Trulli: Toyota has learned from Bahrain

Jarno Trulli is adamant that Toyota has learned from the strategic mistakes that cost a possible victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix

The 34-year-old started from pole position, but slipped behind Timo Glock at the start and was forced to switch from a three-stop to a two-stop strategy.

He ended up finishing third, with Glock seventh, after both lost time during a long stint on the slower prime tyre compound.

"We have learned a lot, not only the team but me as well," Trulli told AUTOSPORT. "We have the car to fight to win, but not to dominate. The only chance to win is to get it right every single step.

"Third was the worst possible scenario for me, because I was very quick. This just shows that races are so close and details are so important. You need to look after every little detail."

Trulli says that although the decision to run long on the prime tyres was not the right one in the end, it was based upon the data the team had at the time.

"We have deeply analysed the situation," said Trulli. "My race was bad from the start, when my engine had a hesitation because of oil spillage. It's not about losing that one position. Because of the poor start and losing ground at the beginning, we had to shift to a two-stop strategy.

"That meant that I had to go for a very long mid stint on the hard tyres. There was a bigger chance of falling away with soft tyres.

"It was much easier choice for the others because they started with a bit more fuel at the beginning of the race so they could see the tyre performance. They had more data to make their decisions.

"All in all, we haven't handled it in the best way but we cannot say we got it completely wrong. We went according to our data."

Trulli is hopeful that the team will be in contention for victory in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix and that the development parts that will run tomorrow will help it stay at the front.

The team will introduce new versions of its front and rear wing, as well as a number of other bodywork changes.

"I'm always confident," Trulli told AUTOSPORT. "We'll see how we go compared to the rest. It's looking pretty good.

"It's always down to the rest of the field because everybody will bring some upgrades here. I stay confident because I believe we have got a good base car. Three podiums in four races shows how good it is."