Following Saturday's qualifying session, a clearly demoralised Jarno Trulli told a group of Italian journalists that the atmosphere within the Renault team has changed since he announced his intention to leave at the end of the season.

The Italian even suggested that there was a movement within the team to force him to quit before the end of the season.

"He tells me I have changed," said Trulli, referring to team boss Flavio Briatore, "that I don't believe in the car any more. When things go right, it's down to the car. When they go wrong, it's the driver's fault.

"I really couldn't do more than that," he said, referring to his qualifying performance. "I've been saying for two months that the car is not the same as it was, that it betrays me when I take it to the limit.

"In seven years I have never had a team mate out-qualify me here," he added. "Fernando? I know that he is supposed to be in front of me at the moment and here we had yet another demonstration. He is the Renault driver now."

Despite a historic win at Monaco, when it was widely regarded as mere formality that Trulli would continue to partner Alonso in 2005 and beyond, there was talk that all was not well within the team, much of this put down to 'issues' between the Italian and Briatore.

To outsiders the situation appeared to come to a head when Trulli made a mistake at the final corner of the French GP, allowing Rubens Barrichello to take third position.

A few weeks later, Trulli issued a personal statement announcing that he would be leaving Renault at the end of the season, which was followed shortly afterwards by the news that Giancarlo Fisichella had been signed to partner Alonso.

Since then, Trulli's performances have been hit and miss, while the team has appeared to have lost some of the flair and drive it showed at the beginning of the season.

Trulli's comments to the media have not gone down well with his boss.

"I think Jarno is suffering from a syndrome," Briatore told Gazzetta dello Sport. "What interest could we have in making life difficult for him when we are still fighting for second place in the constructors' championship and we need to get both cars to the finish and in the points?

"It's madness," he added. "There is no wish to distance him from us because we are paying him to the end of the season. He could also benefit from demonstrating all his worth to Toyota."

Trulli, who announced earlier this week that he has a contract for 2005, but refused to say who with, is widely assumed to be joining the Japanese team.