Q: John, how much of a surprise was the Mayalsian result?
John Howett: The team has been working very hard throughout the winter. I think everybody was uncertain - because of the very difficult winter test conditions, the resurfacing of Barcelona - where we were, and I think Jarno clearly demonstrated the pace of the car at the beginning of the Australian race and in qualifying and then I think demonstrated and confirmed where we are currently.
Q: Jarno, obviously a difficult weekend for you at Sepang. How do you feel about this race?
Jarno Trulli: Yes, I believe that every weekend we have to go down and see where we are. We know we have a good car for a good baseline but we still have to discover it, we still have to learn a lot of things. For example, we have learned quite a lot from Australia to Malaysia and in Malaysia we got it better from the beginning to the end of the race. Here we've got similar conditions and we just hope to be competitive. We never know if we're going to be as competitive as we were in Malaysia, because obviously we were very quick but it will be nice to be always in the points and fighting for the top positions. At the end of the day, Toyota has got the potential to do it and we are constantly working on and improving our car.
Q: Do you feel you can be consistent championship contenders?
JT: I am more realistic. I am optimistic but I keep my feet on the ground and say we still have a lot of work to do. The potential is high but we are not using it completely yet. We are working on many areas to improve our car performance and I believe we will have races where we will perform better than others. I'm sure Malaysia was one of those. What we have to do is to prove our package at every race and try to do our best during this season. This is not the right season yet to fight for the championship, but the start is quite promising.
Q: You said the conditions were right in Sepang, given that it's 36 degrees out there and 51 degrees track temperature, is it going to be the same here?
JT: We remain confident, because, as I say, the conditions are very similar here. We have understood quite a lot about the tyres and we believe here we've got a similar package which might help our car and chassis. On the engine side we are okay, we have had full finishes in two races. I remain confident, but I want to keep my feet on the ground and I want to discover the weekend then at the end of the weekend I can talk better about it.
Q: John, just to go back to that point that Jarno made that you couldn't really totally fight for the championship, is that the case?
JH: I think it's realistic. We are still a young team. I think we have a very good baseline, as Jarno said, and we have a lot of improvements in the pipeline for both chassis and engine and we just have to keep up the momentum and see how the season moves. I think, all along, we thought we would have the best season ever and that's really our target and ambition, and if at the end of the season we are fighting for the top two or three places in the championship for us it will be extremely good.
Q: Do you notice a different atmosphere now in the factory at Cologne?
JH: Yeah, sure. People have been working very hard, particularly the guys working in the composite shops day and night to make the parts, so I think everybody's really happy. I think they felt that we had been knocking on the door of something like this and probably haven't demonstrated the full capability of the whole team and therefore they are delighted, so yeah, they are putting even more effort in.
Q: Is there a lot coming onto the car for Imola?
JH: Oh yeah. We have improvements on both chassis and engine for Imola and we have a clear programme. I think we're trying to accelerate as hard as we can to get more, but I guess every other team will be doing the same. It is that relative performance that probably makes the sport so enjoyable and so thrilling.
Q: Can you look at the results so far and say 'that's where we think we are' or is it still really up in the air?
JH: I think you can't deny that it wasn't a fluke what Jarno achieved and I think that was reinforced by Ralf in Sepang, so clearly the baseline is very good, but we have got to keep the pressure up and we've got to keep the improvements otherwise we will stand still and we've got keep this momentum running. But I'm confident that both Mike (Gascoyne) and Luca (Marmiroli) can do that with the people they've got with them.
Q: Jarno, has it been difficult settling into such an already big organisation? Has it been difficult to find your way around?
JT: I think it is never easy when you join a number one constructor which obviously wants to do well in Formula One. There was a lot of pressure, there is still a lot of pressure. I think both me and Ralf have settled in really well, thanks to the people who are working with the team who are definitely helping us. They are listening and they trust in us and the job we are doing and eventually this result that came in Sepang, not only from me but also Ralf's performance, it was an answer to all those people who have been working with us and showing the direction. It is always difficult when you change teams but to be honest this time was easier than any other time before.
Q: I guess the success brings everyone together…
JT: Yeah, I think so.
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