Coming into F1 without proper aerodynamic and technical packages, it was pretty clear from the get go that Lotus will be happy to finish races, rather than score points in 2010. And Trulli realized it from the first tests, which is why he agreed to at least a 2-year deal with Tony Fernandes' team. Now that he has been confirmed for a second consecutive campaign with the team, alongside Heikki Kovalainen, Trulli voiced his thought over his initial move to Lotus.
“At the first test it was obvious what the facts were,” said the Italian racer in a recent interview with Dutch magazine formule1.nl. “I knew the year was over and the only way to keep motivation was to count down to next season.”
The prospects for 2011 are much more optimistic, now that the team has managed to secure some string technical partnerships for the year to come (new engine supplier in Renault, new gearbox partner in Red Bull). However, looking back at the 2010 campaign, Trulli can't stop from feeling relieved it's all over.
“Of course I expected a difficult season in terms of performance, but not so much on the reliability side. By the end, I was used to it. What can you do? Getting angry doesn't help. The worst thing was when you had to just finish the race. In Brazil for example the hydraulics failed and I still managed to finish, but it's not how you like to drive.”
“But by Brazil I had reached a point when I didn't get angry. Not that I was indifferent, but I was doing it for the team. It was important to beat the other newcomers to finish tenth in the world championship, so it doesn't matter if you're not performing as you want or are tired of the hydraulics failing – the team comes first.”
“Anyway, the season is over now. I managed to motivate myself until the last race and I'm really looking forward to 2011,” he concluded.
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