Jarno Trulli does not feel threatened by Van der Garde
While Giedo van der Garde has tested the CT01 before Jarno Trulli, the Italian assures once again that he has a contract for 2012 even though he hardly conceals that his position remains fragile in the face of the current economic situation and the financial advantages of some drivers, who are currently on the sidelines.
Although, since the official announcement of Narain Karthikeyan at HRT ten days ago, the 2012 Formula One World Championship grid is complete, rumors surrounding Jarno Trulli’s seat at Caterham continue to circulate, fueled during the Jerez tests by the presence of Giedo van der Garde, the wealthy third driver of the Malaysian team, who had the opportunity to discover the new CT01 before the Italian veteran who, like the Dutchman, only had one day of running compared to two for the other main driver of the team, Heikki Kovalainen: « At the last minute, they signed Van der Garde and it was important for the team to give some experience to their third driver, which is why they let him drive. He did relatively good work in terms of distance covered and, from there, we will start to plan the next test sessions because I was initially scheduled to drive. »
Constrained for several months to repeatedly remind that he has a contract with Caterham for 2012, the Italian driver again tells Autosport that he is sure he will be racing this season, even though he understands the temptations some teams might have to succumb to the allure of money: « I understand the position of some teams and that, unfortunately, we are going through a very difficult economic period worldwide, and there are therefore certain teams experiencing difficulties. I do not know their actual situation, but I know they have to find sponsors and paying drivers, so for now, all I can say is that I am under contract with the team and that I will do the testing. »
The statements from the Italian do not completely dispel doubts, and Jarno Trulli himself ultimately relies on the fact that, for the moment, no one within his team has said anything to the contrary: « If something different happens, I hope someone from the team will come to me and talk about it as soon as possible, but until now, we have never discussed it during this offseason. »
The Van der Garde threat still looms over the head of the Pescara native, following the one posed by Vitaly Petrov in recent weeks. Indeed, in an interview with Auto Hebdo, the Dutchman revealed that he hopes to have more opportunities to drive the CT01 before Melbourne: « It hasn’t been easy to fully exploit the new tires and brakes; it will be better next time. The team is happy with my performance. I hope to have another test day before the season starts. »
