Thursday 27 November at 12:00 : Nov.27 (GMM) Former co-owner Gerhard Berger has confirmed reports that he abandoned the Toro Rosso project because Red Bull wants to sell the team

Red Bull, previously with half-ownership of the Faenza based team, announced this week that it has taken over the other 50 per cent stake, controlled since 1996 by the former grand prix winner Berger

The Austrian told the Tiroler newspaper that he started thinking about pulling out "when Didi (Mateschitz) said that because of the changes in regulations he wanted to sell"

"I would have gladly continued with Toro Rosso, but I could not finance it by myself," Berger added

He said that without Red Bull's support, Toro Rosso would revert to its Minardi-like days of mere survival rather than competing with the other teams

"The conditions in order to make the next step are no longer there, and it has never been my style just to be here (in F1) for the sake of it," said Berger