F1 Drivers Are In Love With Toyota's New Supercar
A pair of mysterious prototypes from Toyota stole the show at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Key Points
- Toyota debuted a pair of high-performance prototypes at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed—a road-going Lexus supercar and a GT3-spec race car—hinting at the brand's next flagship performance vehicle.
- Formula 1 drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman test-drove both cars at Goodwood, calling them “incredibly fast” and “amazing in their own right,” further fueling speculation about the cars’ capabilities and future roles.
- Toyota's technical partnership with the Haas F1 team suggests deeper motorsport involvement, with both vehicles rumored to share a twin-turbo V8—possibly signaling a return to form for Lexus performance.
With Haas F1 drivers Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman behind the wheel, Toyota’s secretive new sports car program roared into full public view. Unfortunately, Toyota still isn't ready to talk about the rapidly developing program.
Social media lit up as images and videos of the road car and race car twins tore up the Goodwood hill. The road car is expected to arrive as a production supercar wearing the Lexus badge, it will likely be called the LFR. The other is a GT3-spec race car developed by Toyota’s motorsports arm, Gazoo Racing which should replace the aging Lexus RC-F GT3.
What we do know —almost for certain—is the possibility of both cars sharing a twin-turbocharged V8. Rumors suggest the Lexus road car could produce up to 900 horsepower, while the GT3 car won't make as much as it complies with FIA regulations that cap output.
F1 drivers Ocon and Bearman offered rare dynamic feedback of the cars during the Goodwood festivities. Ocon, who drove the street car during his run, spoke to Motorsport.com and praised it as “incredibly fast, incredibly capable,” adding that it was fantastic to drive. "A big thank you to Toyota for trusting us driving these beasts today."
In 2024, Haas F1 entered a technical partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing, making Toyota an official development collaborator on the F1 team’s engineering and aerodynamic programs. While Haas remains a Ferrari-powered outfit through 2028, the relationship with GR gives Toyota a rare foothold in Formula 1 and could preview further motorsport involvement, especially with F1 firmly in its hybrid era.
The GT3-spec car is expected to join the FIA World Endurance Championship grid starting next season, but the road version’s future is less clear. If it’s indeed a Lexus LFR, it would become the brand’s spiritual successor to the LFA. Of course, with the GT3 car going racing in 2026, we should see the production car very soon, as the GT3 homologation rules say the race car must be based on a road car that is available at the time of homologation.
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An experienced automotive storyteller and accomplished photographer known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge—he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR race cars, ziptied Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars back together, been over the wall during the Rolex 24, and worked in the intense world of IndyCar.
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