Williams have revealed they are aiming to continue their partnership with engine supplier Toyota for the considerable future – despite the Japanese manufacturer generally out-pacing its customer team on the track so far in 2008.
The 17-time world championship-winning outfit has competed with Toyota power since the beginning of 2007, going on to register 33 points over the course of last season – enough to place it fourth in the constructors' title chase, 20 points and two positions ahead of the big budget Japanese concern's ‘official' entry.
Though a similar situation is at face value true in 2008 – with Williams sitting two spots higher in the constructors' table and four points ahead – performance-wise Toyota has looked the sharper of the two for the majority of the early part of the new campaign.
The Grove-based squad's co-owner and team principal Frank Williams insisted, however, that he fully intended to prolong the relationship – even if it is not on the same level as the team's former ‘works' collaborations with
Honda,
Renault or
BMW.
“Toyota cares for us very well,” the 66-year-old underlined in an interview with Swiss publication
Motorsport Aktuell. “We are in no way insecure.
“They have really very good people, we are very happy with them and [we] look forward to a long collaboration with
Toyota.”
Williams did, however, admit his fear that the gap left by
Super Aguri in the
F1 paddock will not be filled anytime soon, stressing the highly precarious climate within the top flight for private teams at the moment.
“If a privateer was trying to enter, financially you would find it very difficult right now – assuming you read the
Wall Street Journal and the
Financial Times – to raise money, to raise capital,” he explained.
