Toyota predict long, bright future in F1

After a winter when Toyota were surrounded by speculation that they could follow Japanese rivals Honda out of the sport, Howett has long insisted that there are no immediate doubts about their participation.

Speaking at the launch of the team's new TF109 on Thursday, Howett went even further and reckoned that Toyota's longer term future was assured providing F1's core attractions remained in place.

"Commercially this team has a very strong future," said Howett. "The key issue is whether Formula One continues to deliver the value and return on investment that Toyota expects. If it remains the pinnacle of motorsport and a genuine technological challenge, then I can see a long and bright future for the team.

"If the sport is dumbed down too much, or too many standard components are forced into the system, Formula One could become just another racing series. That would leave it as only a sponsorship opportunity and I believe interest would drop rapidly.

"But FOTA (the Formula One Teams' Association) has achieved significant cost reductions while retaining the DNA of Formula One and this is extremely beneficial in the current economic climate."

Toyota's team principal Tadashi Yamashina says he has never felt anything other than full support for his team from their bosses in Japan.

"The top management at Toyota Motor Corporation has encouraged us never to give up, so always we will fight to win," he said. "Even in this current economic climate, TMC is very supportive of our team and everyone there follows our results closely.

"We receive many messages of support from Toyota employees and Toyota fans around the world and this motivates us to push as hard as possible to succeed. It provides positive pressure and we like that."

Although Toyota's parent company is bracing itself for the first losses in its history, Howett thinks that the expenditure in F1 does provide hidden benefits in growing the car manufacturer's brand around the world during these difficult economic times.

"The global economy affects everyone," he said. "Most sports will be affected in some form; that is inevitable when you have a global economic trend such as this. However, I believe Formula One is in a strong position because of its global reach.

"If a sport is focused on a very narrow geographical area, it will be very vulnerable in this climate but different regions are affected in different ways and to different extents so both Toyota and Formula One are, in my opinion, relatively less exposed to the risk. In fact, there is no reason why we should not consolidate or even continue to grow the popularity of Formula One in the coming years."