Outside Line: Haas to become Toyota? If not what's the end game?

The deal includes sharing technological resources with Haas, of which, of course, Toyota has probably the deepest pockets in the world of motoring. They are also no strangers to being burnt by Formula 1.

They had a foray that lasted nearly a decade, from 2002 until the end of 2009, but will be remembered for spending far too much money for too few results, as F1 stats show Toyota didn't fare very well.

It was known at the time that Toyota was spending huge amounts of money, more so than big boys such as Ferrari and McLaren, who ruled the roost at the time. There were also some questionable decisions, including the drivers. Far too much money was spent on far too ordinary drivers at the time.

When they hired Ralf Schumacher, he became the second-highest-paid F1 driver on the grid; only brother Michael earned more and was F1's biggest earner at the time. But Ralph did not deserve that kind of cash for what he brought to the party, as records show.

Overpaying good drivers but not great drivers is probably what cost the most team serious about chasing the big prize. History shows that the driver has to be of great quality and without disrespecting the ten that were hired by Toyota; they simply were not on the Schumacher level.

Few could. You need world champions to make world champions, and Toyota didn't have the first essentials.

Now, 15 years later, Toyota is back, but what is their end game with Haas? A return to F1? How can it not be a toe in the water? It can't just be a branding exercise, as it would have been Toyota Yaris or whatever car they wanted to flog.

It's Toyota Gazoo Racing. Toyota's state-of-the-art racing operations, with a huge pedigree in Le Mans with a roster of fine drivers. Will Gazoo stickers on Haas sell more Toyotas? I think not.

Hence, despite the denials, I think that this is a fact-finding mission for the Japanese automaker. It makes sense to use Haas, a customer team a little down on its luck, especially during the ineffective Guenther Steiner time as team principal, when things like this should have happened a long time ago.

But Steiner was too busy promoting his image at the expense of the team while keeping the F1 team afloat as owner Gene Haas lost interest in never winning or being able to win.

Now that Ayao Komatsu is the Haas team boss and no longer in the shadows of the Steiner cloud, he has shown what he can do. Not only is the team better, but there is also new energy under his leadership. And, of course, the Japanese connection would have helped with this deal.

All this will make Nico Hulkenberg wonder if jumping ship to Audi was actually a good idea. While Haas newcomers, for next year, Esteban Ocon will be a beneficiary of the partnership, as will rookie Oliver Bearman - their two new drivers for the 2025 F1 season.

It is not hard to imagine the racing organisation that TGR is looking at F1 as a final challenge. With immense success in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), in the World Rally Championship, NASCAR, at the Dakar, and a myriad of other series they partake in across the globe. Many of them on a national grassroots level. The only thing missing from that portfolio is a presence in the top flight.

Their deal with Haas certainly signifies a new era for the often beleaguered American team. Money should not be an issue going forward with title sponsorship from MoneyGram and Toyota's new income.

At the same time, TGR and their technicians have a perfect window of opportunity to experience the underbelly of the sport firsthand, in a manner that few manufacturers can do unless they are deeply involved.

On the other side of the coin, of course, this is a shrewd move by Komatsu and his boss Gene Haas as it ties them in with a massive manufacturer, and from my perspective, it is only a matter of time before Haas F1 Team one day morphs into Toyota F1 Team. The fervent denials are always a giveaway.