Renault’s Jarno Trulli was disappointed with sixth place at the British Grand Prix on Sunday after leading the first few laps of the race.
Renault’s Jarno Trulli was disappointed after finishing sixth at the British Grand Prix after leading the first few laps of the race on Sunday.
Trulli started in second place, but managed to get ahead of Rubens Barrichello at the start. But he dropped back after his first pit stop and was further hurt by the two safety-car incidents.
“On the positive side, I scored three more points,” said Trulli. “But it’s a disappointing result given where I qualified. The car was perfect at the start of the race, and I was pulling away from Raikkonen, but both safety car periods cost me.
“After my first stop, the car’s handling changed, and I lost grip all the way round the circuit. I was pushing hard all the way through the race, and had to fight hard to defend my position. It was right on the limit a few times, but always fair.”
Technical director Mike Gascoyne said the safety car incidents ruined Trulli’s race. “Jarno was pulling away from the cars behind and, when he was in the lead, things were trouble-free. As soon as he fell back into traffic, though, his lack of straight-line speed hurt him and he lost places,” he said.
Trulli’s team-mate, Fernando Alonso retired on lap 52. “I was unfortunate not to complete the race, because I think I would have finished in a strong position. The car was handling well, and I felt I made the right tyre choice,” he said.
“At my second stop, the idle speed of the engine was very low, and it stalled. The mechanics pushed me to get the car going again, and then I had to drive without traction control. It was a little uncomfortable, but I was quite quick even so.”