Jarno Trulli on 2001, F1 and more.

Jordan-Honda driver Jarno Trulli yesterday spoke to the Australian media about the forthcoming GP and the 2001 season read what he had to say.

"Welcome everyone, especially Jarno Trulli at the Jordan factory at Silverstone in England, on the team's last day of testing before its cars are flown to Melbourne for the 2001 Qantas Australian Grand Prix, to be held at the Albert Park circuit on March 1-4. Jarno, thanks for joining us - it's a great pleasure to have you on line."

"For the benefit of everyone, Jarno made his Formula One debut in Melbourne in 1997, with Minardi. Later that year, having switched to the Prost Team, he came very close to winning a Grand Prix in his first season. He was second in the 1999 European Grand Prix, and is now about to start his fifth year of Formula One, and his second season with Jordan."

"Questions please..."

Q. - "Jarno, a year ago Jordan was being touted by a lot of media as a McLaren and Ferrari-beater. Were you a little bit disappointed with the way the car went last year?"

A. - "Yes, obviously we weren't so happy, but I think we all learned quite a lot from last year, and so we think we've built up a much better and reliable car this year. Hopefully we can this year make what we were not able to do last year, just try to catch up with McLaren and Ferrari."

Q. - "So you think there is a chance that you could actually beat McLaren and Ferrari in a straight fight this year?"

A. - "I think this year we've got a bigger chance than last year, especially because we've got an official engine deal with Honda, so we have a lot of support from them; and everybody in the factory are pushing very hard because they are very motivated from this Honda deal. So I think we can have this big chance, but it's important, you know, to work very hard to try to gain the gap we've lost last year. So I think everybody is motivated and everybody is really optimistic, but we just have to wait and see."

Q. - "Jarno, you haven't won a race yet. Is this the year that Jarno Trulli is going to be standing on the top shelf of the podium?"

A. - "Well, I hope so. It has been very frustrating for me because I won a little bit everywhere very quickly in Formula Three and karting, and even when I was in Formula One already in 1997 I went very close in the Austrian Grand Prix to win a race. And now it's already in my fifth season and unfortunately I didn't get what I really wanted to get from Formula One, that means podium and maybe victory. So I'm really waiting for it and hope it's going to be the right season. For sure, we've got a good package this year, so I have to think that I may get the chance."

Q. - "Some people say that one of Jarno Trulli's problems is he needs a bit more patience. Do you think this is a fair assessment of you? Do you feel like you do get too frustrated when things don't go right with your car?"

A. - "I just think that I need a reliable car and a little bit more luck. I think last year I was (running) second in Monaco and I was really patient, but unfortunately the gearbox gave up. In 1997, also, I was just leading the race and then the engine blew up. So I don't think it is a question of being patient; it's just a question that you need the right chance."

Q. - "Have you had a chance, during testing, to make a realistic comparison between your car and the opposition?"

A. - "To be honest, this year winter tests has been weird, a bit strange, because it has been very difficult to figure out our opposition and the situation from the other teams, because with a tyres war, you can't really know what they are doing, which tyres they are using, how much fuel load they are testing with. So you have seen a lot of tests went very, very low, very quick, they beat the track record. So it has been difficult being able to understand where we are. The only thing I can say is that, for sure, our car seems reliable. We still have some problems to fix, small problems, but we are confident on that. Unfortunately, we don't really know how competitive we are. We know that we have got a good package, as I say, because we've got our Honda engine deal, so apparently the engine is very strong. We hope that our car will be quick enough to compete at least with the best car, like Williams or BAR (British American Racing), and try to get very close to McLaren and Ferrari, which for sure will be the teams to be beat this season."

Q. - "You proved you were quick last year, especially in qualifying. How frustrating is it when the car gives up on you?"

A. - "Well, it was very frustrating. We didn't only have reliability problem, we also were very unlucky, especially on my side, because many times I collide with other drivers or they collide into me. But it sure wasn't easy at all, especially because many times we perform well in qualifying. I remember the team got three front rows - two with me and one with Heinz. So I don't think we were bad in terms of performance, but in the race maybe we didn't get what we wanted or what we expected, just because our car sometimes gave up and we were also very unlucky. But it is a question of probably was not the right season for Jordan and for Jordan drivers."

Q. - "When you joined up last year, did you think that you would go better than you did last year? Did you think that you would have a few podiums and maybe a win?"

A. - "When I first joined Jordan, I was convinced I'd do very, very well in 2000 and, honestly, I had a very good season, because anyway it was my best season since I'm in Formula One - because I did two front rows and performed very well. But, unfortunately, I didn't have luck to finish races and so to score points and podium. For sure, I expected more in terms of results, which we didn't get; but in terms of performance, I think the season which I had last year was not such a bad season. So I think the choice which I did in 1999, to change for Jordan team, was a very good choice. I did one year experience and we experienced, let's say, badly - because we didn't get the results - but we have learned, everybody, from last year and we hope to do much better this year."

