Jarno Trulli
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person
Jarno Trulli (Template:IPA; born 13 July 1974) is an Italian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from Template:F1 to Template:F1. Trulli won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix with Renault.
He regularly competed in Formula One from 1997 to 2011, driving for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault, Toyota and Lotus. His best result in the World Drivers' Championship was sixth place in Template:F1, also the year in which he scored his sole victory at the Template:F1GP. Throughout his Formula One career, Trulli was renowned for his skill in qualifying, regularly achieving far better grid positions than rivals with superior cars to his own.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was also known for his defensive driving style which allowed him to successfully hold off quicker drivers, sometimes for an entire race. The combination of being able to achieve high grid positions in relatively slow cars, combined with his ability to hold off faster drivers, would often result in a line of vehicles forming behind him during a race, commonly referred to as the 'Trulli Train' by fans and media.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Trulli was set to remain in Formula One for Template:F1, but retired before the season began. He competed in the inaugural season of Formula E, founding and competing for Trulli GP. Trulli is the father of racing driver Enzo Trulli.
Early life and career
His parents were motorsport fans and named their son after Jarno Saarinen, the Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle racing champion who was killed at Monza in 1973. He started racing in karts at an early age; after winning the Karting World Championship in 1991, the Italian karting championship and several other karting championships in different categories up to 1995, Trulli won the German Formula Three Championship in 1996.
Formula One career
Minardi and Prost (1997–1999)
In 1997, Trulli made his debut in Formula One with Minardi. After 7 races he replaced the injured Olivier Panis at Prost and impressed immediately, finishing fourth in Germany<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and even leading in Austria, looking set to finish second until his engine blew.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He stayed at the Prost team for the next two seasons and eventually scored his first podium in wet conditions at the 1999 European Grand Prix.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, this was a rare highlight in a race few of the main front-runners finished, and the poor performance of the Prost team convinced him that a switch to Jordan would bring improved results.<ref name="Jordan">Template:Cite web</ref>
Jordan (2000–2001)
In Template:F1 he moved to the Irish squad,<ref name="Jordan"/> but the team was no longer the force it had been in the late 1990s. In his two years with Jordan, Trulli failed to score a podium, but did impress with a series of brilliant qualifying displays. During this period suggestions were made that Trulli was more of a qualifying specialist than an out-and-out fast race driver, a charge he frequently denied. Under a long-term contract with his personal manager (and Renault manager) Flavio Briatore, Trulli secured a contract with the Anglo-French squad for Template:F1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Renault (2002–2004)
Alongside Jenson Button, he often outqualified his British teammate, but was generally shaded in races. Regardless of Button's improved pace that season, it was Trulli who stayed at Renault for 2003 to partner promoted test-driver Fernando Alonso.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 2003 Renault was a strong car and in Alonso's hands won in Hungary.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trulli struggled to attain similar results, but did achieve a podium in Germany, his first since leaving Prost.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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Mindful of how much Alonso had outperformed him in Template:F1, Trulli improved markedly the next year. For the first half of the season he was the better of the two Renault drivers, racking up regular points and podiums.<ref name="Trulli"/> At Monaco he finally took his only victory after a brilliant display from pole position.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Having performed so well, the Italian was eager to stick with the team for 2005, but his relationship with team-boss Briatore soured. A last corner error which allowed Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello onto the podium in France enraged the team,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and from that point his days with the French manufacturer were numbered.<ref name="Trulli">Template:Cite web</ref> He did not score any points after the French Grand Prix and was consistently off the pace during races. He later accused the team of favouring Alonso, but the reasons why his 2004 season deteriorated have never been properly identified.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was sacked three races before the end of the season and replaced by Template:F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, despite leading his teammate in the championship at that point.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trulli had already agreed to drive for Toyota in 2005, and his early exit from Renault allowed him to take up his new seat for the last two races of the 2004 season, replacing Ricardo Zonta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Toyota (2004–2009)
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2004–2005
In 2005, early season podiums demonstrated Trulli's speed and at Indianapolis he took Toyota's first Formula One pole.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, he, his teammate and the majority of the grid, did not enter the race due to using Michelin tyres, which were not safe to race.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> For the vast majority of the year he outpaced his highly paid teammate Ralf Schumacher, but a late season dip in form saw him slip to seventh in the championship, two points behind the German.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2006
In Template:F1, Trulli suffered a very poor start to the season. On the first lap of the Template:F1 GP, he was taken out by David Coulthard.<ref name="f1yearbook">Template:Cite book</ref> He seemed to be outpaced by teammate Ralf Schumacher more often than not, but finally scored his first points of the season when he raced to 6th from 4th on the grid at the Template:F1 GP.<ref name="f1yearbook"/> Following this was a 4th place in the Template:F1 GP.<ref name="f1yearbook"/> From then on, he would only score 3 more times, with a couple of 7th-place finishes in the Template:F1 GP and the Template:F1 GP and also a 6th place in the Template:F1 GP, where his car became troublesome to drive mid-race, and Ralf Schumacher was delayed in the process.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Trulli was racing very well in the season finale at Interlagos, but his car suffered suspension failure in the first 10 laps, a fate which befell his teammate at the same time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He finished 12th overall.
