The time for podiums has not yet arrived for Trulli

Jarno Trulli believes that Toyota should not expect to do better than a fourth place. It was in this position that the Italian finished the race in Sepang during the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend.

He delivered one of the best performances for the Japanese team in years by holding off Lewis Hamilton in the final laps of the Malaysian race.

But, even if there was a real podium opportunity without the first-corner incident with Nick Heidfeld, the driver thinks that the result in Sepang is the maximum that Toyota can achieve at the moment.

« As I mentioned during and at the end of winter, our tests revealed that we had made progress, » he commented.

« It is right now that we can achieve the best results. The other midfield teams are a bit more behind. »

Although Toyota was one of only two teams to have tested at the Bahrain circuit this year, Trulli is certain that his team will not benefit much from this experience for the next race.

Bahrain is a tough circuit because there are long straights and we lose a bit of time on those straights!

« We still need to improve our single-seater in terms of performance, but in general, I believe we can hope for 6th or 7th place. »

« Anyway, I believe that this year we have a competitive car. It’s a very good result because last year’s, I couldn’t stand it! » Concluded Jarno Trulli.