Williams and Toyota vow to cooperate

Williams this morning confirmed their switch to Toyota engines next year, first revealed by autosport.com last month, and see the move as a cornerstone to returning to the winner's circle.

But, after being guaranteed the same specification of engines as Toyota's own team, they think it still vital that they work with the Japanese manufacturer to get the most out of their relationship.

Speaking to Autosport magazine in this week's issue, Williams CEO Chris Chapple made it clear that the key word for next year would be 'co-opetition' - fighting with each other but working closely at the same time.

"This point has been discussed at great length and there is a definite view: it is strongly in both our competitive interests to work closely together yet compete aggressively on the track," he said.

"There is no question of us being held back. They are racers and we are racers and we will be able to race each other on track."

Toyota F1 president John Howett backed Williams' view that the relationship would fire up both teams.

"We cannot see any downside to this arrangement, only upsides," he explained. "Williams are a top team and we will want to beat each other on track.

"Their expectation will be at the level of a top team, which will be demanding for us, but we are confident of being able to meet Williams' demands."