Toyota, Japan's largest automobile manufacturer, has plans ...

Published on 22 April 1998 by Verstappen Info Page

Toyota, Japan's largest automobile manufacturer, has plans to enter Formula 1. In 1990 Toyota had already built a factory for that purpose in Great Britain but back then the F1 introduction was cancelled. Now Hiroshi Okuda, president of Toyota, wants to take the plunge and possibly as soon as the year 2000. Toyota is now active in the GT-series and has an ex F1 employee, Andre de Cortanze who worked for Sauber and Ligier, as designer.

Michael Schumacher will most propably extend the contract, that ends in 1999, with his manager, the 47 year old Willi Weber, for five more years. In 1989 Weber contracted the then 19 year old German and let him have a go in his Formula 3 WTS team. Before Schumacher Weber has already had successes with Joachim Winkelhock in Formula 3. Besides the Schumacher brothers Weber Management GmbH also manages Claudia Schiffer and Michael Doohan among others. For the future Weber is thinking of managing his own team in the North American CART series. Together with Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi the two are thinking of buying an existing team.