Transcript of interview with Team Lotus’ Jarno Trulli

As promised, here is the transcript of the interview we had with Team Lotus’ veteran driver, Jarno Trulli. You can even catch him admit that 2010 was his worst ever season in his Formula 1 career.

HARVINDER: You have been regarded as the unlucky one in Lotus Racing this year, with a lot of retirements mainly due to mechanical issues. What do you have to say about that?

JARNO TRULLI: I think I gained the medal of the most lucky driver of the season probably and only at the end of the season I went back to count how many failures I’ve ever had. And the numbers are quite impressive, I didn’t really count during the season as I was not really taking care of it but at the end of the season I counted like 15 failures out of 19 races, so it was impressive. It has been so far my worst season ever, all my life, all my career.

And it’s really down to bad luck because honestly, Heikki hasn’t had so many trouble, he was able to finish races, complete races in perfect form. But on my side it seems I have to get all the bad luck. I don’t mind because in a way I knew that 2010 will be a difficult season and I always took it as a transition season.

What really matters for me is 2011 especially because also Tony Fernandes has put together a very good package, like engine and gearbox that will make us looking very good for next year. I want to forget 2010 and move on to 2011 because it’s a season where we can really start fighting.

Continue reading to check out the rest of the transcript.

HARVINDER: Do you think it was to do with different driving styles?

JARNO TRULLI: No nothing to do with driving styles. A recurrent problem, hydraulics which failed most of the time, I would say 90% of the time. So nothing to do with driving style.

HARVINDER: You’re also famous with other teams for putting on very strong qualifying performances. One lap wonder. Why do people say that? Do you think that you’re better during qualifying and during races your performance drops? Is there such a thing?

JARNO TRULLI: Well it drops, the performance, if you have a bad luck and your car fails, that for sure. You have less chance failing during a 1 lap qualifying, than a 60-lap race. That’s the main issue. And this has been one of the trouble this year as well. Often even though this year I had a lot of trouble in qualifying, but again I showed I was able to prove my speed more in qualifying than in the race. Because in the race it’s after 15 laps but my race was already over.

HARVINDER: Can you share with us , what your future is with Formula 1 now that you’ve competed a very long time. Do you see yourself racing for a third year?

JARNO TRULLI: Well apart from the 2010 season, which I took it as a transition season, I’m going to phase 2011 like a big challenge for me. For me and for the team. Because we want to deliver, we want to get rid of that, we want to score points and I think if we can do that it will be great. It will be great for me as well as for the team.

Because anyone needs motivation, a team as well as a driver and I was happy to really put 2010 back in my shoulder, but now I’m really focussing on 2011 because I miss racing, I miss the fighting, miss the challenge and this is what i’m looking for, for next year.

HARVINDER: Do you see Lotus Racing achieving what Red Bull did?

JARNO TRULLI: It will take time. If we look back at what Red Bull was able to do with the resources they had from the beginning. It just show you how tough it is, the Formula 1 business and how long it might take. For some people, it never happen. I raced for Toyota, they had great resources, unlimited resources and they never achieved what they wanted.

They were never capable of producing a winning car, despite the resources.
Just show how tough and how difficult is Formula 1. So i think that Team Lotus and Tony are extremely committed but they will need to understand that it will take some time to reach the top. Even though, i think now already for next year Tony has done a good job, put a very nice package together, gearbox and engine which make me feel confident.

HARVINDER: What didn’t you like about this year’s car?

JARNO TRULLI: Yeah reliability obviously. But especially at the end, once I have sorted the things out the car was more drivable by the time I was more capable of driving and pushing it to the limit. While at the beginning I was suffering a lot with the power steering, with the front suspension, with several stuff, which we couldn’t fix. But I hope for next year we have more tools to work, more reliability and definitely more speed.

HARVINDER: You’ve tried out the Pirelli tires, what do you think?

JARNO TRULLI: They’re very different from the Bridgestone, so we need to expect a change in the driving, a change in the performance a change in the characteristic and as well we need to change our car. So we collect some data, probably it’s not enough. It’s going to be interesting. Because during the winter testing we need to quickly find out what’s right and what’s wrong with the car and we need to react in order to be ready for the first race.

HARVINDER: What do you hope to accomplish with Lotus Racing next year?

JARNO TRULLI: I think the objective is to try to be in the top ten and finish top eight, obviously this is only, at the moment a dream, which we have to turn into reality and given the package we have, we can do it, but now it’s solely out of our hands. Engineers hands, during the winter in order to develop build, design a car, which has to be quick and reliable. And then it’s up to our driver, to help deliver the result on track.

But first we need a competitive car. I’m confident, but i’m always very realistic, so at the moment it’s hard to say we’re going to be that. I can be certain to tell you that we going to be much better than 2010, we’re going to be much closer to the top teams. But where we’re going to be, it’s for anyone impossible to say now.

We feel, I feel we have the package to be in that position, around eight in the constructor’s championship, but if you want to do that, we can also do that but it’s down now to the engineers hands during the winter time they will develop the car aerodynamically and make sure that the car is safe enough and all well built together in order to deliver a good result.

HARVINDER: What are your comments on this whole issue regarding using the name Team lotus, and Lotus Renault coming in next season with a possibility of that?

JARNO TRULLI: Honestly, it’s none of my business. I’ve been following it, I didn’t ask much to Tony or anyone in the team, I’m glad that we now kept the name. I think fans in general, recognize this team as the real Lotus team, and then the only think i can say is that I’m happy that we kept the name, first because Tony was brave enough with everybody on this team to take this team, the Lotus name back into Formula 1 after 16 years.

And after all his effort and investment it would really a big shame if they had taken it away. Especially because after one year we’ve been established as a Lotus Formula 1 team, in this business and people recognize us, recognize Tony, recognize this team as they real Formula 1 Lotus company. We’re talking about Formula 1 only. So a racing Formula 1 team. No matter whatever you want to call it, Lotus Team, Racing Team, Formula Lotus Team, no matter.

But it seems that Lotus in the past, the Formula 1 Lotus team, has been always something apart from the Group Lotus. It was a standing alone company and this is what it is like now. So I can’t say it’s right or wrong, be called Lotus Team (Team Lotus) now or whatever. I can only say i’m happy with that this team and especially Tony, can keep working as a Lotus Team name and especially can keep writing story in the history of Formula 1.

HARVINDER: Do you think that it will be any different if somehow the name is taken away and you have to be called something else, do you think it will take away the morale of the team? Will it change anything? change performance?

JARNO TRULLI: In the end of the day, I don’t think so. It will only be bad, in my opinion, against the spectators and the fans. Because, honestly all fans we’ve had around the world, all fans, recognize this team, this people, this driver as a lotus driver. Now taking this away, will be a cheat against the fans, because for one year it we’ve been called Lotus Team (Lotus Racing) and then you take it away and the team is still there, people are still there so, what did you say before, what did you do before.

It will be something like cheating against fans. It would be bad, so I’m really hopeful that the team is going to be called Lotus Team (Team Lotus) for next year because this is what people want.

HARVINDER: You have raced for many other teams before this, Is it different racing with this team? Is there a special bond here, because walking into the factory we feel a lot of passion.

JARNO TRULLI: There are many things which make this team different and special, the name, the place. Because this team was born in a Lotus area. This is where it all began. And because in a way it’s a small team, like it was small in the past and wants to become a big team like it was in the past. Lotus has written history and I think now Tony will be same, want to keep writing story about Lotus Team and Formula 1. So that’s why this team is so special.

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