaker becomes a ''technical partner'' of American racing team Haas.

There will be Toyota branding on the Haas cars starting from next week's United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, and the auto giant's racing division will provide ''design, technical and manufacturing services'' to the North Carolina-based team.

This doesn't mean a return of the Toyota works team which raced in F1 for eight seasons until 2009, however.

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, speaking Friday, suggested he had second thoughts about pulling out of F1. But not for obvious reasons.

''I think that, somewhere deep in his heart, that ordinary older car-loving guy Akio Toyoda had always regretted having blocked — by pulling out of F1 — Japanese youths' path toward driving the world's fastest cars,'' he said.

And then he added: ''That said, with the media watching my every step, I dare to add that I still believe my decision as the president of Toyota to withdraw from F1 was not wrong.''

Haas will still race under its own name and Toyota isn't going to be supplying engines like it did for other teams in the 2000s.

The deal extends Haas' strategy of relying on outside partners for much of the work that other F1 teams do in-house. Since its 2016 debut, the U.S. team has worked closely with Ferrari — even basing its design office in Ferrari's hometown of Maranello, Italy — and relies on Italian race-car builder Dallara to construct its cars.

Haas is clear it isn't trying to replace Ferrari with Toyota. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said he talked with his Ferrari counterpart Fred Vasseur ''from the very early stages of this idea of collaboration'' with Toyota.

Toyota is looking to develop future F1 drivers, though Haas doesn't have a spare seat for next year.

The head of Toyota's Gazoo racing division, Tomoya Takahashi, said in a statement Friday that Toyota would aim to ''cultivate drivers, engineers, and mechanics'' in its partnership with Haas. The team has already signed Ferrari reserve Oliver Bearman and the experienced Esteban Ocon, who's currently at Alpine, as its drivers for 2025.

''Some might jump to the conclusion: Toyota is back in F1. But that's not the case,'' Takahashi said. ''Through this partnership we believe it would be fantastic if we could develop drivers who can secure regular seats in F1 in the future.''

Toyota spent lavishly when it joined F1 in 2002 as it attempted to build a title-winning team, but never won a race despite several near-misses.

Toyota made a sudden announcement at the end of the 2009 season that it was leaving F1 as part of a cost-cutting program even though it had almost finished designing its car for the following season.

Since then, Toyota has focused on other forms of auto racing like NASCAR, the Le Mans 24-hour race — where it has a rivalry with Ferrari — and rallying.

The Toyota-Haas F1 announcement Friday came just over a week after the company was among three big Japanese firms which pulled sponsorship money out of the Olympics.

Haas is seventh of 10 teams in this year's F1 constructors' championship standings.

Ellingworth reported from Duesseldorf, Germany. Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed.

___