Toyota concerned about V10 advantage

Worries about the equivalency formula between V10 and V8 engines were brought up in Friday's Technical Working Group meeting but the FIA has said that it is not going to take action until nearer the start of the season.

However, after Renault director of engineering Pat Symonds told autosport.com last week that he was unhappy with the current situation, Gascoyne has also made it clear that he is not content.

The situation has been made worse because of the fact that the only team running V10s, Scuderia Toro Rosso, have the necessary budget to try and exploit the situation as best they can.

"The manufacturers have very clearly stated that they will run a V8," he said. "But with the equivalence formula based on Cosworth performance data, it seems to favour the V10.

"Toyota do have concerns. We've got a customer team, which costs us so much money and there is a chance that we will look stupid because there is a clear performance disadvantage (with the V8).

"The situation is not sorted out yet. We've supplied the data to the FIA for it to consider, and we are supplying Midland who will clearly be at a disadvantage to Scuderia Toro Rosso - which is a concern to us."

It is believed that under the current V10 restrictions that the old engines currently have up to an 80bhp advantage as well as having much better torque.

And with the FIA having said that it could change the engine equivalency rules as late as Friday practice of the 2006 season opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Gascoyne hopes the governing body lives up to its promises.

"The FIA has said that the V10 disadvantage should remain, so let's hope they will remain truthful to that," he said. "Let me remind you that it is not Minardi we are talking about here, it is a well funded operation."