Trulli 'more motivated than ever'

The Italian has high hopes for the upcoming campaign after the new TF108 car has proven to be a breakthrough in performance compared to previous cars from the Japanese squad.

Trulli admits he can't wait to start racing, and insists the new car is a big step forward and is hopeful the team will be competitive in Melbourne.

"I am always excited by the start of a new season and this year I am probably more motivated than ever," said Trulli in a team preview.

"Testing has gone well with the new car; we have made good progress and we know the right direction to work in so I am optimistic.

"This year's car is a big improvement; it is very different to the TF107 and we have a lot of potential to continue the improvement we have seen in testing. I really enjoy visiting Australia and Melbourne in particular so I am looking forward to good weather and another enthusiastic crowd, as we always seem to get at Albert Park.

"The circuit isn't the most challenging but it's nice to drive and I hope we can be competitive. I am totally focused on getting a strong result this weekend and I think we have a good chance to score points."

Teammate Timo Glock returns to Grand Prix action for the first time since 2004, and the German is also eager for the racing to begin.

"The Australian Grand Prix will be my race debut for Toyota so I am very excited," he said. "The Albert Park track is a very picturesque street circuit but it is not the most challenging circuit on the calendar for a driver.

"It's a quite an unusual track because it is only used for the Australian Grand Prix; there are no other motorsport meetings there during the year.

"This means that every time we go there it is a green track, so there is no grip at all to start with, and that makes it sometimes quite difficult to find the right direction in terms of the set-up.

"But this is the same for everyone and I have an experienced teammate in Jarno so that should help me a little bit."