With Dietrich Mateschitz clearly weary of picking up the tab for two Formula One teams, it has been announced that Toro Rosso has appointed Total Sports Asia as its official sponsorship agent in Asia and the Middle East.

With the region currently hosting Grands Prix in China, Japan, Malaysia and Bahrain, and several more to come including Singapore, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and India, the Faenza based team, much like Bernie Ecclestone is looking East.

"At a time when the world of sports sponsorship is increasingly drawing interest from Asian brands, understanding their cultural issues, market needs and the business processes of the region are paramount in being able to bring together established and emerging Asian brands with the emerging team at Toro Rosso" said Marcus Luer, Chief Executive Officer of Total Sports Asia.

"We have spent many years building up our network and our experience, and now boast a team that not only understands the market, but that also operates in local languages and has a track record of success in the area of sports marketing. In a team like Toro Rosso, we see many synergies, an F1 team which is bringing together key experience with innovative ideas and a challenging approach amidst tough competition"

"It's clear that any commercial strategy in sport must now consider strongly the influence and strength of the Asian and Middle Eastern markets and their respective brands," said Toro Rosso Team Principal, Franz Tost. "As a challenger team we require specialists in all areas of our operation, sponsorship and commercial partners are no exception. In Total Sports Asia we feel we have identified a partner with specialist experience in a key sector for our business"