Jarno Trulli admits that it would have been better to head to Montreal for the seventh round of the Formula One World Championship with more mileage under his belt.
The teams and drivers had hoped to have some track time in low downforce settings during the test session at Paul Ricard a fortnight ago.
However on the third day of testing – when the track was switched to its long configuration to simulate the characteristics of Montreal – the teams completed very few laps due to poor weather.
“We tried to do some Canada work at the recent Paul Ricard test but unfortunately the last day was rained out,” explained Trulli, who topped the time sheets on the third and final day by virtue of going quickest in the morning when the track was dry.
“The team obviously has data from previous races there so we will be all right, but it would have been better if we had been able to run a full day of preparation.”
Trulli remains confident nonetheless that Toyota can put a disappointing showing in Monaco behind them and once again challenge for points.
The Italian veteran gambled on extreme wet tyres during the first safety car period but struggled as the track dried, while Timo Glock had several collisions with the armco.
“Monaco is unique and the situation on Sunday afternoon was quite unusual,” reflected Trulli, “so I don’t think we will have the same issues in Canada.”
“Even in the rain early in the race we were in a pretty good position so we should not be downhearted and I will go to Canada with optimism as usual.”
