Toyota denies hand in Midland-Sato talks.

Toyota F1 president John Howett has stated that any deal between Takuma Sato and the Jordan/Midland team will be completed without any pressure from the Japanese giant, despite the obvious marketing advantages that could be gained from linking up with Sato.

Taku finds himself casting around for drives next season, having seen his seat at BAR go to Rubens Barrichello, and manager Andrew Gilbert-Scott insists that any deal will be to race rather than test - an option on the table with his current employer. Rumours in the Interlagos paddock have linked Sato to the growing list of drivers being considered by Jordan, but Howett insists that Toyota - which supplies engines to the Silverstone-based team - has had no hand in the matter.

"If they take him, it's purely their decision," he told Reuters at the Brazilian Grand Prix, "I believe they are talking to him as one of their options, but that is not influenced at all by us."

Despite the opportunity to take advantage of the backlash facing Honda in Japan following Sato's demotion, Howett pointed out that Toyota had its own group of promising young Japanese drivers to choose from, and would not necessarily need to rely on Sato.

"I think that's where we are really looking to for the future, to bring those drivers into Formula One in three or four years time," he said, citing Kohei Hirate and Kamui Kobayashi, who both race in Europe, as examples...

Jordan commercial boss Colin Kolles confirmed, to Reuters, that the soon-to-be-renamed Midland team had opened talks with Sato, but that the Japanese driver was just one of a number of possibilities for 2006.

"He wants to stay in Formula One, we have a seat for him, so we have to find a solution for that," he stated, "It's not a question of money, as far as what he has to bring. It's the same with Anthony [Davidson] - it's a question of the sponsorship that the team will be putting in place for next year.

"If Benson and Hedges or [parent company] Gallaher is putting the amount of money into the team that has been put in the past then, of course, they would like to have a British driver in the team."

Davidson tested for Jordan last week, but the latest paddock rumours suggest that the Briton could lose out to Sato and current Minardi pilot Christijan Albers, who has also tested with Jordan in the past, and comes complete with a raft of Dutch backers. Kolles, however, insisted that the team was in no rush to finalise its 2006 line-up.

"I think that we have a good chance to get good drivers," he said, "We will see what will happen at the end of the day, but I think we are in a good position at the moment."