Q & A with Jarno Trulli

JT: "It's not been easy for us during the last few weeks ­ that's why we've played it quiet. 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."

Q. Do you have some steering problems?

JT: "We have this problem with the car ­ general handling, grip, consistency. We are affected a lot by the wind and that's strange because the wind is the same for everyone and you lose and gain relatively to everyone else but it seems worse for us."

Q. Are there any tyre issues too?

JT: "It's a big question mark. We have a lot of big question marks. The major change from last year is the tyres which are definitely completely different from the tyres we used last year. So it's just like changing tyres ­ the car is behaving completely differently and we are struggling a lot.

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

Q. So what's the next step?

JT: "We need to work on the parallel sides of reliability and performance. We are far further off target than expected."

Q. Do you expect to be fighting in the midfield then?

JT: "I think we are right in the midfield ­ sometimes we look good and sometimes we look really bad.

Q. What's the for that?

JT: "Honestly, now we can understand why we are sometimes quick and other times very slow and we've pointed out the problem but we don't have an answer yet, which is not nice. So it hasn't been so nice but it hasn't been so bad on my car."

Q. Is the team working well In Cologne?

JT: "This is another point and we shall see once the season gets underway. It's always difficult to judge before the season starts. You never understand what's going on because you don't always have the best parts ­ you just check some parts and don't know how the car is.

"Sometimes during testing reliability hasn't been perfect but at the moment it's difficult to judge anything. I'm not down but before we say anything we need to be sure what we're saying because this test really showed a lot of problems."

Q. Is the pressure from Japan raising?

JT: "It's not a question of money or motivation because we have already tried to win races ­ but to win races you need a good car and a reliable one. And Williams has got similar engines so if they show good performance, at least one thing could be a positive thing ­ the engine.

"But we'll have to wait and see. But for the rest we really need to look at a lot of things and work in a better way. Again, what I repeat is that here last year was the worst grand prix of the season for us. I don't know if it's due to the circuit layout and conditions so I'm very careful at the moment and we are all trying to understand."