Oct.2 (GMM) Toyota is committed to formula one until at least 2012 and is investigating widespread media reports that the Japanese carmaker is considering pulling out, according to a team spokesman.
At a media event in Tokyo earlier this week, team principal Tadashi Yamashina was quoted as saying the Cologne based team's future is "unclear" and dependent on the "financial results" of its parent.But in less widely-circulated reports of the same Japanese news conference, Yamashina apparently actually said that Toyota has signed the 2010-2012 Concorde Agreement and is therefore committed to staying in F1.Then on Thursday, Toyota announced the signing of a supplier agreement for the 2010 season "and beyond", with Yamashina explaining that "development and planning for next season has already begun".A Toyota spokesman said the team is looking into how Yamashina's other controversial comments, which were translated by major wire agencies from Japanese, came about."As far as the team is concerned, we are committed to F1 through 2012. We are making inquiries about the reported comments. The feeling is that something may have been lost in translation," he is quoted as saying by the Guardian newspaper.
