Toyota Has No Intention of Returning to Formula 1

After dropping out of Formula 1 last year, Toyota has no intention of returning to the sport because it considers it out of touch with the automaker’s customer base, says the head of Toyota’s global racing program.

According to the Automotive News, the new priority for the company is racing that allows closer connection with the fans, like NASCAR or the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race. That’s what senior managing director Tadashi Yamashina said last weekend during the world’s toughest endurance race, where Toyota entered a Lexus LF-A.

The racing philosophy change was introduced by Akio Toyoda last June, when he became president. The financial crisis rushed things and Toyota withdrew from F1 in order to cut costs.

“It might not have been so abrupt, but it would have happened. President Toyoda’s stance on motorsports is geared more toward the customer. There is a big gap between Formula One and Toyota’s actual car users,” Yamashina was quoted as saying by the Automotive News.

Although Formula One remains the pinnacle of auto racing, its image has become too “elitist,” according to Yamashina.

Races such as the Nurburgring 24 Hours have the advantage of letting fans get into the pitlane and see the cars and drivers up close. Spectators feel a part of the event and can have much more fun. But in Formula 1, average fans cannot dream of walking into the paddock at a Grand Prix, Yamashina believes.

“For the fortunate few who can afford to do that, it’s fine. I think the best kind of races are those in which people can get in close to the race,” the Toyota official said.