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Formula One Fantasy - Lotus’s Jarno Trulli

Ranking fifth on the list of most race starts, with 245 to his name, Lotus’s Jarno Trulli has been around the F1 block a fair few times. And though he may have won just one race during his 15-year career, Trulli’s seen and done just about everything there is to do in Formula One racing. Even so, there’s still plenty left on the Italian’s F1 fantasy wish list, including watching Gilles Villeneuve fight it out with Ayrton Senna at Mugello, combining the best bits of Spa, Suzuka and Barcelona to create a dream circuit and sampling Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312T…

Q: You must choose a city for a new Formula One street circuit - which city, anywhere in the world, do you choose, and why?

Jarno Trulli: Miami, definitely, because it would mean I could go back home to my house every day to see my family and sleep in my own bed. You could hang out somewhere where the weather’s good and I could spend a bit of time out on my bike, and on the beach!

Q: If you could choose one former world champion as your team mate, who would you choose and why?

JT: For me it would be Fernando (Alonso). We got on very well when we were team mates, so it would have to be him.

Q: Formula One innovations of the past - ground effect, active suspension, turbocharging, six wheels, the list goes on. If you could bring back one past innovation, what would it be and why?

JT: Easy - turbocharging. It’s coming back anyway, but I would really like to have tried the monster 1400bhp cars on full boost. It’s good because it gives us more power and it makes the drivers have to work harder to get the most out of the car without taking anything away from the drivers’ abilities.

Q: What innovations would you like to see in the future?

JT: I think ground effect would be interesting - the full skirts around the cars that gave enormous grip but had a breaking point that meant you were always on the edge of going over what they were capable of. Again, I think that requires even more skill from the drivers whilst helping you go even quicker - and for drivers that’s the main thing!

Q: You can only drive at one circuit for the rest of your life - which circuit, past or present from anywhere in the world, do you choose?

JT: It would be Spa. It has everything doesn’t it? Really tough corners that push and pull the drivers around the lap, totally unpredictable weather that means you can be driving in bright sunshine in one sector and intense rain in another, really passionate fans and just a great atmosphere. I love it - always have - and if I had to choose just one track, I know I’d always love it there.

Q: Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Tyrrell, March are just some of the teams that have departed the sport. Which former team would you most liked to have raced with and why?

JT: As an Italian it would have to be Alfa Romeo. Today’s young fans maybe only see Ferrari as the Italian team, but Alfa were cool.

Q: You have to design a new F1 circuit, combining all your favourite corners from other tracks around the world. Which three corners are top of your list and why?

JT: I think most of the drivers would give similar answers. Two of the tracks from which I’ve picked my top three corners have one thing in common - they’re driver’s tracks, so I think you can guess what I’m going to say - but I think the third might be a bit unusual! In no particular order they’d be the first-sector esses at Suzuka, Eau Rouge to Raidillon at Spa and the old last corner in Barcelona. I bet not many others have said that third one…

Q: You can travel back in time and compete in any decade of Formula One racing, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Which decade would you choose and why?

JT: It would have to be the most recent I could because it’s the safest! While the cars might look great from years ago, I wouldn’t want to race without seatbelts. I’d want as much of the protection we have today as possible.

Q: What current Formula One regulation would you most like to change and why?

JT: Well, I’m a driver, not an engineer, so I’m not sure I’m the best person to talk about this, but despite that I wouldn’t want to mess with the regulations too much. At the moment the racing’s good and the fans are getting exciting championships, not just great races. But I would reduce the importance aero has on the cars. Honestly, I think it would be better if the cars were more simple, but we are where we are and I suspect that’s not going to change.

Q: If you could pick two Formula One greats of the past (from different eras) to watch race against each other, who would you pick?

JT: I’m not sure who from different eras I’d like to see, perhaps Gilles Villeneuve versus someone like Ayrton Senna, but what I would want to see again is Prost and Senna fighting on track. They had two different styles, in and out of the car, but they were so close to each other in speed.

Q: If you were a team boss, which current driver would you pick first for your team (excluding yourself and your current team mate)?

JT: I’d probably go for Fernando (Alonso), and maybe Vettel as his team mate. I would like to put Eddie Jordan in as boss though, not me!

Q: Just 19 of the world’s motor racing circuits feature on the current F1 calendar. You can add one more. Which circuit do you pick and why?

JT: Mugello. It’s obviously Italian, so it’s close to my heart, I’ve always enjoyed myself there and it’s a pretty good place to race, so definitely there.

Q: You are having a dinner party and can invite four people from the world of motorsport, past or present. Who do you invite?

JT: Good question! Definitely Eddie Jordan - he’s a lot of fun, particularly at dinner. Three more? Okay - Tony Fernandes - he’s also very cool and I think the two of them would be very entertaining. I’d then have a couple of drivers - Robert Kubica for sure. He’s a good friend and I like hanging out with him, and then Fernando (Alonso) as the fourth. Like I said, we became good friends when we drove together and I think that those four would make for a really good evening.

Q: You are given the chance to drive any legendary Formula One car of the past (excluding those made by your own team). Which car would you choose?

JT: I think it would be the Ferrari 312T Niki Lauda drove. That’s a beautiful car - a bit of a handful, but just amazing to look at.

Q: Rooftop swimming pool, bowling alley, revolving sushi bar - just some of the features most F1 motorhomes don’t possess. If you could add one thing to your team’s motorhome, what would it be?

JT: The world’s fastest internet connection - as long as I had that I’d be happy!

Q: Imagine you have just won the world title. Where would you go for your celebratory meal and what would choose from the menu?

JT: I’d probably go to my hotel in Davos and eat in the restaurant there. All my friends could stay in the hotel and I know how good the food is there. What would I eat? Something simple, maybe some pasta. But the food wouldn’t be the important thing - it would be having the people closest to me around for the night.

Credit: Formula One Administration Ltd (www.formula1.com)