Neither I, nor pitpass.com, will let the Ferrari/Toyota story disappear. Things will surely go quiet for a while because that is the way with ongoing investigations by police forces in democracies, but we will continue to gnaw away at the story.

You may have missed the fact that Mr Fujio Cho, President of the Toyota Motor Corporation has just made a public apology. A Toyota employee in Japan sat on the committee for a national examination for motor mechanics. Thirty eight of the 50 multiple choice questions selected for this year's exam were posted on a website together with 99 other 'practice' questions. The 38 forthcoming questions were marked with an asterisk to be given special attention.

Of the 7,317 people who took the exam early in December, about 3,400 were employed by Toyota dealerships. Of the 308 Toyota car dealerships in Japan, about 240 accessed the site which ran for several weeks from 7th November. The website was removed shortly before the exam. Two Toyota employees have admitted posting the questions, but have offered no explanation for their action.

The member of the committee who had access to the 38 questions claims that he e.mailed them to his superior to ask for his opinion of their suitability. His superior headed a department dealing with the education of technical personnel. It is a story to bear in mind when considering the Ferrari-Toyota furore.

Most correspondents to my mailbox reckon that the worst that will happen to Toyota is that eventually they will be stripped of World Championship points. I agree with that view, since when have the principles of sporting behaviour had any bearing on the decisions which govern our sport?

Formula One cannot afford to lose another team, any team, let alone a major manufacturer. I am not aware that either Bernie or Max has commented on the affair, but there is no need for them to comment. If charges are brought, it will take ages for the case to come to court, even in Modena with Ferrari, apparently, being the injured party. The more complicated the case, the longer it takes to prepare.

Stripping Toyota of points will mean that they will have to refund TV revenues, which will then be shared around the other teams. For a team as well-funded as Toyota, it will mean nothing. For some teams it will mean a very welcome bonus. Follow the money, always follow the money.

If Toyota is stripped of points for 2003, it will barely merit a paragraph in most of the press. In Formula One, memory rarely extends further back than yesterday's breakfast.

Many correspondents have congratulated pitpass.com because we have kept on the story. They have commented on the way it has disappeared from most of the motor racing media. Since when have motor magazines ever undertaken investigative journalism? How much does Toyota spend on advertising and who gets the benefit? Follow the money, always follow the money.

One presumes that the Modena prosecutor was alerted by Ferrari. If any individual is charged with industrial espionage, the maximum penalty is two years in prison. This suggests that it is not high up the list of serious crimes. The entire population of Modena would probably like to march on Toyota, bearing flaming torches, but in realistic terms, Ferrari would have to bring a civil action against Toyota if the full extent of the scandal is to be exposed.

The fact that it is in the hands of a public prosecutor, suggests that this will not happen. We must remember as well that Ferrari is owned by Fiat, which is having a rough ride, while Toyota continues ever to grow, I am sure that Fiat would be prepared to settle with Toyota privately, while Ferrari knows that Formula One would be damaged if Toyota was excluded from the World Championship.

Follow the money, always follow the money.