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Published: Friday October 2, 2009 MYT 11:47:00 AM

Further doubt on Toyota driver pairing

SUZUKA, Japan (AP): The future of Toyota's drivers was thrown into further doubt Friday when Timo Glock missed practice for the Japanese Grand Prix and team principal John Howett said he was chasing a new top-line driver.

Glock was replaced by Kamui Kobayashi, with Toyota saying the German was ill. Whatever the extent of Glock's illness - a team spokesman said he would return for qualifying Saturday - the use of Kobayashi in front of a Japanese crowd could certainly foster interest from sponsors.

Howett said "it was too early to say" if Kobayashi could be a more permanent addition to the team.

Howett suggested Glock's time at Toyota could be coming to an end, along with that of veteran teammate Jarno Trulli.

They had been released from the 2010 option on their contracts, as Toyota chases a big-name driver to further enhance a team whose parent company was weighing up its future amid the global economic downturn, and eight years without a single race win.

"We want the options as we think there could be quite a big movement in the driver market," Howett told reporters. "He (Glock) did a fantastic job in Singapore (finishing second) and we are talking to him, but honestly speaking we feel that could have been the result in other races if we could qualify in that position.

"I am sorry, it is a very tough life, and our job is to deliver results. He could still be in the car next year, but we wanted to keep our options open."

Among those options was Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica. Raikkonen is looking for a new team after his contract was ended by Ferrari at season's end to make way for the arrival of Fernando Alonso. However, the Finn looks set to return to McLaren and would unlikely be tempted by a team with such a modest F1 record.

BMW Sauber's Kubica was widely tipped to replace Alonso at Renault, with the French team saying an announcement would be made next week. However, Kubica himself said he was not yet fully committed to any team in 2010, providing a window of opportunity for a rival suitor.

"We know who we would like in the car and we are working hard on it," Howett said. Glock himself had rejected suggestions that he had already been told by Toyota that he should look elsewhere in 2010.

"The stories after the (Singapore) race on Sunday were the funniest I've ever read on the Internet," Glock said. "We have the possibility to look around, and that's it really. There is nothing new, there were no discussions over the weekend about any contract situation or whatever."

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