The Haas F1 team made waves when it signed Toyota’s new performance brand Gazoo Racing as a title sponsor this past off-season, but the program is not done signing major sponsors from Japan. Next up is a titan of its industry … or at least, a titan, according to the fictional kaiju research organization Monarch.
Yes, Godzilla is partnering with America’s other Formula 1 team for two upcoming races. The deal with long-time Godzilla studio Toho is meant to promote the upcoming film Godzilla Minus Zero, a sequel to the Oscar-winning post-World War II epic Godzilla Minus One. That movie exists in a different universe from the American Godzilla / King Kong “Monsterverse” movies produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary, meaning that the Haas deal is sponsored by just one of the two concurrent Godzilla-starring franchises being produced during our current kaiju renaissance.
The first of two races starring Mothra’s long-time situationship is this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. In a special livery for the race, everyone’s favorite nuclear-powered reptile can be seen blowing atomic breath from the engine cover and toward the sidepod. The collaboration will continue at the United States Grand Prix near Austin in October, just before the U.S. premiere of Minus Zero.
Haas F1 has started the 2026 Formula 1 season strong, sitting a healthy fourth in the championship standings after scoring points in both of the season’s opening races. The team is likely to fall behind at least Red Bull Racing as the year continues, but the hot start already makes this one of the most successful years in the team’s history. It seems Godzilla has played a part in the team’s success.
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Fred Smith’s love of cars comes from his fascination with auto racing. Unfortunately, that passion led him to daily drive a high-mileage, first-year Porsche Panamera. He is still thinking about the last lap of the 2011 Indianapolis 500.