Haas and Toyota used their collaboration to stage one other Testing of Earlier Vehicles (TPC) occasion, this time on the Fuji Speedway in Japan the place two drivers received behind the wheel
The reigning champion within the Japanese Tremendous System collection has taken half in an “audition” check in a System 1 automobile. The check, held at Fuji Speedway in Japan this week, noticed two drivers from the Asian nation drive the Haas VF-23 which raced within the 2023 F1 World Championship.
Such Testing of Earlier Vehicles (TPC) periods have been made doable by the group’s partnership with Toyota, formalised final yr. The Japanese carmaker, by means of its Gazoo Racing arm, helps Haas with technical sources and, in return, its workers get expertise of the head of motorsport.
And that features alternatives for the drivers it employs in different disciplines. Ryo Hirakawa is one such driver who has benefitted from that partnership and is reserve driver for the group, having additionally pushed free follow periods for a number of outfits on the F1 grid.
Hirakawa, 31, a double World Endurance Championship title-winner, was a type of two drivers who received behind the wheel in Fuji. He drove on Tuesday, in entrance of a crowd invited to the circuit to observe the observe motion.
For the second of the 2 days of working, there was a debutant within the cockpit. Sho Tsuboi, 30, who gained the Tremendous System title final yr and likewise races GT automobiles, received his first expertise of F1 equipment.
Based on Masaya Kaji, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s director of worldwide motorsport, the check was not only a prize for Tsuboi’s Tremendous System success. “What occurs subsequent relies upon completely on Tsuboi’s efficiency and his communication with the group,” he stated.
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“That is an audition or a variety check, not simply due to his expertise. We need to assess his actual efficiency. He has to work laborious and talk in English. The objective is to evaluate his potential. Tsuboi has nice potential, but it surely’s not simply his outcomes. The check just isn’t a reward for changing into Tremendous System champion.
“These TPC exams are a part of our individuals efforts, as we’ll give attention to human useful resource growth. I consider that Sho, a former Tremendous System champion, won’t solely contribute to the event of his abilities, however can even present nice motivation for the opposite TGR drivers.
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“As well as, mechanics and engineers from Toyota Motor Company can be current, making this a useful alternative for them as properly . Experiencing first-hand the applied sciences and abilities required on the world’s highest stage, F1, will definitely be an essential expertise for his or her development.”
Hirakawa and Tsuboi usually are not the primary Toyota drivers to be given the prospect to check fashionable F1 equipment in current months. Haas additionally ran former F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi, who now races within the World Endurance Championship, and System 2 star Ritomo Miyata in the identical automobile at different TPC outings, giving Toyota useful information to check Tsuboi’s efficiency.
No matter how properly he did, it’s not going to be a route onto the 2026 F1 grid. Haas have already got Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman tied right down to contracts for subsequent season, although the latter stays a Ferrari junior driver and the American group might need to swiftly discover a alternative ought to the Brit be referred to as up by the Scuderia in some unspecified time in the future.
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