Trulli Dreaming of Maiden F1 Win

Jarno Trulli clocked the best lap, dominated the day, smiled at the weather and pulled his cap down firmly to face the media.

It was Friday afternoon after another good performance in qualifying and the eternal F1 bridesmaid was about to talk about securing his elusive first win. Maybe, he suggested, in Sunday's United States Grand Prix.

"I was very lucky today, we were lucky as a team because of the rain and so on, so, maybe, maybe, at last, I can get a pole position and a win….. Why not?" he said.

In 111 Grands Prix, nearly all filled with promise and speed, Jarno Trulli has emerged as a 'nearly man'. He is nearly on pole - actually he was second on the grid in Malaysia and Britain this year and has been second also in Belgium and Monaco in the past - and he is nearly a winner, finishing second at the European Grand Prix in 1999.

But every time he is quick on a Friday, he usually prefaces his answers with "well, it is just Friday."

Not any more.

This time, after dominating all three sessions in changing conditions at the Indianapolis Speedway, he oozed relaxed confidence. He brimmed with well-being. He radiated the kind of focus that said he can do it. At last.

"I am waiting for it to happen and I am sure one day it will," he said. "I know I can do it and I just have to stay cool and wait. I will win some day. It can happen. But I am not making a prediction."

Reverting to his and the team's usual attempts at poker-faced caution, Trulli pointed out that the three Championship contenders and their teams had lost most of their preparation time due to the bad weather.

He, on the other hand, had benefited from two hours of perfect preparation, plenty of tyre testing and some long runs with the car to work on set-up changes.

"We know Williams, McLaren and Ferrari will improve and it will be tougher on Saturday, but we can do it. The win by Fernando in Budapest did so much for us, for everyone. It was a great boost to the team. So, I know we can still be confident for tomorrow. And we will run the new specification engine. It is a good step… Yes, a very good step."

He declined to attempt assessments of the value of the step. Instead, he smiled.

"You know, we came here expecting this to be a Bridgestone weekend, like everyone said, and for it to be tough, but it is not so bad for us," he said. "So now, maybe, it will be the chance for me to take that victory when I don't expect it. When I am relaxed.

"Of course, I will try hard to do it, but I am not going to expect it. I just want to do all I can. Things are going so much better now for us, the team. Last year, I was not so happy with the car. I did not like its handling. Now this year's car is much better and the team is much more professional.

"It is better balanced, much less pitch-sensitive. Everyone has done a lot of very hard work. And we are working on long-term projects with the aerodynamics and the mechanical side of things. We have plans already for 2004 and 2005.

"We know we have a small lack of power compared to the big top teams, but the car is very good. The engine is light and it has a low centre of gravity in the car and that has helped the performance a lot. This is why we are doing so much better, the podiums, the points and that win in Budapest.

"Of course, it was great for Fernando to win and I was very happy. People say we don't get on and that is not true. He is a good young guy and he is a nice guy and he is learning and we get on well. He is a very good team-mate for me and that is the most important thing. We both want to win."