Bill Gates to sponsor F1 Toyota team?

With calls last week from analysts suggesting Microsoft would do well to spend some of its cash pile, it seems the Redmond giant could be about to blow $40m a year on fast cars.

According to report in German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, Chairman Gates could be signing up as the Toyota F1 team's major sponsor, covering up to 10 per cent of the company's F1 sponsorship budget

The report also added the Japanese team was hoping to bag Sony as another sponsor – although that might not go down well with rival and current Toyota sponsor Panasonic.

Should they sign on the dotted line, Sony and Microsoft would join Intel in Toyota's sponsorship starting line-up and the move could see tech not tobacco become the main driving force in F1.

Microsoft declined to comment.