Mike Gascoyne has left Toyota

Sources have confirmed the news to autosport.com and further suggested that Pascal Vasselon is being lined up to replace Gascoyne as technical director, with other changes expected to take place in both Cologne and at Toyota Motorsport in Tokyo.

Despite scoring a podium at the Australian Grand Prix, Gascoyne has had a strained relationship with senior team management, which intensified following their troubled start to the season.

Furthermore, a senior official at Toyota Motor Company suggested recently that the company is looking for a replacement for Gascoyne, and once a new technical director was found, the Briton would be released.

Gascoyne's contract was up for renewal in the next few months, and the Briton apparently was not eager to remain at the Cologne-based outfit. However, the option to renew the contract or terminate it was entirely on Toyota's side.

According to a report on grandprix.com today, Gascoyne would not comment on his departure.

Furthermore, Toyota did not issue any comments either, and the team's press and marketing department - usually one of the most attainable in the F1 paddock - has gone underground, with not a single person (of the many working for the department) reachable by phone or mobile.

Gascoyne joined Toyota in 2003 after a successful spell with Renault/Benetton. His salary at Toyota was reportedly the highest a technical director had ever earned, prior to Adrian Newey's move to Red Bull this year.

Vasselon has joined the Cologne-based team last year afer heading the Formula One project for Michelin.