► GR GT and GR GT3 revealed
► A new flagship for the GR brand
► Uses a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo with hybrid power
Toyota has revealed an all-new GR GT supercar, and with it a new racer destined to compete in the GT3 series. But it’s also just penned a new partnership with the Haas F1 team for 2026, building upon its existing technical partnership. Throw in its already successful works-supported rally and hypercar programs – and Toyota Gazoo Racing is become a motorsport monolith.
There’s a new GT3 car?
Yes, Toyota has been teasing the motorsport community with an all-new supercar for a while now, but it’s just been officially unveiled. It’s a front-engined and rear-wheel drive – much like the Mercedes-AMG GT it’ll eventually race against – and in road car form it’ll use a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with hybrid power. Expect the electric motor to disappear when it transforms to a GT3, though.
Much like a more aggressive, scarier version of the roadcar, the GT3 car looks squat and low – with a huge rear wing and focus on downforce and cooling throughout. That’s no accident; Toyota says its Gazoo Racing engineers worked on the performance requirements well before the styling came into play.
Like the road car, GT3 will use a double-wishbone suspension and the front along with carbon Brembo discs – though they’ll be adjustable as in other GT3 cars.
What about the F1?
Toyota has also increased its partnership with the Moneygram Haas F1 team. The team currently has access to Toyota’s Gazoo Racing base in Cologne, but it’s also led the creation of a driver-in the loop simulator at Haas’ UK base. The partnership will grow in 2026, with the Haas team becoming TGR Haas F1 team.
For Toyota the benefits are two-fold, not only does it help Toyota develop its junior drivers, but it also widens the amount of exposure its engineers get to the breakneck development speed of F1. It’s been around 16 years since the Japanese marque officially left F1, after all – even if the 2025 car already has plenty of GR badges on it.
Expect to see a lot more GR branding from 2026, then. Is this a precursor to another F1 entry, though? It’s hard to say right now, but it’s worth knowing that Toyota’s hypercar also uses a hybrid V6 – loosely similar to the technology that’d be required under F1’s regulations. We can dream.
What’s all this about anyway?
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s move to the spotlight is all part of the Toyota corporation’s strategy to make its brand clearer and more separate. Back at the Japan Mobility Show Toyota revealed its premium Century sub-brand was becoming a standalone thing, with Lexus repositioned as a source innovation rather than all-out luxury. GR or Gazoo Racing is now the natural home for all of the groups sportier products – and now it has an even more robust motorsport program as well as a halo car to spread the word.