Jarno Trulli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jarno Trulli
Trulli in 2014
Born	(1974-07-13) 13 July 1974 (age 50) Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy
Spouse(s)	Barbara ​ (m. 2004)​
Children	3, including Enzo
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Italian
Active years	1997–2011
Teams	Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault, Toyota, Team Lotus
Entries	256 (252 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	11
Career points	246.5
Pole positions	4
Fastest laps	1
First entry	1997 Australian Grand Prix
First win	2004 Monaco Grand Prix
Last entry	2011 Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula E career
Years active	2014–2016
Teams	Trulli
Car no.	10
Starts	11
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Poles	1
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	20th in 2014–15

Jarno Trulli, born on July 13, 1974, is a former Italian racing driver. He competed in Formula One, a very fast type of car racing, from 1997 to 2011. Jarno won his only Formula One race, the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, in 2004 while driving for the Renault team.

He raced regularly in Formula One for teams like Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault, Toyota, and Lotus. His best finish in the World Drivers' Championship was sixth place in 2004. Trulli was famous for being very good at qualifying, which means getting a great starting position for the race. He often started much higher up the grid than expected for his car. He was also known for his "defensive driving." This meant he could hold off faster cars behind him, sometimes for a whole race! This often created a line of cars behind him, which fans and media called the 'Trulli Train'.

Trulli planned to continue in Formula One in 2012 but decided to retire before the season began. He later raced in the first season of Formula E in 2014. He even started his own team, Trulli GP, and raced for it. Jarno Trulli is the father of another racing driver, Enzo Trulli.

Early Life and Racing Start

Jarno's parents loved motorsport. They named him after Jarno Saarinen, a Finnish motorcycle racing champion who died in 1973. Jarno started karting when he was very young. He won the Karting World Championship in 1991. He also won the Italian karting championship and other karting titles until 1995. In 1996, he won the German Formula Three Championship.

Formula One Journey

Starting with Minardi and Prost (1997–1999)

Trulli driving for Prost at the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix

In 1997, Trulli began his Formula One career with Minardi. After seven races, he joined the Prost team. He replaced Olivier Panis, who was injured. Jarno quickly showed his talent, finishing fourth in Germany. He even led the race in Austria, looking set for second place until his engine broke. He stayed with Prost for two more seasons. He achieved his first podium finish, meaning he came in the top three, in the wet 1999 European Grand Prix. However, the Prost team was not performing well. This made him decide to move to Jordan for better results.

Time with Jordan (2000–2001)

Trulli leads the midfield on the first lap of the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix.

In 2000, Jarno joined the Jordan team. But the team was not as strong as it had been. In his two years with Jordan, Trulli did not get any podium finishes. However, he impressed everyone with his amazing qualifying skills. People started saying he was better at qualifying than at racing. He often denied this. He had a long-term contract with his manager, Flavio Briatore, who was also the manager for Renault. This helped him get a contract with the Renault team for 2002.

Racing for Renault (2002–2004)

Jarno Trulli driving for Renault at the 2003 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis.

Jarno raced alongside Jenson Button at Renault. He often out-qualified Button, but Button usually had better race results. For 2003, Trulli stayed with Renault and partnered with Fernando Alonso. The 2003 Renault car was strong, and Alonso won a race in Hungary. Trulli found it harder to get similar results. But he did achieve a podium finish in Germany, his first since leaving Prost.

Trulli driving the Renault R24 during a practice session in 2004.

In 2004, Trulli improved a lot. For the first half of the season, he was the stronger Renault driver. He regularly scored points and got on the podium. At Monaco, he finally won his only Formula One race! He started from pole position and drove brilliantly. After doing so well, Jarno wanted to stay with Renault for 2005. But his relationship with team boss Briatore became difficult. A mistake in France, where he lost a podium spot on the last corner, made the team very angry. After that, his time with Renault was limited. He didn't score any points after the French Grand Prix and was slower in races. He later said the team was favoring Alonso. He was let go three races before the end of the season. Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 World Champion, replaced him. Trulli had already agreed to drive for Toyota in 2005. His early exit from Renault allowed him to join Toyota for the last two races of the 2004 season.

Years with Toyota (2004–2009)

Trulli driving the Toyota TF105 in 2005

2005 Season

In 2005, Trulli showed his speed early in the season with podium finishes. At Indianapolis, he earned Toyota's first Formula One pole position. However, he and most other drivers did not race due to unsafe Michelin tires. For most of the year, he was faster than his teammate Ralf Schumacher. But a dip in form at the end of the season saw him finish seventh in the championship.

Jarno Trulli in Helsinki in 2006

2006 Season

In 2006, Trulli had a tough start. In Australia, he was taken out of the race on the first lap. He seemed slower than his teammate Ralf Schumacher often. But he finally scored points in Canada, finishing sixth. He then got fourth place in the United States. After that, he only scored points three more times. He finished 12th overall in the championship.

2007 Season

Trulli driving for Toyota at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix

Trulli scored his first points of 2007 in Malaysia, finishing seventh. He got more points in Bahrain. But he stalled at the start in Spain and had to retire early due to a mechanical problem. Monaco was also tough, as he finished 15th. He scored points again in Indianapolis, finishing sixth. He crashed with Heikki Kovalainen in France and took the blame for it. The second half of the season was disappointing. He only scored one point in the final race in Brazil. Trulli finished 13th in the championship with only 8 points. There were rumors he might be replaced for 2008, but these were not true.

