What if Toyota’s return in 2014, via Lexus, wasn’t an April Fool’s joke?

While rumors of Honda’s return as McLaren’s engine supplier in 2015 were spreading, the website Clublexus.com, claimed on April 1st that Toyota was planning to do the same under the name Lexus in order to promote its luxury division.

Based on a confidential source, a member of the community of its website, Clublexus.com, particularly relied on statements from Kiyotaka Ise, one of the members of Toyota’s management, who, when questioned by Nikkei.com at the end of 2012, did not formally rule out the possibility of a return to the premier category of motorsports: « First, we need to better promote our hybrid vehicles through endurance racing and gather more technological expertise. […] We withdrew from Formula 1 in 2009 and needed to clearly define our approach to motorsports, and we decided to focus on hybrid vehicles. » In other words, if the Japanese manufacturer were to excel in the World Endurance Championship, the possibility of a return to Formula 1 would not be completely excluded, especially as it will incorporate more hybrid technologies in the coming years.

However, while the publication date of the article on Clublexus.com might suggest an April Fool’s joke, Gian Carlo Minardi confirms this information, giving us food for thought: « According to the information I have from Germany, Toyota already has a Turbo V6 ready for Formula 1 to participate in the 2014 World Championship as a supplier, » the founder of the famous Minardi team tells the Italian site Omnicorse.it. « The Japanese firm will return to promote the Lexus brand. The engine will have been designed and built at the Cologne factory and therefore will not be made in Japan. »

For the record, in 2009, Toyota announced its departure from the discipline after making colossal investments for results far below expectations. A few months later, Tadashi Yamashina, one of its many executive directors, stated that they wouldn’t be returning anytime soon: « The position of President Toyoda on motorsports is more customer-oriented. There is a gap between Formula 1 and the current Toyota users, » he admitted, describing Formula 1 as an « elitist » sport.

However, promoting Lexus, which has taken an increasingly sporty direction in recent years, would not be incompatible with Formula 1 and would even allow the Japanese brand to compete with Infiniti, one of its direct competitors in the sector. The subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan group has indeed increased its visibility in Formula 1 in recent years, further strengthening its partnership this year with the Red Bull team, where its logos are now more visible than those of Renault.

Remains to be seen who the potential clients of a Lexus engine would be, as the construction of the turbo V6 represents a cost that manufacturers currently involved in Formula 1 seek to amortize by offering their engines to as many teams as possible. Clublexus.com mentioned the name Williams, whose supply contract with Renault ends this season, though there are options for 2014. The British team, which previously collaborated with Toyota from 2007 to 2009, could thus be a choice partner for Toyota/Lexus, assuming the Japanese manufacturer’s projects come to fruition in the long or short term. A possible return of Toyota, via Lexus, could also foresee the return of Kamui Kobayashi, who made a notable debut at the wheel of a Japanese single-seater before finding refuge at Sauber, where, due to lack of means, he was sidelined at the end of last season.

Correspondent for the Swiss newspaper Blick, Roger Benoit also echoes the rumors: « Yes, even Toyota is contemplating a return. The Japanese have Williams as their target, and they could enable the Japanese favorite, Kamui Kobayashi, to get back behind the wheel. »