Even fans assumed that Toyota drivers had no shot at F1, until a recent announcement squashed any such concerns. What were Akio's thoughts?
From Akio leaving F1 to Morizo backing Hirakawa
Having set the scene, let’s now turn to the comments made by Akio Toyoda, aka Morizo, at Suzuka.
As someone who calls himself “the one who quit F1,” why did Akio back Hirakawa’s bid? And what was he doing at an F1 event?
Akio
As president of the company, I was the one who quit F1. Since then, I have been involved in racing in various ways, and although none of the drivers say as much to me, I always sensed their desire to be called the best in the world, to drive the fastest cars in the world, and to develop themselves through that experience.
Unfortunately, I felt that I couldn’t (help fulfill their ambitions). Then, this opportunity (McLaren’s offer to Hirakawa) came up.
I realized that drivers need a chance to develop together with their cars, and we need to create those chances for them. More than the Toyota chairman, this felt like a role for Morizo.
That’s why when I expressed my gratitude to the McLaren team, I did so as Morizo, as one of Hirakawa’s supporters at the announcement.
To thank McLaren and cheer on Hirakawa, I cast myself as Morizo, not Chairman Akio Toyoda.
In his comments, there was a clear distinction between Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda and Morizo, the driver.
Akio often talks about putting “drivers first.” In motorsport, this means aiming to create driver-friendly cars, as opposed to “engineer-first” vehicles that merely show off Toyota’s technological prowess. It is about engineers listening to driver feedback and making cars easier to drive.
This mindset stems from the fact that Akio is himself a driver, and its widespread acceptance has paved the way for other drivers to head both the WRC and WEC teams (Jari-Matti Latvala and Kamui Kobayashi).
Professional drivers are also involved from the early stages of development for production cars such as the GR Yaris, transforming Toyota’s product output in the process.
Morizo backs Hirakawa “as a driver himself”
In comments included in the McLaren press release, Hirakawa expressed his appreciation for Morizo, “who has supported me … as a driver himself.”
Ryo Hirakawa’s comments (from McLaren F1 team press release)
What kind of support did Morizo provide as a fellow driver? He offered reporters the following response:
Morizo (Akio Toyoda)
Without a doubt, individual drivers have their own dreams of racing in the world’s fastest cars. I think the drivers in our development program felt they could not fulfill this dream at Toyota.
They certainly never voice these thoughts. As a driver myself, even though no one ever mentions it when I speak with other drivers, I could sense these reservations between us.
As such thoughts troubled me, we received a welcome offer from McLaren, and that’s how this came about.
Of the drivers in Toyota’s development program, they observed Hirakawa and selected him as a reserve based on various evaluations, also considering that he is a Le Mans winner.
I felt we couldn’t let this chance slip away, and since Hirakawa himself was determined to drive such cars, I agreed to back him.
