Tommi Makinen, four times world rally champion and now principal of Toyota’s new Yaris WRC project, is fighting a war with the media concerning the operation of his team.
Tommi Makinen heads Toyota's 2017 WRC program.He is refuting claims that the team’s Technical Director, Michael Zotos, left the project a few weeks ago after a heated and public argument, saying that Zotos is “a great guy who has been in the world a long time and wanted more time back home” (in Greece).
Claims that two other members of his technical teams left at the same time have been explained by saying they were on probation and their contracts were not renewed.
Local Finnish media has noted that Makinen himself has been personally involved in test driving work, notwithstanding he already has two test teams with their own available drivers.
Much of this stress seems to be due to the current lack of an active press relations service able to explain latest developments and defuse suspicions.
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