Trulli: No Regrets over Renault Split

Italian Jarno Trulli says he has no regrets after leaving the Renault team before the end of the 2004 season.

Renault's relationship with Trulli, this year's Monaco Grand Prix winner who has already announced he is leaving - almost certainly for Toyota - has soured in recent weeks. Trulli has failed to score any points for five races, and last weekend at Monza he accused Renault of trying to undermine him.

On Tuesday, Renault announced they have part ways with Trulli and that former champion Jacques Villeneuve had agreed to test with them today and tomorrow.

"The important thing for me is to be able to work with my new team already this month, otherwise I would have to wait until November," Trulli told Gazzetta dello Sport. "This way I save some important time. Let's say I'm preparing the new season.

"No [regrets], I have a clear conscience: I've always given it all and more," the Italian added. "For me the fine results of this season do the talking: the fantastic victory in Montecarlo, the two poles at the Principality and Spa. And I'm also the Renault driver with more points in the Championship and ranked in fourth place.

"And then in qualifying I haven't been too bad compared to my teammate... but this is the past: a good past. The split? At this point it made no sense to live like divorcees in the same house. It's better to take another route and to think about 2005."

Team principal Flavio Briatore said he had a clear conscience too.

"I have to trust what our engineers say and I can only repeat that Trulli has had an identical car to that of [Fernando] Alonso, but did not perform like him," said Briatore. "We've spoken to him, and we didn't figure out the reasons. Renault has a clear conscience.

"A situation of mutual mistrust arose with Trulli, which made it impossible to go on. I feel sorry, but we're done with him: there would have been no use to go on and reciprocally hurt each other."

33-year-old Villeneuve will have two days to prove his worth in a Formula One car, and Briatore believes the Canadian will be competitive right away.

"If Jacques wants to carry on in F1 in 2005, now he has three races with us with which to push forward, while helping us with the Constructors' Championship," Briatore added. "I've seen him full of enthusiasm, fit, and resolute. I think we'll see him at the top level straight away."