27/10/2008
NEWS STORY
Toyota has dismissed claims in sections of the media that it is considering quitting F1 for Le Mans.
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport claimed that the Japanese manufacturer was seeking to return to Le Mans but couldn't justify the vast budget required for programmes.
The subsequent articles claim that sightings of Toyota-uniformed engineers at Le Mans, and a meeting between Toyota officials and American Le Mans Series organizers in Detroit indicate that the Japanese manufacturer is serious in its intentions.
However, a statement issued by Toyota this afternoon fully commits Toyota to F1 until 2012.
It reads:
"Toyota is committed to succeeding in Formula 1 for the long-term and our objective in Formula 1 is to win - we exist to win and we are committed to doing that.
However, we believe Formula 1 must remain a technological challenge; this is an important point for Toyota and provided this does not change we expect to continue in Formula 1 until at least 2012.
Toyota has never hidden its interest in considering new motorsport opportunities, including Le Mans, currently no formal plan nor decision has been made on changes or additions to the current programmes."