Ralf Schumacher decides to leave Toyota at the end of the season

As we expected, Ralf Schumacher today confirmed that he would be leaving the Toyota team at the end of the 2007 season.

The German driver confirmed his decision this afternoon on his own website: “I drove at Toyota for 3 years, now I am looking for a new challenge to take on.”

We all remember, Ralf Schumacher left Williams in 2005 to join the Japanese team but failed to live up to expectations during those 3 years, being regularly beaten by his teammate Jarno Trulli, and only achieving 3 podiums.

German admits he expected more from Toyota.

“I joined Toyota with a lot of hope. First of all, I considered it an exciting challenge to get involved in the development of a new team. I also learned a lot about Japanese culture during my long stay in Japan.”

“But I want to drive a single-seater that can regularly fight for podiums.”

Ralf also indicated that he would not make any announcement about his future for 2008 before the Brazilian Grand Prix, which will conclude the 2007 Formula 1 season.

“I will announce my decision later in the season. Money doesn’t interest me too much; what I want is to be involved in the development of a single-seater and for it to bear fruit.”

Ralf Schumacher has only 5 points in his 2007 record and is only 14th in the World Drivers’ Championship.