Trulli Happy with Toyota's First Podium
Jarno Trulli said it was "fantastic" to be the driver to hand Formula One newcomers Toyota their first ever podium in their third year in the sport with third place in the Malaysian Grand Prix
Italian Trulli looked strong in qualifying and started from the front row for the second consecutive race, but many doubters predicted his pace to drop away and tipped him to fail to stay in the podium positions at the end of the race.
He proved them wrong, however.
"It is fantastic to bring the first podium finish to Toyota," said the Italian. "The team have done a good job over the winter and we are now on the pace and looking strong.
"I had an extremely good start but the Renault seems to get away well. I drove my race, I was competitive, I started managing the race, taking care of the tyres because I had a tyre problem in the first race in Australia.
"I was controlling it, the team kept telling me to slow down. We were quite comfortable on reliability even though the conditions are difficult here. I started lowering the revs."
Trulli, who dedicated his front row start to his friend Stefano, who died at the weekend, thanked his physio this time and said: "The heat was very hard on the drivers and it was difficult because I was sick at the start of the week."
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Drivers | Jarno Trulli |
| Teams | Toyota Racing |
| Author | Will Gray |
Albert Park Circuit Modifications Project
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team: Bahrain GP Race Debrief
The double whammy that is defining Vettel’s F1 fate
It's been a tough start to Sebastian Vettel's Aston Martin F1 career, with a lack of pre-season testing mileage followed by an incident-packed Bahrain GP. But two key underlying factors mean a turnaround is no guarantee
The diva that stole a march on F1’s wide-bodied opposition
In 2017 new F1 technical regulations were supposed to add drama - and peg Mercedes back. STUART CODLING looks at the car which, while troubled, set the stage for the wide-bodied Formula 1 era
The themes to watch in F1’s Imola return
Three weeks is a long time in Formula 1, but in the reshaped start to the 2021 season the teams head to Imola to pick things up after the frenetic Bahrain opener. Here's what to look out for and the developments to follow at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The 'new' F1 drivers who need to improve at Imola
After a pandemic-hit winter of seat-swapping, F1 kicked off its season with several new faces in town, other drivers adapting to new environments, and one making a much-anticipated comeback. BEN ANDERSON looks at who made the most of their opportunity and who needs to try harder…
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says NIGEL ROEBUCK
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of car-racing titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Are we at peak F1 right now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How crucial marginal calls will decide the Red Bull vs Mercedes battle in F1 2021
The longer Red Bull can maintain a performance edge over Mercedes, the better the odds will be in the team’s favour against the defending world champions. But as the Bahrain Grand Prix showed, many more factors will be critical in the outcome of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship
