Happy Trulli expecting stronger race

Jarno Trulli is confident his Toyota team will be stronger in tomorrow`s race than they were in qualifying in Bahrain.

The Italian, who has qualified in the top seven in all three races so far this season, said he was exactly were he wanted to be, after qualifying behind the two Ferraris, the two McLarens, and the two BMWs.

“We are exactly where we wanted to be,” said Trulli. “Seventh is the best we could achieve in these conditions because we know that Ferrari, McLaren and BMW are still a little bit quicker.

“So I`m happy, particularly because we again easily made it into the top 10.

“Before Q3 our fuel rig had an electrical problem so we had to change the rig but it worked out in the end. The car seems well balanced and I am comfortable but obviously we all want a little bit more. We are catching up and we are getting closer to the front.

“Even if the race is tough with these windy conditions, I`m confident that I will be stronger in the race than in qualifying so we can definitely get points.”

Teammate Timo Glock was unable to match Trulli`s pace, having to settle for 13th position after not feeling confident with his car during his final run in Q2.

“It was a bit difficult today, especially with the last set of tyres in Q2,” he said. “On the first run I had confidence in the car and I knew that I could go quicker.

“But on the out lap for the last run I could feel that it wasn`t working the same way. The wind also made it more difficult and the lap was not perfect so I couldn`t improve my time.

“That took me out of the top ten so it just didn`t happen this time. I`m disappointed because the last two Saturdays have been good for us and this makes it more difficult at the first corner tomorrow. Still, we will push hard to gain ground during the race.”

5.4.2008   ▪ Formula One    ▪ Trulli    ▪ www.autosport.com