2007
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Trulli scored his first points of Template:F1 in Malaysia, finishing in 7th place after qualifying 8th.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A couple more points followed in Bahrain,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but he stalled on the grid at the start of the Template:F1 GP and dropped out during the early laps due to mechanical failure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Monaco brought no better fortune for Trulli, as he finished down in 15th place, just ahead of teammate Schumacher, after qualifying his season-worst 14th.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Points were collected by Trulli at the Indianapolis for 6th place. After a series of non-scoring runs, Trulli said that the result was 'incredible'.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also qualified well for the Template:F1 GP but crashed with the Renault of Heikki Kovalainen on the opening lap, and duly retired because of the damage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Trulli accepted the blame for the incident. The second half of the season was disappointing with Trulli's only point coming in the final race of the season at Brazil.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Trulli finished the championship in 13th position, collecting only 8 points. Post season there had been reports that Trulli's contract was not safe, and that he may have been replaced in the Toyota team for 2008 by Heikki Kovalainen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> These proved unfounded as Kovalainen signed for McLaren.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2008
In Template:F1, Trulli was hoping Toyota would make a big step forward.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Timo Glock was confirmed as his teammate for the season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Trulli started the season quite well, with several points scoring finishes, the height of which was a fourth-place finish in Malaysia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Trulli's qualifying performances were also very good throughout the first few rounds of the Championship. His form then slumped a little, with disappointing performances in Turkey and Monaco, as he finished in non-points scoring positions.
However, he bounced back from this with a 6th-place finish in Montreal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He then topped that in France by finishing on the podium in 3rd place, holding off the challenge of Heikki Kovalainen and Robert Kubica in the closing laps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He qualified on the front row alongside pole-sitter Felipe Massa for the season-ending Template:F1 GP, which was to decide the 2008 world championship between Massa and Lewis Hamilton.<ref name="qualautosport.com">Template:Cite web</ref> During the race, Trulli had several close shaves in the changeable weather conditions, and eventually finished 8th. His teammate Glock played a pivotal part in the title outcome as he was passed by Hamilton on the last corner of the race, which gave the Englishman the championship by one point from Massa, who won easily.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trulli finished 8th in the Drivers' Championship standings, collecting 31 points, 4 more than his teammate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2009
Trulli was confident going into Template:F1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the first race of the 2009 season, the Toyotas of Trulli and Glock started the race from the pitlane as their qualifying times were disallowed due to Toyota's flexible rear wing breaching regulations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although Trulli started from the pit lane, he finished in an impressive 3rd place before being penalised 25 seconds, dropping him to 12th position for passing Lewis Hamilton under the safety car.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A few days after this decision, Hamilton was disqualified from the race results for 'misleading' the race stewards by insisting that Jarno Trulli had passed him under the Safety Car although Hamilton in fact let him pass on purpose due to an order given by the team from the pitlane.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jarno Trulli therefore regained his third-place finish.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the Template:F1 GP, Trulli qualified on pole position<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but due to an unconventional tyre strategy, he finished third.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However he did record the fastest lap, the only time he has achieved this in his career. He holds the record of having started the most Grands Prix before recording a fastest lap.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He crashed out of the Template:F1 GP after being forced off the track at the second corner and being collected by Adrian Sutil,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and then had a poor performance in Monaco as the Toyotas qualified on the back row of the grid.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Improvements saw him score points in three of the next four races, before the following four rounds saw him struggle again as he failed to finish in the Top 10. At the Template:F1 GP he placed 12th while teammate Glock was second.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trulli then fought back at the Template:F1 GP – which would prove to be Toyota's last home race – by qualifying and finishing second.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
