Trulli to be confirmed at Toyota

The winner of this year's Monaco Grand Prix split with the Renault team on Tuesday evening on the back of ultra disappointing results since the middle of the season. He has failed to score a point since the French Grand Prix in July, when it became clear that he was leaving the French car manufacturer.

There has been intense speculation about why Trulli's form suffered - with wild suggestions claiming that he was being deliberately sabotaged by the team in a bid to favour Fernando Alonso. Rumours even suggested that Trulli himself was not making enough of an effort in a bid to derail Renault's hopes of second place in the constructors' championship.

But Trulli furiously denied those suggestions. He said about the allegations after the Italian Grand Prix: "That's not true. All my life I've been a fighter, I never give up and I always push to the best of my ability. That's what I am doing now. But the car is just so nervous, so unstable, that it's impossible to drive fast."

Although Trulli's 2005 deal will be confirmed tomorrow, it is not clear yet whether he will race for the team before the end of this season. Olivier Panis has already announced his plans to remain as the team's test driver next year, while Ricardo Zonta's future is unclear.

A Toyota spokesman told autosport.com that the team was not considering an early move for Trulli to join the team. "We do not have plans to change our driver line-up for the three remaining races of the season," he said.

Speaking after Renault confirmed it was parting company with him, Trulli said: "I am very comfortable with this decision. I would like to thank Renault for their support since 2002, and for the success we enjoyed together. I am grateful to the team for releasing me from my obligations, which will give me the opportunity to start with my new team sooner than expected."