Forumla 1 racing team Haas and Japanese entertainment giant Toho have entered a brand-new partnership with one monster at the heart of it all: Godzilla. It’s going to be a season-long kaiju-sized celebration as Haas and Toho bring the ‘King of the Monsters’ to the world of motorsport in a variety of ways.
First up, Haas is running a special Godzilla-themed livery for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. No better place to kick off the festivities than Goji’s homeland, after all.
Check out the detail on the engine cover of the VF-26: It’s Godzilla himself letting loose his signature Atomic Breath. The red/white/black color scheme that Haas has adopted following its partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing pairs really nicely with the overall design, too.
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Toho and Haas have promised that their partnership will continue through other events on the race calendar in the form of “integrated branding, digital content, limited-edition merchandise, and race-weekend activations designed to engage fans.” Observant readers might have noticed the Godzilla/Haas design worn by drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon in promotional pictures—most likely a taste of what fans can expect for merch soon.
The team highlights the United States Grand Prix on October 23 to 25 as the next big stage for celebrating Godzilla. Haas and Toho highlight that it’s both the American team’s home race, apart from being just a few days out from the US premiere of the franchise’s next feature film Godzilla Minus Zero.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu applauds the collaboration as a great opportunity to bring racing and culture together and showcase it to new audiences: “It’s an honor to bring a global icon such as Godzilla to this sport and activate across an important year for the franchise. We want our fanbases to combine and celebrate with us, as there will be lots to engage with this season.”
Personally, as a fan of giant monsters and oddball midfield teams, I am fully hyped for this collab, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on the merch and events. The Japanese Grand Prix takes place this weekend, March 27 to 29, at Suzuka Circuit.
More photos of the Haas x Godzilla VF-26 livery:
