Trulli unhappy.

Jarno Trulli has been a star for the Jordan Grand Prix team this year but the Italian is far from satisfied with his first season with the Irish squad, and claims that not even a win at Sunday's final race in Malaysia would change that assessment.

Trulli has scored just six points this season, the last of them at the French Grand Prix in July - eight races ago - but he carried an even eight each qualifying record against last year's double race winner for Jordan, Heinz-Harald Frentzen into the Malaysian race, and has consistently impressed Eddie Jordan team with his pace.

This week, speculation mounted that his manager Flavio Briatore, who is now in his second term in charge of the Benetton-Renault team, would bring him to the Enstone squad when his loan period at Jordan expires at the end of next year.

Trulli has failed to finish eight times this year and it seems that the worst of the luck in a haphazard season for Jordan has dogged the former karting world champion from Pescara. Through most of the season, Trulli maintained his composure but, of late, the frustrations of a season that promised so much more have surfaced in the tetchy behaviour of the Italian.

"You cannot save a whole season with one race - even if you win" said the 26 year old upon arrival at the Sepang for one last shot at glory in 2000, "I came to Jordan to score a lot of points, to have a chance of victory, but the opposite has happened. It's been really bad this season. In fact I think it's the worst of my whole career. We've had a very unreliable car and a lot of bad luck, but basically we weren't strong enough.

"I carried my frustration through to the United States race but then I said, 'Okay it's not my year.' I don't get angry or in a bad mood. It's not my fault. I've had so much bad luck that one day I must be paid back - but so far it hasn't happened this year."

"Jordan needs to perform well this weekend," he added, "We will be trying hard, but then so will everybody else. For us there are four cars that are unbeatable: two Ferraris and two McLarens. Then there are two more which, if you look at the season, are stronger than us, the Williams. So it's very difficult to score points when you have six cars ahead!"

"We can't really train hard in this heat and humidity, because it's too difficult to breathe. But it's the same for everyone. I feel I am fit enough for it not to be too big a problem, but for sure it's one of the toughest races of the season."

Trulli began the weekend well with fifth best time behind the McLarens and Ferraris, his good form a result of his first trouble-free Friday practice for some time. This year he will be hoping for better luck than last year's Malaysian race when his Prost stopped on the formation lap.

For next year, the Italian is looking forward to the imminent arrival of Honda works engines and an expected upturn in Jordan's - and his own - fortunes. However after the chastening experience of 2000 he is wary of making predictions.

"It looks promising," he said of the Honda engine deal, "But I can't say for sure we will be strong. We have to work hard because we are finishing this year with a gap to the other teams. As for me, I have proved many times that when have a good car I can do my job. I have been on the front row twice this year [in Monaco and Belgium]. But my ambition for next year? It depends on the car."