02/10/2007
NEWS STORY
Toyota boss John Howett has said that Ralf Schumacher's announcement that he will not be with the team in 2008 will have no affect on the Cologne based outfit's plans.
"We accept Ralf's decision and we wish him the best for the future," said Howett in a statement issued today. "Fundamentally, this does not change Toyota's position; right now we are still looking at the drivers' market situation. This just means that Ralf is not part of our list of candidates any more."
Even before Schumacher's announcement, there was widespread speculation that his time with the Japanese team was coming to an end, indeed, a number of driver have already been linked with his seat including Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa.
According to Formula Money, Schumacher is the third highest paid driver in F1 ($20m), behind Kimi Raikkonen ($32m) and Fernando Alonso ($25m).