Jarno Trulli column

It was good to get some points in Malaysia, but it was a bit disappointing after we looked so good there last year. We were looking forward to it because we were confident, but as soon as we hit the track, we were struggling a little bit compared to last year. We knew we were on the limit. We still knew that the car was competitive, but certainly we didn't look as good as last year.

We improved our car performance from Friday to Saturday, but it still remained a bit difficult to drive. The other thing was that we both made a mistake in qualifying because we were looking for something better, and pushing hard. I made a huge mistake at the same corner where Fernando spun off. I was closer to going out than staying in! I have to apologise to the team, because they gave us a quick car.

Qualifying lasted over two hours this time. If you finish on top at the previous grand prix you're going to end up hitting the track at the beginning and probably if everything goes right, at the end. There's a long wait in the middle!

We've been making good starts, and we worked very hard over the winter to make it more easy for us. In the race I really enjoyed fighting with Jenson. He gave me the space, I gave him the space. It was a fair battle, and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately he got it right, and he finished third. We had an unexpected problem with front tyre graining on both cars, and we lost a lot of ground there, so I ended up fifth.

Honestly, it was very strange. We expected an oversteering race and an oversteering car, and we had completely the opposite. It was very unexpected. It was a real shame, because we were looking quite good for the first part of the race, and then we couldn't make the same lap time any more.

At least we both finished, so that was good for reliability. We have another engine step coming for Imola, and I think it will be a huge improvement again. At the moment for reliability we've been prepared to take it a bit easier than normal.

Bahrain is next. Of course it will be a new circuit for everybody, so we'll enjoy something different. It will be hot like in Malaysia, but slightly drier, I think. I don't expect any rain!