Zoom Trulli (left) has a lot to prove in 2008

Italian veteran Jarno Trulli is about to start his fourth season with Toyota. 2007 was a major disappointment for all concerned, but Trulli is looking forward to a return to form…

What is your reaction to the 2007 season?
“Let’s put it this way, we could have done better. We all could have done better and we all want to do better. We did not get the results we were expecting so we were not happy at all with our season. But we will have a positive reaction and push hard to make improvements for 2008.”

What are your hopes for 2008?
“My hopes are always high because normally I am very positive. I think that the team has got the potential, the resources, the people and everything necessary to bounce back to the position where we belong. I believe we can produce a good car for next season. This is my hope. It goes without saying that from a personal point of view I expect to score more points and challenge further up the grid than was possible last year.”

Is it realistic for Toyota to aim for the podium in 2008?
“Finishing on the podium is always possible and realistic. Obviously we have to be careful and not be unrealistic – Formula One is a very hard sport so we cannot expect to suddenly be right at the top. We have to be modest and say that we have some work to do to catch up with the very top teams but I think we can bounce back and score points regularly if we do a good job over the winter time. This means we can expect to fight for podiums sometimes.”

Do you believe Toyota has the potential to succeed?
“I am sure of that. It is a very dedicated team with some very good people and we have a lot of potential. We know we still have a lot of work to do to achieve our aims but there is certainly the potential within this team to be successful in Formula One. I am optimistic for the future.”

What lessons did the team learn in 2007?
“You are always learning in life and in Formula One. Last season was difficult for us but we understand there are areas we must improve. Sometimes last season our pace was quite good but we were unable to get the results we were capable of so this is a major factor to improve. There were many small things which cost us positions, for example the problems I had a few times at the start of a race. But when you learn something, you can only improve afterwards so I hope we can avoid similar problems next year.”