Q. - [Next few questions comprised a radio interview]. "Jarno, is 2001 a chance for you to show the motor racing world exactly what you can do? What your driving skills are exactly?"

A. - "I think we all hope so. I mean, not only me, in Jordan, because this year, I always say, we have a good package, a good engine deal with Honda. So, basically, it's a very good chance for everybody to show what we are able to do. We are all confident about that. We are building up a car which seems more reliable than last year. We just have to see in Melbourne how competitive we are compared to all the other teams."

Q. - "Do you expect the power teams, Ferrari and McLaren, to be strong again this season? And, outside of those two teams, who else do you think will be strong this season?"

A. - "I think McLaren and Ferrari will be on the top, because they have a gap, an advantage, from the past season. But I think Jordan, Williams, BAR and Benetton, there may be all three or four teams together, closer and closer to Ferrari, McLaren. So I think you have to watch out for them."

Q. - "Do you think the gap is closing between the top teams and the middle-of- the-road teams?"

A. - "I don't know yet. We will just wait and see what's happening in Melbourne."

Q. - "And you think the Jordan car will be competitive. What has it shown in testing so far?"

A. - "Well, in testing we always perform pretty well. Especially, reliability was really good. We don't know yet how competitive we can be compared to all the other teams because, as I say, this year we have this tyre war, which made our life difficult during the past, especially to figure out how competitive we were with the other teams, because you never know which tyres are running, how much fuel is running, which kind of tests they are doing. So it was very, very difficult. But we were always performing well and we were always on the top of the list in the lap times."

Q. - "You had your first Formula One drive here in Melbourne. Does that mean that the Grand Prix coming up in a couple of weeks' time is special for you, because it was the place where you had your first drive?"

A. - "I must say that I really, really like to come to Melbourne, I love this city, I love Australia, and I've always performed well in Australia, but unfortunately I was always a bit unlucky. But I hope this year will be much better for me."

Q. - "Have you set yourself a goal, a personal goal, for the 2001 Formula One season, or are you maybe waiting to see what happens at Melbourne before you start setting some goals?"

A. - "Until now, I didn't fix any goals, because you don't know what you are able to do, especially because all is related to the car performance and reliability. So I did fix a goal in the past, never went through, and now this year I don't want to fix any goals. Maybe if you fix some goals, they are not enough, you realise that they are not enough, because maybe your car is much better than what you expected; or if you fix some goals and your expectations are higher than what you are having, then you can be very frustrated. So I just want to wait and see."

[End of radio interview]

Q. - "Jarno, this season will see the return to Formula One of traction control (at the end of April). We've heard from a number of drivers what they think about it. What's your opinion about the return of this driver aid for the sport this year?"

A. - "Well, my opinion is very simple. Until now, we have had lots of, let's say, discussion about this, a lot of doubts about this. So, somehow, I think there are two stories. I think, one, it's better somehow because we don't have any doubts, we don't have any problems, no discussion about this, we know that everybody will have it. On the other hand, maybe the driver will have less influence on the car's performance, but that is the life. I mean, you have to deal with that and everybody will have to."

Q. - "You say you are not setting any goals this year, but do you have any sort of long term goal? Do you have a vision for your future? Is it to stay with Jordan and make Jordan one of the great teams, or would it be to perhaps do well enough in Jordan to impress the people at Ferrari or McLaren to take you on?"

A. - "I think at the moment I feel all right at Jordan and I also think that we've got a very interesting package because this year, for the first time, Jordan has got an official engine deal with a big factory, like Honda, which are pushing really hard to win races. So starting from this point, I must say that it would be nice to grow up with Jordan, stay with Jordan, winning races with Jordan in the future because my goal, as with all racing drivers, is to win races. It doesn't matter with which team. For sure, as an Italian, everybody would think that it would be nice to race for Ferrari, but my first goal is winning races. If I can win races with Jordan, would be really nice. Then if one day in the future I can be a Ferrari driver and winning with Ferrari, that would be nice. But, at the moment, my early future will be probably Jordan, or I hope so."

Q. - "Did you have an opportunity during the winter break to relax and unwind, and can you tell us what you do for relaxation?"

A. - "Well, relaxation was a bit strange because I went for the New York Marathon in November. That was my only week off I had, and I really enjoyed it. It was a good experience not easy because I didn't have a lot of time to train for it, but I finished the marathon in four hours. That was enough, let's say. I wasn't very happy about it, because I would have gone for three and a half hours, but unfortunately I had many problems with it. So that's what I did. Then I prepared for the winter tests and especially preparing for the new season, because I knew that the season was going to be very important for us and for everybody."

