Trulli: « Winning is vital to keep Toyota in F1 »

Jarno Trulli, a driver at Toyota, stated that a first victory this season will be an essential element for the Japanese manufacturer if it wishes to stay in Formula 1 in the long term.

The largest car manufacturer has repeatedly insisted that it has no intention of leaving the sport despite the current economic crisis, which has already forced Honda to withdraw from the F1 starting grids.

« Toyota’s message was very clear: We are continuing in F1, but we need to bring home a victory that could be decisive for the future, » said Trulli to the Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Toyota, which is unveiling its new single-seater right now, joined the premier category of motorsports in 2002. In seven seasons, the team has secured eight podiums but no victories.

« The circuit doesn’t matter; what counts is performing well in the first six races, » he added.

The Italian also admitted that he was not very sure about the progress of his team on the development of the KERS.

« I don’t know much about the KERS: I think it’s an internal project, about which we drivers are not informed. Energy recovery raises many questions. This system could be a double-edged sword. »

« No one knows what you can gain and what you can lose with this system. First, reliability will have to be verified before it can be evaluated. »

« Despite all the cost reductions, they found a solution, KERS, which for me has enormous development costs. It appears as a big contradiction, but that’s just my point of view, » concluded Jarno Trulli.