Toyota Critical of Honda's Use of Rule Loophole

Toyota have criticised Honda-powered rivals BAR for their manipulation of Formula One's new engine rules.

"There has been a lot of controversy surrounding loopholes in the new engine rules, but exploitation of such grey areas is against our understanding of racing," said Toyota's engine expert Luca Marmorini.

"Even though our drivers did not score any points in the last race, we decided to pass the chequered flag out of respect for the new rules," he added in a team preview for Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix.

"We fully accept the spirit and intention of the 2005 engine regulation and we believe that if we are to challenge for points regularly, we must finish the race and that means having an engine to last two races."

Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher finished ninth and 12th respectively in Australia.

BAR, overall runners-up last season, retired their cars towards the end of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix to enable drivers Jenson Button and Takuma Sato to have new engines for Malaysia without penalty.

Button was classified 11th and Sato 14th.

The new regulations say that engines must last for two successive races with any unscheduled changes incurring a 10-place penalty on the starting grid. However the penalty does not apply to cars that fail to finish the race.

BAR can now look forward to racing in Malaysia with engines that will have done some 350 km less than their rivals.

"Our reading of the rules is that if you fail to finish, it then gives you the opportunity to change your engine because you've effectively taken the penalty in the race you failed to finish," said BAR team boss Nick Fry in Australia.

"So we've taken advantage of that and, if we choose to do so, fit a new engine for Malaysia."