Trulli: Jordan and BAR will wage war

Trulli, who sampled Jordan's new EJ11 chassis for the first time this week, thinks the Honda-powered fight will push both teams up the Formula 1 grid as the season progresses. While Jarno and team-mate Heinz-Harald Frentzen tested at Silverstone, BAR's Jacques Villeneuve and Olivier Panis were doing likewise in Spain as each search for an early advantage.

"It's very good for us, very good for everybody, because both teams will want to beat the other in this little war," he said. "Both teams want to be the best, so we will have more and more developments through the season as everyone works harder and harder. I think we will probably be more competitive because of this."

The 26-year-old is confident he can improve on his tenth place in last year's World Championship - his best result in the points standings so far - but hasn't set himself any specific aims.

"I have no targets for this season," he said. "I know that the target is set by how good the car is, and I don't know that yet, so I can't say. We are under pressure from Honda, they really want to do very well and are putting a lot of effort in - they don't want any excuses."

This year could be his last as a Jordan driver, as his contract finishes at the end of the season, but he hasn't ruled out staying with the Silverstone-based team.

"During the middle of the season I can decide what to do. I have a contract with Flavio Briatore which is nothing to do with Benetton. He is my manager, but I decide where I want to go. He might ask me to go to Benetton but if this team [Jordan] is the number one this year, do you think I will go? I don't think so, I will stay!" he quipped.

Trulli has also dispelled rumours that he bears a grudge against Jenson Button after they collided in both the Belgian and US Grands Prix, causing the Italian to retire on both occasions. After the second of these, Jarno branded Jenson "an idiot" - but says he has no axe to grind with the Briton for 2001.

"I have nothing really against him," said Trulli. "I had two collisions with him last year and, unfortunately, it happened when I was having a difficult season, so it was hard to accept. Now I regret the words I said about him at the time, they came after three retirements in a row and two of those were with him. I was just really, really upset. We both have to learn to stay away from accidents. I certainly learnt a lot last year and will be more careful on the racetrack this season."

Trulli is also happy to accept the fact that 21-year-old Kimi Raikkonen will be on the Grand Prix grid this season, despite his inexperience of car racing.

"For sure we have to monitor him because he's very young, but I don't think he will be dangerous for us," he said. "We all know how dangerous Formula 1 is and no-one is going to take a deliberate risk. I have always been confident in young drivers and I was one of the few drivers who supported Jenson to come into Formula 1. I said 'just let him race and we will see' and I was right."