Q. - "Doing a marathon isn't everybody's idea of an ideal way to relax. Do you have a history of running?"

A. - "No, it's just that I like challenges, I like sports, and I knew that to do a marathon and preparing for a marathon in only two months wasn't easy at all, especially when you are a Formula One driver and when you are travelling around the world; you don't have a lot of chance and time to train for it. So I just did it for myself, to get at least some good experience, and some good result for the 2000 season. I enjoyed it, because I kept myself away from Formula One for a week. It was a completely different experience from what I always did in the past. So it was nice, I really enjoyed it."

Q. - "We saw something a few weeks ago where you were quoted as saying that, if you had a Ferrari, you could beat Michael Schumacher. Can you confirm whether that is what you said, and do you really believe that if you were in a Ferrari you could beat Michael Schumacher?"

A. - "Unfortunately, I cannot confirm because what you read in the newspaper wasn't my words. So I confirm that it wasn't my words, when I was here for the car launch. I can only say that I think that, as Formula One driver, as all drivers, we all think that if we've got the right chance, we can compete, we can all compete, to beat the best driver. For sure Michael is the No 1, he's the world's champion, so everybody wants to try to beat him and wants to be as good as him. So what I just say is that if I have a Ferrari, I might have the chance to compete with him and be close. This is my opinion."

Q. - "Incidentally, who do you rate as the top drivers? You are obviously in a very good position to assess them, perhaps much better than someone sitting on the other side of the fence."

A. - "I think that you can see from the results, even if results are given by the competitiveness of the car, for sure Michael is No. 1, together with Hakkinen, and then all the rest. Probably it's difficult to judge all the rest, because a lot is related to the car. You know, Ralf Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Heinz Harald Frentzen and David Coulthard, they are all there trying to show how good they are, but you know you need to have a good car and good chance."

Q. - "How can someone, particularly the ordinary person, the fan, assess how good the drivers at the back of the field are, in the sense that clearly their cars are not as good as Ferraris and McLarens? It has been interesting in the last few days to see Sir Frank Williams talking about how he loves watching the guys further back in the field, because he can appreciate how good they are, how hard they're trying. How can the ordinary person understand that?"

A. - "I think it's difficult, but if you can watch them, you can see that, on the back of the grid, we are fighting very, very hard - harder than what they are fighting in the front - because we are so many people on the back fighting maybe to get a point, as on the top there are only a few people able to fight for winning races. So there's a very tough competition on the back of the field. Plus to really judge a driver, which is not driving for sure for the best team, you have to see how many chances does he get through the season to score points and how many times he really used the chance to score a point. So it is a question of also... it's a matter of luck a little bit, together with ability to score points."

Q. - "You've named who you think are the best drivers. Is it possible for you to be friendly with these guys, very good friends? Or is it just a clinical relationship of you nodding, saying hello?"

A. - "Well, to be honest, it's very difficult to be very friendly or good friends with someone, because we don't spend any time together. We spend a lot of time together on the same racetrack, you know, and same place and city, sometimes same hotel. But everybody spends most of his time in his motel room or in his truck, together with computers and engineers, talking about the car. So honestly, it's very difficult. We are friendly, everybody, we know each other and we meet each other every Sunday, let's say, on the track going around the circle, just waving to the public, and we keep talking sometimes. You know, sometimes you talk with Michael (Schumacher), sometimes you talk with (Gaston) Mazzacane (who drove for Minardi last year in his debut season and has joined the Prost team for this year), sometimes you talk with everyone, and that's nice. But, unfortunately, it's not a very friendly relationship with anyone as a very good friend, because it is impossible. We don't spend time together, and anyway we are rivals - true rivals. But, anyway, we fight very hard when we are on the track."

Q. - "Irrespective of whoever is world champion, is it true that your toughest opponent is always your teammate?"

A. - "I think so. I think your teammate is your toughest rival, because you have got the same car, same materials, same opportunities, same chance. So, sure, when you try to be as competitive as your teammate, it's already a good thing, especially because I feel that honestly if you have a very good teammate, it's always the best thing for you and for the team. I've seen myself learning a lot from everybody, all my teammates, and now I'm learning from Heinz, and we are pushing each other, trying to reach our best. I think is really, really good, because you improve yourself, but also you improve the car performance."

Conclusion: "Thanks very much to everyone for participating, and particularly thanks to Jarno for making his time available, and thanks to Giselle Davies at Jordan for facilitating that. We wish you well for the final test today, Jarno, and we look forward to seeing you in Melbourne - and hopefully you get a great result here."

Q. (for Giselle Davies) - "Does Jarno have a two year contract, or is he contracted for more years than that?"

A. - [Giselle Davies] "He is with us until the end of this season."