Panis in Talks over Non-Racing Role at Toyota

Toyota chief John Howett said on Friday that race driver Olivier Panis has been offered a non-racing role with the team but is still under consideration for a race seat in 2005.

Frenchman Panis, who joined Toyota last year, is expected to make way for Renault driver Jarno Trulli after new signing Ralf Schumacher named him as his favoured teammate for next year.

But when asked about the team's driver plans for 2005 Howett said: "We haven't really reached a final decision. It's clear we are talking to Olivier and we are talking to some other drivers in the paddock.

"We are also talking to Oliver about staying with Toyota in other capacities as well as race driving. He's still, I think, as demonstrated today, pretty quick with the equipment that we are currently able to provide."

Toyota ditched Brazilian driver Cristiano da Matta before the last race in Hungary and replaced him with compatriot Ricardo Zonta, their former test driver, as a trial for a possible race seat.

Many paddock insiders believe the Trulli deal is done but Howett insisted: "One of the reasons that we gave the opportunity to Ricardo was to study, seriously, who we should sit next to Ralf next year."

Da Matta's departure was part of a grand clearance at Toyota that saw key team members Ange Pasquali and Norbert Kreyer handed their marching orders, with the former departing immediately and the latter leaving at the end of the year.

"I think for us it was very tough decisions, honestly, particularly because Norbert did fantastic job for Toyota in the rally period, Le Mans and also Formula One and similarly Ange," Howett added.

"I think the reason we are doing it is to actually shorten the lines of communication, to really lean down the organisation and to become much more agile, particularly at the track to react to the decisions we need to make."