He then qualified fourth in torrential conditions in Brazil,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but like in Spain collided with Adrian Sutil on the opening lap of the race, an incident which enraged Trulli as he blamed Sutil for the crash. His obvious display of anger towards Sutil (who also retired) afterwards earned him a $10,000 fine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trulli finished seventh at the season finale in Abu Dhabi scoring his final points in Toyota F1's last race.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lotus (2010–2011)
2010
On 14 December 2009, Trulli was confirmed as one of the newly formed Lotus team's drivers, joining former McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He only finished one of the opening four races, a weaker reliability record than Kovalainen, leading him to note that "everything happens on my car and my car only – so to this day, my expectations have not been met".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At the launch of the Lotus T127, Trulli admitted in an interview with Autosport that US F1 and Sauber had been in contact with him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In late 2009, Trulli was asked to test a NASCAR stock car in North America for Toyota. The car was set up by Michael Waltrip Racing.
2011
Trulli continued to drive for Lotus in Template:F1, with Lotus Racing being renamed Team Lotus. He again partnered Heikki Kovalainen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Trulli's season started with thirteenth in Australia,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before a retirement with a clutch problem in Malaysia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Trulli finished each of the next six races, equalling his best season finish of thirteenth in Monaco.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Britain, he retired with an oil leak.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For the Template:F1 GP, Trulli was replaced by reserve driver Karun Chandhok.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When he returned in Hungary, he retired due to a water leak; his teammate Kovalainen retired some laps later with an identical problem.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He finished 14th at both the Template:F1 GP and the Template:F1 GP, where it was announced that Trulli would be retained for the Template:F1 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After retiring in Singapore with a gearbox failure, Trulli finished 19th in Japan, 17th in Korea and 19th again, in India.
Caterham (2012)
Team Lotus was renamed to Caterham F1 ahead of the 2012 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Trulli drove in one pre-season test, but on 17 February 2012 it was announced that Trulli was replaced by Vitaly Petrov.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following, Trulli stated that he was "really proud" to have helped Caterham become a Formula One team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
This left Formula One without an Italian driver for the first time since Template:F1, until Antonio Giovinazzi competed in the 2017 Australian Grand Prix.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other ventures
Trulli GP (2014–2015)
Template:Main In 2014–15 season Trulli drove in the inaugural FIA Formula E Championship for his own team Trulli GP in partnership with Drayson Racing Technologies and Super Nova Racing, as announced on 18 June 2014. After failing to pass scrutineering of their new drivetrain for the first two races of the 2015–16 season, the team withdrew from the championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Helmet
Trulli's original helmet design was white with a blue shape around the visor with a blue circle in the top and a green J with a red T in the sides. A ring around the blue circle was incorporated when he raced at Jordan and Renault, being coloured after the team's main sponsor. In 2004 his helmet changed from white to chromed silver and the shape, the J and the T became chromed with black outline. Later, in his first Toyota years the top became red and was added a white ring around the red circle. Finally in 2008 the helmet turned red with the J and the T of the original colours (and white outline) plus a white line on the chin area. From his Lotus years, the helmet design remained intact, with the change of the shades of colour from chromed to normal shades (the chromed silver becomes white).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Trulli's 2009 helmet Template:Webarchive</ref>
