Trulli happy despite troubles

By Andrew Benson BBC Sport Online motorsport editor in Barcelona

Renault driver Jarno Trulli was a happy man after the Spanish Grand Prix even though engine problems had robbed him of his first points finish of the year.

The Italian was on his way to at least fourth place at the Circuit de Catalunya before he started dropping back because of increasingly poor throttle response.

Trulli's car problems hit for the first time while he was battling with McLaren's David Coulthard for third place.

But the Renault star was more relieved than upset because the team had discovered a serious problem with his car that he said had been afflicting him since the start of the season.

It has been a good weekend for me because I didn't know what the problem was for the first four races

Jarno Trulli

Trulli had been way off the pace of team-mate Jenson Button on Friday in Spain, but he used the spare car for qualifying and the race and was much happier.

The two men were evenly matched in the race before both hit problems.

Trulli had been a worried man before coming to Spain because he had been criticised for driving a poor race last time out at the San Marino Grand Prix.

He said he was delighted to discover it was the car that was slow, not himself.

"I am happy because we found a car that was working - the car had a problem in the first four races, although we don't know what," Trulli said.

"Jenson drove that car this morning [Sunday] and had the same problem - he was 1.5 seconds slower than in his own car.

Trulli has trailed team-mate Jenson Button

"I'm relieved. I set the fourth quickest lap in the race, and now I know it is just a question of the right time for me."

Trulli has been under pressure this season because he developed a reputation during his two years at Jordan in 2000-1 of being an ultra-quick qualifier and a poor racer.

He says that is not true - and wants to prove it.

"I'm happy because the car was working," he said.

"When you look and check the car I have used in the first four races this season, you don't see anything.

"But I qualified in the T-car and only got one lap in and you can see the result.

"It has been a good weekend for me because I didn't know what the problem was for the first four races."

Benetton engineering director Pat Symonds backed Trulli's views about the car he had been using for practice in Spain.

Problem fixed

But he said he could not confirm whether the problem had affected it throughout the season so far.

"We believe we have fixed the problem now. We did see it, but it wasn't totally obvious," Symonds said.

"I'm not sure if it has affected him all season so far.

"He wasn't happy in the race in Imola, although he qualified well. Whether it was that problem or not I'm not sure."

Symonds would not reveal what the error had been.

Button also missed out on a potential podium finish when his car ran into trouble.

In his case it was a hydraulics problem rather than the throttle potentiometer that affected Trulli.

"I'm big-time disappointed," said Button, who has dropped a place from fourth in the championship as a result of Coulthard's third place.

"I was third at one point but I pretty much knew that DC was going to get me when I started having a problem."