2008 Season

Trulli driving for Toyota at the 2008 French Grand Prix, where he scored the team's first podium finish for more than two years

In 2008, Trulli hoped Toyota would improve a lot. Timo Glock became his teammate. Trulli started the season well, scoring points several times. His best result was fourth place in Malaysia. His qualifying was also very good. His form then dipped a little. But he bounced back with a sixth-place finish in Canada. He then got on the podium in France, finishing third. He held off challenges from other drivers in the final laps.

He started on the front row in the final race in Brazil. This race decided the championship between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton. Trulli finished eighth. His teammate Glock played a big part in the championship outcome. Hamilton passed Glock on the last corner, which gave Hamilton the championship by one point. Trulli finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship with 31 points.

2009 Season

Trulli on the grid at the 2009 British Grand Prix

Trulli felt confident for 2009. In the first race in Australia, both Toyotas started from the pit lane. Their qualifying times were removed because of a rule breach. Even starting from the pit lane, Trulli finished an impressive third. He was later penalized, but then the penalty was removed. So, he got his third-place finish back. In Bahrain, Trulli started from pole position but finished third. He also set the fastest lap in that race, his only one in his career. He holds the record for starting the most races before getting a fastest lap.

He crashed out of the Spanish Grand Prix after being forced off the track. He had a poor performance in Monaco. But he scored points in three of the next four races. He struggled again in the following four races. In Japan, which was Toyota's last home race, he qualified and finished second. He then qualified fourth in Brazil in very wet conditions. But he crashed with Adrian Sutil on the first lap. Trulli was very angry and blamed Sutil. He was fined $10,000 for showing his anger. Trulli finished seventh in the final race in Abu Dhabi, scoring his last points for Toyota F1.

Joining Lotus (2010–2011)

2010 Season

Trulli driving for Lotus Racing at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix

On December 14, 2009, Trulli was confirmed as a driver for the new Lotus team. He joined former McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen. He only finished one of the first four races. His car had more reliability problems than Kovalainen's. He said his expectations were not met.

2011 Season

Trulli in the 2011 Italian Grand Prix

Trulli continued to drive for Lotus in 2011. The team was renamed Team Lotus. He again partnered with Heikki Kovalainen.

Trulli's season started with a 13th place in Australia. He then retired in Malaysia due to a clutch problem. He finished the next six races, matching his best finish of 13th in Monaco. In Britain, he retired with an oil leak. For the German Grand Prix, reserve driver Karun Chandhok replaced him. When he returned in Hungary, he retired due to a water leak. He finished 14th in Belgium and Italy. It was announced that Trulli would stay for the 2012 season. After retiring in Singapore with a gearbox problem, Trulli finished 19th in Japan, 17th in Korea, and 19th in India.

Caterham (2012)

Trulli in pre-season testing for Caterham at Jerez – he was replaced by Vitaly Petrov after this test

Team Lotus was renamed Caterham F1 for the 2012 season. Trulli drove in one pre-season test. But on February 17, 2012, it was announced that Vitaly Petrov would replace him. Trulli said he was "really proud" to have helped Caterham become a Formula One team. This meant there was no Italian driver in Formula One for the first time since 1969.

Other Adventures

Trulli GP (2014–2015)

In the 2014–15 season, Trulli raced in the first-ever FIA Formula E Championship. He drove for his own team, Trulli GP. This team worked with Drayson Racing Technologies and Super Nova Racing. This was announced on June 18, 2014. The team had problems with their new car parts for the first two races of the 2015–16 season. Because of this, the team left the championship.

Helmet Design

Trulli's helmet from the 2009 season

Jarno Trulli's first helmet design was white. It had a blue shape around the visor. There was a blue circle on top and a green "J" with a red "T" on the sides. When he raced for Jordan and Renault, a ring around the blue circle was added. Its color matched the team's main sponsor. In 2004, his helmet changed from white to shiny silver. The shapes and letters became shiny with a black outline. Later, with Toyota, the top became red, and a white ring was added around the red circle. Finally, in 2008, the helmet turned red. The "J" and "T" kept their original colors with a white outline. A white line was also added on the chin area. From his Lotus years, the helmet design stayed the same. Only the shiny colors became normal shades.

Personal Life

Trulli is married to Barbara. They have two sons, Enzo Trulli (born 2005) and Marco (born 2006), and a daughter Veronica (born 2014). Enzo was named after Jarno's father. Jarno is also a co-owner of a vineyard in Italy. He makes his own wine! He also has his own line of Karts called 'Trulli Kart'. Jarno himself was a World Champion in karting. His son Enzo is also a racing driver. He competed in karting and started racing in F4 UAE in 2021. For 2022, he is racing in FIA Formula 3 Championship.

Racing Summary

Career Summary

Images for kids

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  Trulli in 2014

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  Trulli driving for Prost at the 1999 Canadian Grand Prix

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  Trulli leads the midfield on the first lap of the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix.

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  Jarno Trulli driving for Renault at the 2003 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis.

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  Trulli driving the Renault R24 during a practice session in 2004.

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  Trulli driving the Toyota TF105 in 2005

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  Jarno Trulli in Helsinki in 2006

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  Trulli driving for Toyota at the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix

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  Trulli driving for Toyota at the 2008 French Grand Prix, where he scored the team's first podium finish for more than two years

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  Trulli on the grid at the 2009 British Grand Prix

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  Trulli driving for Lotus Racing at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix

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  Trulli in the 2011 Italian Grand Prix

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  Trulli in pre-season testing for Caterham at Jerez – he was replaced by Vitaly Petrov after this test

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  Trulli's helmet from the 2009 season

See also

In Spanish: Jarno Trulli para niños

• Formula One drivers from Italy