Trulli laments troubled winter

Winning their first race remains the big target for the team in 2007, but testing times during the winter suggest the wait will go on.

The Cologne-based squad have been hindered by quite a lot reliability problems that have slowed their progress down, leaving Trulli believing that there is still a lot of work to do before the team can be competitive.

"It's not been easy for us during the last few weeks ­ that's why we've played it quiet," Trulli told Autosport after last week's test in Bahrain.

"We found out that in general we are missing some pace and have several problems around the car. This is very clear to everyone. The laptimes told very clearly.

"On top of that, reliability has been an issue for the past two weeks ­ and Wednesday in Bahrain was probably our worst day of the entire winter testing. We haven't really done many laps and have had several failures.

"So it has been difficult but nevertheless we need to carry on working because the potential is still there but we have to understand what is right and what's wrong before we can deal with the problems.

"Aerodynamically we have seen some areas where we are lacking ­ but the difference is too big compared to where we should be," he added.

"The laptimes here obviously show our pace but don't show our true performance ­ I honestly can't believe that the car is so bad. We have several problems and we cannot hide ­- it's a fact."

Toyota are carrying out a final test at Jerez this week, testing a revised aerodynamic package they hope it will make them more competitive at the Australian Grand Prix next week.