Toyota vow to help Ralf bounce back

Schumacher has struggled to match the pace of teammate Jarno Trulli so far this season and, with his Toyota contract running out at the end of this year, doubts have emerged about whether he will be retained.

And reports coming out of Germany this week have even suggested that Schumacher could be axed mid-season if his form does not improve over the next two races.

Toyota president John Howett said on Thursday, however, that the team were determined to help Schumacher get on top of his problems.

When asked about whether there was any truth in the stories about Schumacher getting replaced soon, he drew short of committing his team to Ralf for the entire season.

He said: "This is simply speculation. We are working with Ralf to improve his feeling and confidence in the car and we are confident we can address the issues we had in Monaco."

Howett said that discussions between the team and Schumacher about a 2008 deal were ongoing, but said it was too early to reveal any firm news on the talks.

"Ralf's contract expires at the end of the season and then we have a two-year option in our favour. We started negotiations with Ralf and his management recently and those discussions are continuing.

"We cannot comment on the details of these negotiations, all we can say is this is an ongoing process. There is naturally a level of speculation regarding Ralf's future with his contract expiring but we would prefer not to comment until there is something to announce."