Team Lotus confirms Jarno Trulli for 2012
After months of denying rumors about his departure from the discipline, the Italian driver can finally breathe.
For weeks, even months, he has been insisting that he has a proper contract for the next season, and it is now official: Team Lotus has confirmed that Jarno Trulli will indeed be a main driver for the team in 2012.
However, at the beginning of this weekend, the Italian driver still had to respond to rumors announcing him as leaving the Malaysian team. “I’m quite comfortable regarding next year. It’s obviously not up to me to say where we stand, but yes, I’m happy with the way we are working with the team,” Jarno Trulli told the Reuters news agency at the FOTA fan forum in Milan on Wednesday.
After facing difficulties with his teammate Heikki Kovalainen, rumors of a possible move to NASCAR next season began to emerge. Similarly, his replacement by Karun Chandhok in Germany did not calm the rumor mill. But Trulli has consistently denied them. At 37, he will therefore start his 16th Formula 1 season in 2012, having begun his F1 career in 1997 with the Minardi team (now Toro Rosso).
« I am very happy that we have confirmed my contract with Team Lotus has been extended for 2012. The challenge I accepted in joining the team is becoming more exciting every day and I am very proud to be able to continue helping the team, » declared the Italian driver.
The joy of Trulli is naturally shared by Tony Fernandes, Team Principal of Team Lotus: « We are all delighted to have been able to reach an agreement to keep Jarno on board for at least another year with our team. Today’s announcement will give us the benefit of his experience and knowledge in 2012, another important year in the growth of our team. »
