F1 team to run epic 'Godzilla' livery at Japanese Grand Prix

Ollie Bearman faces down Godzilla — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team to run epic 'Godzilla' livery at Japanese Grand Prix

Haas have changed up their car design for Japan

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 19 March 2026 09:55

An F1 team have announced a livery change for the Japanese Grand Prix, after a new partnership with the home of Godzilla was revealed.

The third round of the 2026 F1 season takes place later in March, with the Japanese GP taking centre stage at the Suzuka International Circuit.

One team hoping to impress in Japan due to their Toyota partnership will be Haas, who have had a brilliant start to the 2026 season amid the regulation changes.

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Haas are currently sat up in fourth in the constructors' championship, ahead of Red Bull, after the first two grands prix weekends of the season have yielded two top-10 finishes for Ollie Bearman.

The young Brit is currently above both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship after a fifth-place finish in China backed up his seventh-place finish in Australia.

He will head to Japan next weekend full of confidence, and with a brand new livery.

Haas have announced a new season-long partnership with TOHO, the iconic Japanese entertainment studio and home of the Godzilla franchise. Ahead of the release of Godzilla Minus Zero in November, Haas will run a number of different liveries featuring TOHO branding throughout the year.

The first of those will come at the Japanese GP, with the unveiling of a special edition car livery for the race taking place in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, on March 24.

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Ocon struggles at Haas

In stark contrast to his young team-mate Bearman, Esteban Ocon has failed to capitalise on two weekends in which Haas have looked to have a fast car.

Ocon is yet to score a point in the 2026 F1 season, and fell to a dismal 14th in China, despite the fact only 15 cars finished the race.

This poor start to the season has come following a 2025 season in which he finished behind his rookie team-mate in the drivers' championship in his first season since leaving Alpine for Haas.

Ocon's team boss Ayao Komatsu said ahead of the 2026 season that 'nobody is satisfied' by Ocon's 2025 performance, and that he needed to improve in 2026, with his contract with the team currently set to expire at the end of the year.

Time will tell as to whether Ocon can compete up against Bearman as the season progresses, with it set to be a big season for both drivers' futures.

F1 Haas Japanese Grand Prix Ayao Komatsu