Jarno Trulli says he is proud of Caterham’s achievements in his tenure – Formula 1 news
Jarno Trulli says he is proud of what Caterham has achieved to date and bids the team farewell as he is replaced by Vitaly Petrov for the 2012 season.
Trulli says that he joined the team in 2010 and put in the hard work to ensure that the team finished within the top ten places in the constructors’ championship for the first two seasons to make sure it earns the hefty prize money.
Trulli along with his teammate Heikki Kovalainen did achieve the goal the management were looking for, but could not match up to the performances of his partner. Trulli struggled during the 2011 season and was even replaced for a race by the Indian driver
Narain Karthikeyan.
The rumours had been rife of Petrov replacing Trulli but issues with getting enough sponsors were hindering Petrov’s inclusion in the team.
Trulli did not have any regrets over the decision and thanked his team for the time he had with them.
“I want to take this chance to thank Tony, Kamarudin, SM Nasarudin, Riad, Mike and everyone in the team for the two seasons we had together,” Trulli said. “From zero we built up and established a solid F1 team. I'm really proud to have been part of it. I
understand the decision the team has made and I want to wish to the whole team the very best of luck for the season ahead.”
Trulli leaves the team at a time when he virtually has no other team to go to for a race seat. This will mean that his future in the sport will be in limbo for at least the 2012 season.
The first Russian driver to race in Formula 1 Petrov is excited at the opportunity he has received through Caterham.
“This is a very exciting day for me I would like to thank Tony, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin for giving me the chance to join a team that made its F1 debut at the same time as me,” he added.
Petrov will be driving Caterham’s new car in the second pre-season test on February 21, 2012 at Barcelona.
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