Formula One news

Trulli: I knew we had the speed

Jarno Trulli left Suzuka on Sunday evening filled with confidence from clinching Toyota's second consecutive second place within a week of the first. After Timo Glock came home runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in Singapore, Italian Trulli beat the World Champion to finish behind only the dominant Sebastian Vettel in Japan.

Japan's rostrum result for Trulli was his third of the season but the first since Bahrain in late April. "It was a fantastic feeling to stand on the podium and celebrate with all the team and our Japanese fans," he said.

"My second place was a true reflection of how strong we were at Suzuka because I qualified in that position and there were no retirements at the front; we were genuinely extremely competitive. I was hoping to win the race for Toyota, of course, but second place is still a great result."

Jarno went on to explain that the TF109 was kept on its boundaries throughout the 53-lap race. "It was like a long qualifying session!" he described. "Every lap was flat out and I was pushing right to the limit to get ahead of Lewis; it was hard work but the car felt great and I knew we had the speed to get past."

Pescara's Trulli joined Toyota in 2005 to record an overall finishing position of 7th, which he is now just four points away from in 2009. "This season has proved it is difficult to make accurate predictions, so it's hard to say," he continued when assessing his chances for the final two races.

"I am usually very competitive at Interlagos and last year I qualified in second place; it should suit our car and I definitely hope to be fighting at the front again after two consecutive podiums for the team but we'll have to wait and see how things go in practice."

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