Personal life
Trulli is married to Barbara and they have two sons, Enzo Trulli (b. 2005), named after Trulli's father, and Marco (b. 2006), and a daughter Veronica (b. 2014). He is the co-owner of a vineyard in the Abruzzo region in Italy and produces his own wine.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> He also has his own range of Karts named 'Trulli Kart'; Trulli himself was a World Champion at Karting level.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His son Enzo is also pursuing career in motorsports he competed in the WSK karting series,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before starting single seater racing in F4 UAE in 2021, and for 2022 at present in FIA Formula 3 Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Racing record
Career summary
Complete German Formula Three results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Pts | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | KMS | Opel | A | HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
AVU 1 |
AVU 2 |
NOR 1 Template:Small |
[[Norisring|Template:Color]] Template:Small |
[[Diepholz Airfield Circuit|Template:Color]] Template:Small |
DIE 2 Template:Small |
NÜR 1 Template:Small |
NÜR 2 Template:Small |
ALE 1 Template:Small |
ALE 2 Template:Small |
MAG 1 Template:Small |
MAG 2 Template:Small |
HOC 1 Template:Small |
HOC 2 Template:Small |
4th | 95 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 1996 | Opel Team KMS | Opel | A | HOC 1 Template:Small |
HOC 2 Template:Small |
NÜR Template:Small |
NÜR 1 Template:Small |
NÜR 2 Template:Small |
NOR 1 Template:Small |
NOR 2 Template:Small |
DIE 1 Template:Small |
DIE 2 Template:Small |
NÜR 1 Template:Small |
NÜR 2 Template:Small |
MAG 1 Template:Small |
MAG 2 Template:Small |
HOC 1 Template:Small |
HOC 2 Template:Small |
1st | 206 | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| Template:Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Template:Sup Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
Template:Sup Trulli did not finish the Grand Prix, but was classified as he had completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete Formula E results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Chassis | Powertrain | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Trulli Formula E Team | Spark SRT01-e | SRT01-e | BEI Template:Small |
PUT Template:Small |
PDE Template:Small |
BUE Template:Small |
MIA Template:Small |
LBH Template:Small |
MCO Template:Small |
BER Template:Small |
MSC Template:Small |
LDN Template:Small |
LDN Template:Small |
20th | 15 |
| 2015–16 | Trulli Formula E Team | Spark SRT01-e | Motomatica JT-01 | BEI | PUT Template:Small |
PDE | BUE | MEX | LBH | PAR | BER | LDN | LDN | NC | 0 | |
| Template:Center | ||||||||||||||||
† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Pre-Formula One career
- 1996: Champion in German Formula 3 (KMS Dallara-Opel)
- 1995: 4th in German Formula 3 (KMS Dallara-Opel), 1st in Italian Karting class 100 FA, 1st in World karting class 125FC, Senna Memorial World Cup winner
- 1994: Senna Memorial World Cup winner, 1st in North American class 100SA, 1st in European class 100SA
- 1993: 2nd in World karting Champion class 100 SA, 1st in Grand prix of Japan Class 100 FSA
- 1992: 2nd in World karting class 125 FC
- 1991: Champion in Karting World Championship 100 FK
- 1990: 1st in Grand Prix of Hong Kong Class 100 FA
- 1988–1990: Three times Champion in Italian National 100 Class
- 1983–1995: Karting
See also
References
External links
Template:S-start Template:S-sports Template:Succession box Template:S-ach Template:Succession box Template:S-end
Template:Navboxes Template:German F3 champions Template:Trulli GP Template:Formula One drivers from Italy Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- 1974 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Pescara
- Italian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
- Italian expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom
- Italian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco
- Italian racing drivers
- Karting World Championship drivers
- Formula One race winners
- German Formula Three Championship drivers
- Italian Formula One drivers
- Jordan Formula One drivers
- Minardi Formula One drivers
- Prost Formula One drivers
- Renault Formula One drivers
- Toyota Formula One drivers
- Team Lotus (2010–11) Formula One drivers
- Formula E drivers
- Formula E team owners
- People named in the Panama Papers
- British Formula Three Championship drivers
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- RC Motorsport drivers
- Super Nova Racing drivers