Motorsport: Toyota not up to speed, says Trulli

LONDON - Italian Jarno Trulli says Toyota's new Formula One car reminds him of the poorly handling Jordan he drove in 2001.

"The car seems quick and competitive, but not over the distance," he told Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper after testing in Valencia, Spain.

"The problem is excessive rear tyre wear. We have three weeks left and we hope to resolve it.

"It's definitely not due to the weight distribution," added Trulli, who won last year's Monaco Grand Prix for Renault before his move towards the end of the season.
"But we still haven't worked out whether it is an aerodynamic problem or mechanical. After three laps the car becomes more difficult to drive, and in that it reminds me of my old Jordan," he said.

"It's a shame because the car is easy to handle and the problems of engine reliability have been resolved."

Toyota, with one of the biggest budgets in the sport, finished last season in eighth place and are under intense pressure to take a big step up this year with company bosses demanding at least a podium.

The team have said they will have a completely new aerodynamic package for the opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 6.

Toyota were the first team to unveil their new car. Since then all of Ferrari's main rivals have launched their challengers, with Renault and McLaren looking the most competitive on the basis of hard-to-decipher testing times.

Ferrari, winners of the last six constructors' championships, are not planning to race their new car until the Spanish Grand Prix in May. They have however looked quick even with the revised version of the F2004.

BAR, overall runners-up last season, have not looked as impressive as some had expected.

"The car is lacking in downforce and there is a basic lack of aerodynamic grip," the Autosport website quoted one team insider as saying.

It said the Honda-powered team's hopes of fighting for victories from the start of the season could depend on a revised aerodynamics package and improved engine parts.

Honda engineering director Shuhei Nakamoto said the team had yet to exceed the 1300km target that engines, which have to last for two races this year, must achieve.

"At the moment we have not cleared the target and we are waiting for modifications next week," he said.

"We are hoping to have them in Jerez and we will see how we do with long runs there. But if we don't have them, they will be for the test after that."

- REUTERS