John Howett has insisted there is no pressure on
Toyota's
Formula 1 team to turn around its fortunes within the sport from the company's Japanese base, but he did acknowledge that in order to re-establish its credibility the squad needs to start winning and soon.
Following a disappointing 2006 campaign and desultory 2007, the Cologne-based outfit's motorsport president is aware Toyota must return to the kind of form it displayed back in 2005 its fourth year in the top flight when
Jarno Trulli and
Ralf Schumacher between them notched up 88 points to secure fourth spot in the constructors' championship. That is 13 points more than the team has registered in its five other seasons put together.
We have to do better than we did in 2007, Howett admitted, and I think more importantly we
want to do better. We only exist to win. We have similar resources I'm sure to many of the top teams; the difference really is the people we have.
The competitive pressure of Formula 1 means the design development is remorseless we start on the following season's car before the current season's car even runs. Going into this season we feel in good shape, but on the other hand we have to be paranoid that there are a lot of other very good teams and competitors out there, so we need to make sure we squeeze the maximum out of our package.
We are sure we have a very strong and competitive team. Ultimately we have to work harder, smarter and faster than our competitors, and I'm sure the results will come.
Praising new addition
Timo Glock on the driving line-up, Howett described the German GP2 champion as a quick and hungry driver who is determined to add to our results this year', whilst his young charge went on to repay that vote of confidence by topping the timesheets on the final day of this week's group test in
Jerez, with nine of the eleven teams present.
