Scuderia Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost has revealed that there will be no major upheaval in the ownership of the Italian outfit until at least the end of
next season, despite ongoing rumours about potential buyers.
Various suggestions have been put forward regarding interest in Toro Rosso, which co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz has said that he will look to off-load should
F1's 'customer car' debate not go the way of the smaller teams, with British F3 and World Series team Ultimate Motorsport rare among those in openly stating that it is talking with the team.
Even as
Red Bull driver
David Coulthard was being linked - and denied - a possible involvement when he retires from the top flight, Tost announced that he had been given assurances about the immediate future of the team, which he hopes will allow its staff to focus on turning the new STR3 into a regular points threat.
"The rumours regarding the sale of the team, when they grew stronger again earlier this season, did have an effect on us - but only for a short time," he revealed in the build-up to this weekend's British Grand Prix, "If every week there is a story that the team will be sold, it is not so funny for the employees.
"But the message we have from Dietrich Mateschitz is clear - that, for 2009, everything will remain stable, not just in terms of employment, but also in terms of the budget. Then, from 2010, we will see what happens."
The Austrian has been impressed with the way the team has raised its game so far this season, having started the campaign with the ageing STR2B until the STR3 could be brought on stream from Monaco onwards.
"At the moment, the team is stable," he confirmed, "We are pushing hard, taking one step at a time and we have improved our performance. After half a season, we now have a team that has better stability and increased co-operation between the different elements which means the team is getting better all the time, although we are still in a situation where we are recruiting new staff. But this is not a job advertisement!
