Jarno Trulli may be replaced
John Howett, the Cologne based team's president, has already been quoted as confirming the 34-year-old's existing contract, following reports that third driver Kamui Kobayashi may be drafted in to partner Timo Glock next year.
The Italian's manager, Lucio Cavuto, told 422race.com: "Somebody envies Jarno, but in life it is better to be envied than pitied."
He therefore slammed the rumors, which originated on the internet, as "without foundation".
12/22/08 (GMM) Toyota has dismissed reports that Jarno Trulli, the team's Italian race driver, could be replaced before the start of the 2009 season.
The Cologne based squad has already said that 34-year-old Trulli, who switched to the Japanese marque from Renault at the end of 2004, will once again line up alongside teammate Timo Glock next year.
But there have been rumors from Japan in recent days that the young Japanese Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota's third driver and a GP2 race winner in 2008, is being lined up to replace Trulli with immediate effect.
Toyota also strongly supports Kazuki Nakajima, who is currently placed with the Toyota-powered Williams team.
But team president John Howett told The Times: "We have a contract with Jarno in place."
12/19/08 There are persistent rumors in Japan that Jarno Trulli may be replaced at Panasonic Toyota Racing next year by Kamui Kobayashi and that Toyota is on the verge of disassembling its young driver program because of the need to cut costs.
Trulli has a year to run on his Toyota contract but has been with the team since 2005 and in the four years has failed to produce much in the way of results. He is very fast over one lap but tends to race poorly although he does seem to have improved this in recent years. In 2008 he managed to get a podium in France but otherwise was soon being matched by his novice team-mate Timo Glock.