(from autosport) Jarno Trulli is convinced the Toyota team will surprise their rivals with their speed this year after a breakthrough in performance. The Japanese squad, with one of the biggest budgets in Formula One, have underperformed in recent years and endured a dismal 2007 season, scoring just 13 points on their way to sixth place in the championship. Their new car, however, has shown glimpses of speed during winter testing, leaving Trulli upbeat about their chances for the season. The Italian reckons Toyota will not be able to match Ferrari or McLaren, but he believes the Cologne-based squad will be fighting in the group behind the top two. "I am very happy with how the team has worked," Trulli told autosport.com. "It is good because we have finally found a new direction. "The TF108 is a completely different car. I said at the first test that it was clearly a different animal [from last year's car]. Last year straightaway I knew we had a huge problem, but this year I am much more confident. "I am still cautious, but I must say the team understands this car more and we have gone in a direction that we understand much better. "It's a shame that there are some things that showed good performance internally but then didn't translate well to the track but still it has been a good step forward. The aero package is working well but we expected it to be slightly better. "So I think we are very close to being at the top if you forget about Ferrari and McLaren, because they are really very strong. But we are very close to the rest. "I am moderately optimistic. I am sure we can raise some eyebrows this year and cause problems for some teams. We can be competitive. Forget Ferrari and McLaren for the moment, they are a couple of steps ahead, but the rest are within reach." He added: "It's like a real racing car. You change things and you can feel the difference. If we make very, very tiny changes, even by mistake, I can feel it straightaway. This is a very good feeling for me and the team." Trulli also praised the input of veteran Formula One engineer Frank Dernie, who has joined the team as a consultant. "Frank Dernie has given the team good input, especially with his experience," Trulli added. "This guy has huge experience. He is someone who has the racing spirit and can give the team and its people a lot of good direction. "He is a consultant on several things. From my point of view he is helping us quite a lot. It is very good to talk with him. "I spend a lot of time talking with him because while he is very talkative, it is good to listen to him because of his experience. He does say very interesting things and that is important for a driver. "When you have an experienced person like him there are always plusses and there are never minuses."
i had an interesting "chat" with an F1 engineer on Wednesday at my school (part of a regular series of people in the industry who come and talk to us) and it was very interesting hearing his thoughts on the upcoming season and what not. We pretty much could ask any question we wanted and he answered all pretty much truthfully. asking about the upcoming season he was so certain that a "silver or red car" would win the championship/take up the 1-2 spots that he was willing to bet his house. he said it flawlessly with no pauses. then said the gap for the next spot, would be much much tighter this year, as BMW is very uncertain of there cars performance and the fight for 3rd place will be very close. as for toyota he gave the same impression that the team is in its usual state of well funding but engineering is a major issue with there base being in Germany.
I think Toyota can legitimately fight for points in every race this year. I think they are around the speed of the Williams or Renault right now.
From the article that's all that Trulli is saying. He admits no one will be able to run with Ferrari or McLaren, as does the engineer, but simply states they could be fighting for the "best of the rest." I think these two statements sum up his views best:
Maybe Toyota will be quick enough this season for Trulli to resume qualifying well but doing nothing in the races.
I think he's trying to see how many people he can get to pass him on the first lap, I think his record is around 5.
The title was confusing at first because I remember the thread where he says no one will beat Ferrari or McLaren, but at least it's cleared up after I read the article since he's talking about fighting for the win if Ferrari and McLaren weren't racing.
