The Fast Lane

Last season was dismal to say the least for Toyota Formula One.  The team reportedly has the biggest budget of all Formula One teams but the best they can get last year was a sixth place finish from both drivers. Of the said two drivers, only one remains and that is Italian Jarno Trulli.  Ralf Schumacher left the team after the Brazilian GP.

This year, Timo Glock will be driving for Toyota replacing his compatriot.  And the team's test driver would be Kamui Kobayashi.  All of them are eager to have a good year for Toyota.

Toyota Formula One chairman Tadashi Yamashina said:  "Our target is improvement. We were not happy with last year.  We expect to have a competitive car so our drivers should aim to finish in the points and challenge for the podium."  Last year, they weren't even close to finishing in the top three.

Trulli meanwhile had this to say:  "My hopes are always high because normally I am very positive.  The team has got the potential, the resources, the people and everything necessary to bounce back to the position where we belong. I believe we can produce a good car for next year."

"We work strongly as a team and we are pulling together to help move forward after the problems we had in 2007.  Obviously, it was a difficult season in terms of results and performance but we are all committed to making a significant improvement," he added.

Glock, former test driver for BMW-Sauber, have been signed by Toyota to a contract and will be racing for the Japanese outfit this year. The German driver had this to say:  "Even though I have not raced in F1 since 2004, I have tested quite regularly so I expect it will take very little time for me to get back in the groove.  I have been lucky enough to race and succeed in several different championships in my career but my goal has always been to become a full-time F1 driver."