Toyota Rule Out Supplying Customer Engines

Toyota team boss Ove Andersson on Friday ruled out supplying engines to another Formula One team in a near future.

The Japanese squad, making their debut in Grand Prix racing this year, have been linked with the Jordan team in recent weeks for a deal to supply engines to the Silverstone-based squad in 2004.

But although Andersson admitted that he had been contacted by Jordan, he said Toyota are currently busy trying to solve their own problems and have no plans to provide engines to a different team.

"There is absolutely no agreement and we have no plans to supply engines to any other team at the moment," said Andersson today in Germany. "We are busy trying to get on top of our own problems and to think about supplying another team with engines at this moment in time is definitely not in our plans."

Jordan are currently using Honda engines, but the British squad have been linked with Toyota and also with a return to Cosworth engines next season amid rumours that Honda could decide to supply only to the British American Racing team next year.

Jordan have still one year left of their contract with Honda but on Friday the company's vice-president Otmar Szafnauer admitted that they were still considering supplying to only one team.

"That hasn't been 100 per cent decided yet," said Szafnauer when asked if they are planning to supply only one team in 2003. "We have a three-year contract with British American Racing and a further year to go with Jordan.

"We're in the midst now of discussing that with Jordan Grand Prix and a joint decision between us and Jordan will be forthcoming in the near future.

"It's obvious that car designs and engines have to progress so I would hate to put a time frame on it as we don't know and it would be a guess for myself as well, but relatively soon."