Coulthard could face Toyota snub

David Coulthard faces a snub if he pins his Formula One future on grabbing a drive at Toyota next year.

The 32-year-old Scot has been warned he would not be the first choice should a seat become available with Ralf Schumacher the number one target.

Coulthard is looking for a new team for 2005 with McLaren opting for Kimi Raikkonen to partner Juan Pablo Montoya when he makes the move from Williams at the end of the coming season.

"If Ralf or David came knocking at my door then I would look more seriously at Ralf," said former Toyota boss Ove Andersson, who now advises the team.

Toyota would be the best option for Coulthard as the team's reputed €290m F1 budget matches that of even Ferrari.

The Japanese car giant, which has built up a 600-plus workforce solely intent on winning the world championship, are about to enter their third year in the sport.

They expect to become a major force in the next couple of years producing a car capable of regularly winning races and challenging the age-old dominance of Ferrari, Williams and McLaren.

Coulthard's career at McLaren will come to an end this year even though the Woking-based outfit have yet to confirm Finnish charger Raikkonen as Montoya's partner.

But Montoya's current team-mate Schumacher could also be on the market with Williams baulking at meeting his demands for a £3.5million rise that would take his wages up to around £12million.

Schumacher has put his contract talks on hold for the next few months but he believes he is in a strong bargaining position because of Montoya's departure, reckoning the team would not want to start 2005 with two new drivers.

The German, though, would also be a prime attraction for Toyota as their F1 operation is run from Cologne - and money is no object.

And Coulthard also faces a battle for any seat from Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis - Toyota's two current drivers - who insisted at the launch of the TF1-04 car that they both want to be around in 2005.

Brazilian da Matta's contract is up at the end of the season but he has an option to extend it while veteran Frenchman Panis - now the oldest man on the grid - said he is not thinking about hanging up his gloves even though he will turn 38 this year.

"I am starting this season with no thoughts about retiring at the end of it," said Panis in Cologne today.

"All I am thinking about is doing a good job this year. If I do that then I am confident that I will still be here in 2005. That is the aim."