JARNO TRULLI Interview April 11, 2008, On Toyota's Future

(from autosport)


Q. How do you judge the start to the season?

Jarno Trulli: I would say satisfying and exactly where we wanted to be so far.

Q. There are steps coming from every team for Barcelona, what do you think is achievable over the next few races?

JT: It will be all down to the next development work. We have got a good base to start with, and now the future results will be down to how well we can develop our car. From the start of the European races we start the phase of development, so we will see.

Q. The midfield, especially behind the top three teams, is especially close. Does that make life harder because with one little error you can slip down the order?

JT: To be honest, I am used to it because last year I had to fight with a car that was hard to get into the top ten, and I managed many times to get it into the top ten. This year, with a better car, it is easier. Even if you have to be careful because with one tenth you are out, I must say that our car is performing so well that you can make it up.

Q. Why do you believe things have clicked so well at Toyota this year, because there has been no radical change of staff?

JT: I believe that people have understood a lot about what was wrong with the car, and what they wanted for this year. I must say at the moment that we are going, more or less, in the direction that I always wanted. It is proving that it is a good direction, the car seems quicker and is quicker, and is delivering more performance.

But also compared to last year, we can balance the car. Last year we were in a corner and could not balance it out, because the window was so small. This year our window for set-up work and balance work is much wider, so you can play with it a bit more. It makes the car much sweeter.

Q. Over the winter you were raving about the input of Frank Dernie, and you were keen for him to come to races. He was in Bahrain for the first time with the team, so how much of a help is he?

JT: Frank is one of the people who has given a lot of input to the team, but it is not only one person which can change the whole situation. But Frank is definitely someone I like, because he has got a lot of experience and he can give a lot to this team. He can tell you exactly with a racing spirit, what can happen and what will happen. He knows where we should go. And I must say we are sharing the same feeling about the way we want the car and the way we want to work. So I am very happy.

Q. Do you want him to do all the races?

JT: Well, it is not up to me! But the team in general seems at the moment well settled down, everyone is doing his own job and Frank is helping with the general things. And he will be in charge of sorting things for next year's car.

Q. You have been in Formula One for a long time now. What keeps your motivation up?

JT: It is simple. I didn't achieve what I wanted, so the motivation hasn't changed and is growing - the hunger for results is getting bigger. The fact that I am sticking with a team who has the potential and resources, and I can again see that we are getting better, means the motivation just gets higher. As long as I can drive, I can do the job.

Q. At Barcelona in the final pre-season test you were very, very impressive and very happy with that performance. Do you expect a similar performance in the race?

JT: We must admit at the moment that Ferrari, McLaren and BMW are ahead. I expected us to be closer to BMW, but Bahrain for us was probably not the best track. On twisty tracks I think we can be closer, because on long straights we need to drop our car drag. The car balance and grip is not too bad, but still we have some work to do to catch the top teams up.