Trulli declares 'new start' in Valencia

The Italian has been outpaced by Lotus team-mate Heikki Kovalainen for much of the year and has also suffered more mechanical problems.

But he has a new chassis for Valencia and managed to outqualify Kovalainen to top the group of new teams in 19th. He was pleased not just with the result, but also with how serene his weekend had been.

"I'm feeling quite a lot happier now - things have been getting better all weekend now I have the new chassis, and as I've not had any real problems I've been able to work on the set-up, which obviously helped today," Trulli said.

"I do still have a bit of an issue with the brakes, but it feels like a new start from where I've been and I'm pleased with the performance today.

"We are another step ahead of the teams behind and I think we'll be ok tomorrow."

Team boss Tony Fernandes was delighted by Trulli's change of fortune.

"There's a lot of good points that have come out of today - the main one is that we've finished quite comfortably ahead of Virgin and HRT, and it was great to hear Jarno happy over the radio," Fernandes said. "His new chassis looks like it may have brought about a change in luck, so let's hope that continues tomorrow."

While Trulli was more content than of late, Kovalainen was less happy with his car.

"It was a little disappointing for me out there today," said the Finn. "I didn't feel as comfortable as I did yesterday, when I was very happy with the car. Today it seems I had to fight the car a bit, and I really had to attack to get some good times."