Williams today confirmed it will end its engine supply deal with Toyota at the end of the current season, despite extendingtheir partnership until 2010 only last year. The news follows weeks of speculation linking the Grove-based team to a split with Toyota, and paves the way for a new engine supplier.

“At a time of great difficulty for us as a team, Toyota stepped forward and agreed to supply us with engines for 2007 through to the end of 2009. Toyota has been a very decent partner who have always respected our independence and provided us with a first-rate technical product,” team principal Frank Williams said on Wednesday.

“We are proud that we have been able to work with such a great company and we are grateful to the team in Cologne for their support.

“I would like to single out for our thanks the Toyota engineers and technicians who have worked within our race team tirelessly for the past three years.”

A statement said Williams would confirm its 2010 engine supplier 'in due course', amid rumours the team is set to link up with independent supplier Cosworth again, having last raced with Cosworth power in 2006, before defecting to Toyota.