Trulli Considered F1 Quit at the End of 2009

Formula One veteran Jarno Trulli admitted that the thought of quitting the series at the end of 2009 did cross through his mind. After Toyota confirmed their withdrawal from the Great Circus at the end of last year, Trulli's prospects in the championship weren't quite appealing. Either he would have gone to a small team and struggle in the dying years of his career, or go to a new team and help it through the early stages of its development.

The opportunity of joining Lotus F1 Team came at a perfect time for the Italian driver, who was already considering leaving the series and moving on in his racing career. However, the NASCAR test he did with Michael Waltrip Racing in the late months of 2009 was not connected in any way with his plans for the future.

“I did consider leaving (F1), and there were some options, but the NASCAR (test) was just a way to try something different. I had been driving a racing car for years and years, and I had never driven a GT or closed-cockpit car, but, eventually, the love for the open cockpit, and the feeling that you have in the open cockpit, was still inside me,” said Trulli, according to crash.net.

“It was too strong, so I was hoping always to get a good chance in F1. And looking at where F1 is heading, this is a good chance,” added the Italian racer.

Lotus announced its plans to return to the sport in 2010 after 16 years away from Formula One, and Trulli admitted that part of the reason why he chose to ink a deal with the Malaysian-backed team was to put his experience at work and help the organization grow stronger in the years to come.

“I would say that an experienced driver is very important, and I have to give the right direction as quick and as well as possible because we have very little time, and the budget is not unlimited for a F1 team these days,” added the 35-year old driver, who will be joined by Grand Prix winner Heikki Kovalainen in the Lotus lineup for 2010.