Super Formula champion Tsuboi targets F1 test “dream” thanks to Haas’ Toyota links

Reigning Super Formula champion Sho Tsuboi hopes Toyota’s partnership with the Haas Formula 1 team could result in an opportunity to fulfil a long-held dream of testing grand prix machinery.

Tsuboi has been tipped as a likely candidate to get mileage as part of Haas’s TPC programme with previous-generation F1 cars off the back of his maiden Super Formula title last year.

That success came in his first year in the single-seater series with Toyota’s flagship TOM’S team, with which he also earned his third SUPER GT title to cement his reputation as the top driver on the Japanese auto giant’s domestic roster.

The alliance between Toyota and Haas, which began last year, has already resulted in Ryo Hirakawa becoming the American squad’s official reserve driver and taking part in two free practice sessions on grand prix weekends, with a further two outings to come.

Speaking about his future goals after recently celebrating his 30th birthday, Tsuboi said his Super Formula title triumph has allowed him to consider the chance to test an F1 car as a realistic possibility for the first time.

“Before I won the Super Formula title, I wasn’t really thinking about anything beyond that as I didn’t think I’d have other options as long as I didn’t win it,” Tsuboi told Autosport.

“But getting the double title means I’ve won everything I can in Japanese racing and I can start to consider more possibilities.

“Lately Toyota has entered into a partnership with Haas in F1, and it seems the environment is starting to take shape where I could have the chance to drive an F1 car and take part in some testing.

“Becoming an F1 driver has been my dream since I was a kid, so I definitely want to drive an F1 car at least once.”

Tsuboi’s predecessor as Super Formula champion, now-Formula 2 racer Ritomo Miyata, was handed the chance to test an F1 car for the first time at Jerez with Haas in January.

More recently, Toyota World Endurance Championship driver/team principal Kamui Kobayashi drove the VF-23 for two days at Paul Ricard to gain a better understanding of contemporary F1 machinery as he begins taking a more active role in coaching Toyota’s young drivers.

“Of course, my dream was always to succeed as an F1 driver,” added Tsuboi. “Winning the double title means it was a year that I took a step towards that goal.

“Until that point, it really felt just like a pipe dream, something that I would never be able to grasp, and that I just had to focus on the thing that was right in front of me. That meant my only goal was becoming Super Formula champion.

“Winning the championship allowed me to have a new goal beyond that, and the idea of having a chance in F1 as part of Toyota has become a big motivation for me, so I would like to aim for that.”