Jarno hopes for a Trulli memorable race

Jarno Trulli hopes to chalk up his third successive top-six finish in the final grand prix of the season at Suzuka this weekend.

The Italian endured a miserable start to the season with Renault but has responded in fine style to team boss Flavio Briatore’s decision to axe team-mate Jenson Button – who had put Trulli in the shade.

Since then Trulli has held the upper hand and is on the back of a fourth place at Italy and fifth in the United States heading to Japan.

“The points from the last races speak for themselves,” he said. “It feels like the whole team is really starting to gel.

“It took me some time to understand how the team worked, and how best to work with my engineers, but we are doing a really great job now. We have managed to balance the car well at the last races and everybody can see the result.

“Suzuka is a wonderful circuit, very technical, and definitely a place I enjoy a lot. It’s among the most challenging of all the tracks we visit.

“Some of my best memories come from Suzuka. Every year, my Japanese fan club holds a party for me and I visit it every time. This is always one of my favourite races.

“We have had a good season. Our aim was for the team to finish fourth in the championship, and we have achieved that target. Having said that, we are all looking forward and know that we can do much better with every element of the package next year.”