Trulli - Toyota to surprise

Italian says Toyota could be 'best of the rest'

Last updated: 7th March 2008

Trulli: Step forward

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Jarno Trulli reckons that, armed with their new TF108 car, Toyota could spring a surprise in the 2008 Formula One season..

Toyota joined F1 in 2002; however, the team have yet to set the racetracks alight even though they are rumoured to have the biggest budget in the sport.

Although Toyota have found themselves roughly a second off the pace during the pre-season testing, Trulli has said the car is a step forward from its predecessor.

And the 33-year-old Italian has now been moved to comment that Toyota could be the surprise package of this year's championship and compete with the likes of BMW Sauber and Renault behind frontrunners Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes.

"I wouldn't be amazed if we turn out to be the surprise package of the year," he told the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

"The best part of all the testing so far is seeing the happier faces in the team after two seasons of disappointment.

"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we have the feeling that something is changing.

"Ferrari and McLaren are in a league of their own, but we can certainly fight to be best of the rest. This year's car is a completely different animal to last year's."