Toyota’s F1 president John Howett has admitted that the Cologne based team could be on the lookout to replace Ralf Schumacher at the end of 2007.
31-year-old Schumacher is enduring an abysmal season at the wheel of the TF107, and he found a new low in Monte Carlo when he qualified behind Spyker’s Adrian Sutil in twentieth place.
It is well-documented that Ralf is coming to the end of his current multi-million dollar contract with his Japanese employer, but Howett has traditionally been the German’s staunchest supporter.
But Briton Howett, who already has Schumacher’s teammate Jarno Trulli under contract for 2008, told the newspaper Bild: “It is only professional that we observe the (driver) market.”
Howett, though, insisted that Toyota is still working to help Schumacher overcome his difficulties with the machine.
“Of course it is frustrating, but to say that he is completely alone would be wrong. We must give him a better car,” he added.
Reporters for the specialist magazine Sport Bild, meanwhile, say they overheard BMW teammates Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica discussing Ralf’s alarming lack of pace on ‘day off’ Friday in Monte Carlo.
Nick asked Robert if he thought the ‘Schumacher’ name would still be a feature of the F1 grid beyond this year.
“I don’t know,” Kubica answered, “but the kind of money he makes at the moment definitely will not be there for him any more.”
