Surprise, surprise! Toyota to run Bridgestones.

Merely confirming what the Formula One paddock has suspected since Michelin announced that it was parting company with the team at the Belgian Grand Prix in September, Toyota and Bridgestone have finally confirmed that they will be working together in 2006.

The 'news' confirms Toyota's switch from Michelin, which it had partnered since entering F1 in 2002. The Cologne-based team has signed a multi-year deal with Bridgestone, which will see the Japanese tyre manufacturer supplying its Potenza tyres with immediate effect.

"It is a pleasure to announce that Toyota Motorsport and Bridgestone Motorsport have joined forces," Toyota Motorsport president, and F1 team principal, Tsutomu Tomita said, without a hint of irony, "I am sure that our two companies will share a fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship over the coming years in Formula One.

"After a rather successful 2005 season, our sights are now set even higher up the grid, and we feel that Bridgestone is ideally suited to the technical demands of F1 in the future and will be the best match for our 2006 car. Toyota is serious about winning in F1, and we feel that the switch to Bridgestone tyres is the best option in the medium-long term."

Toyota's first outing on Bridgestone tyres will be at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on 29 November, as the team begins its preparations for 2006.

"This exciting new partnership between Toyota, one of the world's leading car manufacturers, and Bridgestone, the world's leading manufacturer of tyre and rubber products, is hugely significant," insisted Bridgestone Motorsport director Hiroshi Yasukawa, "Our two companies have had strong motorsport ties for many years, in GT
racing in Japan and in IRL in the United States, producing many champions together, and we are extremely proud to now extend that relationship to our Formula One race programmes.

"The Toyota F1 Team is a very ambitious team with high aspirations and, by choosing Bridgestone - tyre supplier to seven constructors' and drivers' champions in the past eight years - the team has shown great faith in our technological capabilities.

"Bridgestone and Toyota have high expectations for the coming seasons and we look forward to a close technical partnership which will see us move forward together to achieve our respective goals. We also look forward to resuming working relationships with the team's race drivers, Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli, both of whom have spent much of their earlier careers on Bridgestone tyres."