Former F1 team set to return to the sport in shock move

A former F1 team has agreed to make its return to sport - 15 years after pulling out.

There have been 10 teams on the F1 grid since 2015, when Caterham withdrew due to financial difficulties and were replaced by Manor.

Haas then took Manor's place for the following season, with the same 10 teams remaining in the sport ever since.

With F1 growing significantly in popularity over recent years, the cost of entering F1 as a new team has become much higher.

That has meant the easiest way to enter F1 is to effectively purchase an existing team - as Audi have done with the current Sauber team for 2026.

Now, a second car manufacturer has announced that they will be coming back to the sport - Toyota.

Toyota originally entered F1 in 2002, with the Japanese firm investing heavy sums to give the team the best opportunity of competing at the front of the grid.

That never quite happened on the whole, although they were competitive in 2005 and recorded several podiums in 2008 and 2009 when Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock raced for the team.

But the team's pulled out of F1 in November 2009, due to financial losses by the team's parent company.

They have now announced their long-awaited return, although will not be part of the grid as a standalone works team.

Instead, they have signed a multi-year technical partnership with the Haas team.

Haas will work with Toyota's motorsport division, Toyota Gazoo Racing, which has achieved major success in endurance racing since the F1 withdrawal.

Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are Haas's current drivers - Getty

It is said that the teams will 'share expertise and knowledge, as well as resources', and that Haas's current partnership with Ferrari will be maintained.

Toyota Gazoo branding will also feature on Haas cars starting from the United States Grand Prix.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said in a statement: "To have a world leader in the automotive sector support and work alongside our organisation, while seeking to develop and accelerate their own technical and engineering expertise - it's simply a partnership with obvious benefits on both sides.

"The ability to tap into the resources and knowledge base available at Toyota Gazoo Racing, while benefitting from their technical and manufacturing processes, will be instrumental in our own development and our clear desire to further increase our competitiveness in Formula 1."