25/11/2010
NEWS STORY
Jarno Trulli has strongly hinted that he expects to remain with Lotus in 2011.
Following a lacklustre season, much of it due to technical problems with the car, many thought that the popular Italian would be one of the drivers to lose his seat. Indeed, some have said they thought Trulli's 234 Grand Prix career - which makes him the fifth most experienced driver in the history of the sport - was at an end.
However, talking to BBC Radio Norfolk yesterday, Trulli said it was 'business as usual' as far as he and the team are concerned.
"I'll go to the factory in a few days to get ready and prepare the 2011 season chassis, cockpit and seat," he said. "Then I will probably have a break with my family, just relaxing."
Referring to his 2010 season, which saw him retire seven times, and where his best result was 13th (Japan), the Italian chose Brazil as his stand-out race.
"It's really hard to find a highlight for me, but Brazil was a great weekend, nearly a smooth weekend for me," he said. "I qualified well, unfortunately during the race I had another failure, but my pace was unbelievably quick.
"At the end of the season I found something in the setup and car characteristic which gave me a good step in terms of performance," he added. "In the end I was happy with it even though it was a tough season."
After a difficult season in which his team was essentially seen as the best of the newbies, the Italian veteran remains philosophical.
"You've got to have the motivation in order to push harder, no matter where you are at the end of a lap," he said. "Some performances have been pretty bad compared to what I was used to. But nevertheless I have always tried to get the best out of myself and the car, I've still enjoyed a lot of good fights."
Meanwhile, reports that in a totally uncynical move, 'The Team Currently Known as Lotus', who will sport a black and gold livery next season, is to ask Jarno and Heikki (Kovalainen) to change their names to Mario and Ronnie, is thought to be the work of website editors with too much time on their hands.