Mika Salo signs with Toyota

Formula One driver Mika Salo, currently driving for the Sauber-Petronas team, has signed an agreement to join Toyota in the Japanese manufacturer's upcoming bid for F1 glory.

Salo will spend the 2001 season testing with Toyota in preparation for the team's entry into the 2002 F1 World Championship. He will then lead the team in its first year of Formula One racing in 2002.

The Finn had another year remaining on his tw-year agreement with Sauber, but the contract included a clause allowing Salo to leave early should Sauber not be at least sixth in the Constructors' Championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

With the Finn having scored all of Sauber's points this year, the team is mired in seventh place, well back of sixth-place BAR-Honda. As a result, the door was open for Salo.

Salo, 33, made his debut in Formula One with Lotus at the 1994 Japanese Grand Prix. His career spans 89 Grands Prix, and he has scored 31 points, driving for Lotus, Tyrrell, Arrows, BAR, Ferrari and Sauber.