Super Formula driver Sho Tsuboi believes he is close to achieving his lifelong dream of testing a Formula 1 car.
Tsuboi is the reigning Super Formula champion who races for Toyota. Apart from winning the Japanese race series title, he also won his third SUPER GT title for the Japanese automaker.
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Given his success on Toyota’s roster, Tsuboi hopes for a potential test with Haas F1’s older cars.
F1 features a Testing Previous Cars program, which allows teams to give drivers the opportunity to run in older machinery to assess their ability to drive the machinery.
Toyota and Haas formed a partnership last year. The team features Toyota Racing logos on their cars as a sponsorship. Toyota also lends its facilities for car testing, giving Haas infrastructure and money in its racing pursuits.
In return, Haas grants several Toyota-affiliated drivers tests with its cars. Ryo Hirakawa is one of the drivers who was given opportunities with Haas.
He is the team’s reserve driver for this season and has already gotten two free practice runs.
In an interview with Autosport, Tsuboi explained why he believes an F1 test is in his future.
“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 is riding a wave of belief after capturing the Japanese racing double. His hopes of one day racing in F1 went up after his success this past season, along with Toyota’s resurgence in F1.
“Of course, my dream was always to succeed as an F1 driver,” Tsuboi added.
“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.”
While a full-time drive may never come to fruition, Tsuboi should get a chance to drive an F1 soon, and it will come well-deserved, given his racing success.
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