Salo Torn Between Sauber and Toyota

Finland's Mika Salo is torn between staying at his Sauber team next season and moving to Formula One newcomers Toyota as a test driver ahead of their race debut in 2002.

"At the moment its 50-50," the 32-year-old was quoted as saying in Britain's weekly Autosport magazine on Thursday. "But every morning it makes more sense to go to Toyota.

"I have a contract here (at Sauber) for next year but everyone knows that in F1, contracts are nothing more than pieces of paper. I'm not a young boy any more and the Toyota offer goes well beyond my racing career."

Formula One sources said Salo's current contract had a clause binding him to stay at the Swiss-based team should Sauber be ranked above rivals Jordan in the constructors' standings at a given point in the season.

No decision was expected therefore until after the next race, the Hungarian Grand Prix, on August 13.

Sauber currently have six points to Jordan's 11 in the standings. Salo, who finished fifth in the last German Grand Prix, has provided all the team's points.

Sauber, whose other driver is Brazilian Pedro Diniz, have yet to confirm their line-up for next season and have been linked to a range of other candidates.

Toyota had planned to enter Formula One next season but announced in June that they were postponing their arrival due to a rule change banning 12-cylinder engines.