Formula One car launches are absolute feasts when it comes to hyperbole, with drivers, team bosses and engineers all uttering similar sound-bites, with talk of "progress", "team-work", "challenge" and "success".

Although one wouldn't expect Ralf Schumacher to admit to the possibility that Toyota is not on the verge of moving to the 'good half' of the grid, it seems a little rash for the German to be predicting his former employer's demise.

Talking at the launch of the TF105, Ralf took the opportunity to take a clear swipe at WilliamsF1, effectively claiming that the former champions are on the beginning of a long slippery slope.

"There are a lot of capable people at Williams but it's still a very small company," he said, forgetting to say that despite the team's size it was able to meet his (rather excessive) pay demands.

"A lot of F1 is about finance power and Toyota is a far better option," he continued. "At Williams, it all depends on two people, Frank Williams and Patrick Head, and they are not the youngest any more and don't have a manufacturer behind them."

Toyota's target for 2005 is a podium, and all eyes will be on the Japanese giant to see if it can realise its ambitions, if not there could be a radical re-think of the company's F1 programme - it is not in F1 out of sentimentality.

WilliamsF1 won the final race of 2004, even though the Grove outfit had failed to live up to expectations, and certainly the claims made at its launch in January 2004.

Certainly, the team has lost ground, but if Ralf truly (no pun intended) believes that Toyota is the better option - other than the ability to write blank cheques - then he is clearly fooling himself. Although Toyota may well improve in 2005 - it has to - we don't expect it to finish in the top six.

Then again we wouldn't make rash any bets, such as running around Silverstone, or anywhere else, naked.