Japanese firm Buzz Asset Management Ltd has entered F1 after signing a sponsorship deal with Toro Rosso from 2019 onward.
The financial management company, founded by Daisuke Hasegawa, has made a rapid rise after only starting its operations in 2017. The company is heavily involved in motor racing activities which started with a partnership with Carlin in Macau GP.
The association with the British team increased since then, as they were announced as the outfit’s title sponsor from 2019 onward, with the team renamed as ‘Carlin Buzz Racing’ to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
The team fields Honda junior Teppei Natori, which the company supports, while it also has ties with the other Honda junior Nobuharu Matsushita, who will make his FIA Formula 2 Championship return in 2019 with Carlin.
With its presence already set in the junior championships, the firm has taken a big step towards F1 where they have tied up with Toro Rosso – the association which started in Australian GP, with the logos of company present on the nosecone of the STR14.
“When I was racing, I had many companies and people who supported my career,” started Hasegawa. “I made sure that when I established the company this philosophy of supporting young people continued and became a mission of ours.
“I admire what Honda is doing with their young driver programme so wanted to help support their drivers. We have drivers in F3 and F2 with Carlin Racing, so Formula 1 was the next logical step.
“Apart from the fact that Scuderia Toro Rosso uses Honda Power Units, it also shares a common belief in promoting young talent and so it seems very obvious and natural for us to sponsor the team.”
Franz Tost added: I would like to extend a warm welcome to Buzz Asset Management Ltd. We were very keen on finalizing an agreement with such a special company which, sharing similarities with our Red Bull philosophy, supports young talent as much as we do.
“We’re really looking forward to working closely with them in the future. It’s also very good news to have another Japanese brand investing in the team and it’s a clear demonstration of Toro Rosso’s growing popularity in Asia.
“I would also like to extend my gratitude to our friends at Honda for their support in making this deal happen.” The increasing ties may result in Honda-backed drivers getting a nod to test or even race with the Red Bull/Toro Rosso F1 teams.