Toyota's team boss has indicated the Japanese manufacturer might decide to pull out of Formula One.
Amid rumours about the Toyota Motor Corporation's wavering commitment to the sport because of its serious financial losses, Tadashi Yamashina said the cost of competing in F1 is an issue.
"We need to turn it into an F1 where you don't need so much money," he said at a news conference in Tokyo, according to the Yomiuri newspaper.
Toyota's team president John Howett has been at the forefront of the Formula One Teams' Association efforts to cut costs, but the Briton was also one of the leading protagonists of the argument against FIA President Max Mosley's budget cap.
"We'll have to consider various issues while bearing in mind our ties with the main company," Yamashina continued. "We will participate for now - we have to consider a variety of things in relation to our core business. Our participation is unclear, depending on our financial results.
"
Cologne-based Toyota has signed the new Concorde Agreement, which binds teams to F1 until the end of 2012, but the team's 2010 budget has not yet been approved by the carmaker's executive committee. It is said that this can be done at a November 15 meeting at the earliest, after the current Formula One season has concluded.
After 14 out 17 races, Toyota reached the podium on three occasions, including Timo Glock's second-place finish in Singapore last weekend. The team's objective this season is to record its maiden F1 victory.
Jarno Trulli's contract negotiations have apparently stalled due to the pending budget questions, and Glock was recently told he is free to look for opportunities elsewhere.
D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM
Read Article