Planet-F1

Trulli plays down expectations

Wednesday 13th February 2008

Jarno Trulli is keeping a lid on expectations, saying it is unrealistic to expect podium finishes from Toyota this season.

Trulli believes people should not expect too much too soon from the Cologne-based team even though they have made a lot of improvements over the past few months.

"Let's make this clear: in this situation, not only the Ferraris will be unmatchable for us, but also the McLarens," the Italian told Autosprint magazine.

"So, talking about getting some podiums is completely unrealistic.

"Compared to 2007 the car has improved a lot in overall reliability and in the performance on worn tyres, which had been our main problem.

"Considering the problems BMW seem to suffer, maybe for us there's the chance of getting close to the second level teams like Renault, BMW and Williams, but it's impossible to do more than that."

Trulli also believes Ferrari will once again walk away with the F1 title this year.

"In my opinion, even compared to McLaren, they are at least half a second faster per lap. Good night then, I feel the Championship is already over even before the start," he added.