Although the Japanese team has yet to officially announce it, it is understood that as part of a major reshuffle at Toyota, technical director Mike Gascoyne has left the Cologne based team.

The move, first reported by grandprix.com on Tuesday afternoon, comes just two days after the Englishman's forty-third birthday.

Gascoyne, the highest paid technical director in the pitlane, joined Toyota from Renault ahead of the 2004 season, following spells with Tyrell, Sauber and Jordan. Although he has gained a reputation as one of the best designers in the business others claim that much of the success is down to the people he surrounds himself with, indeed others claim that teams become successful following his departure.

Although the Toyota team scored a podium result in Melbourne at the weekend, its season got off to a disastrous beginning in Bahrain, though things improved slightly in Malaysia.

There have been rumours for some time that the relationship between Gascoyne and Toyota was souring. Gascoyne has claimed that he is unhappy being based in Cologne for personal reasons - he is married with three young children - while it is alleged that in 2005 he was sent home during a Grand Prix weekend by team bosses for reasons never fully disclosed.

The news remains unconfirmed because Toyota has yet to issue a statement, and, mysteriously, the team's media spokespeople are 'unavailable'.

It is thought that Pascal Vasselon, formerly with Renault and then F1 manager at Michelin, may take over from Gascoyne.