Age is no barrier for Trulli

The Toyota driver Jarno Trulli still believes he can win races and challenge for future championships despite being 35.

Despite turning 35 tomorrow, Jarno Trulli is still not giving up on his dream of one day becoming the Formula One world champion. Time may not in theory be on the Italian as he prepares for today's German Grand Prix, where he lines up 14th on the grid after struggling in yesterday's qualifying session at the Nurburgring, but he is still confident he has what it takes to make it to the top. It will also be five years since Trulli gained his sole triumph in Formula One, in Monaco in 2004, yet he still feels he is young enough and good enough to challenge for wins and a world championship.

History may suggest otherwise as, in the past 20 years, only Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, and Michael Schumacher in 2004, have won the title after passing the same age. But it doesn't worry Trulli as he has witnessed fellow veteran Rubens Barrichello, the Brawn GP driver, challenging at the top in this season at the age of 36. The Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio holds the record as the oldest champion at 46 years and 41 days back in 1957, and Trulli - fifth in the drivers' standings behind the Brawns of Jenson Button and Barrichello - says he has no desire to bow out.

"Age is no problem," he says. "The fact that people like Nigel Mansell have won the world championship at 39 just shows it is possible and how Formula One is. "Now there is a better chance for people at this age. The cars are easier to drive and everyone is very fit. I keep myself fit and really believe age is just a number. If you want to correlate anything between age and racing, you have to look at speed.

"If the driver is capable of getting the best out of the car and being fast then I don't see the reason why they should stop, no matter how old they are. "They go on if they are capable. I see myself like that. If I am not capable of being quick, then it will be time to stop. "It seems like the older I get, the better I get and the experience is the difference. I have much more than at 21, but the fire is the same as then.

"The fact you want to win, to be ahead of the rest, when you have so many targets, then you are not tired. It's not going to be easy to be the world champion and you need a team and car to perform. This is what we are trying to build up and I definitely don't feel I am below the other drivers." It has been the form of championship leader Button that has given Trulli a lot of optimism that he can still be a champion, even as he competes in his 13th season in the series.

Button had only won one race in his Formula One career, but given a race-winning car for the first time this year has taken full advantage as he won six of the first eight races of the season to open up a 23-point lead in the championship in his Brawn car. "There is Jenson Button this year to show what is possible for everyone," Trulli adds. "He was a forgotten driver and now he is leading the championship. It shows you never have to lose your hope."

The transformation of Button hits home for Trulli, who was his teammate at Renault six years ago. He out-qualified the Briton regularly and it was Button, who despite actually scoring more points, departed the team when Fernando Alonso was promoted. Despite being out-shone by Alonso at Renault, Trulli showed his ability with a superb performance to claim his Monaco win in 2004. It was a rare defeat for Schumacher on his way to a record 13 wins that season.

"I think in that circumstances in Monaco when I beat Schumacher, the car was extremely good," he adds. "I had always been good there and that day everything went smoothly. "I dominated that weekend with pole and the second fastest lap. I'm happy to see Jenson at the top now because it shows it's right not to give up. "I always saw Jenson as a good driver so I'm not surprised to see him up there. "But I am more surprised to see him go from not driving to being a champion. It is two extreme points and shows how important the car is for the career.

"Normally, domination like Schumacher comes when there is a car or a team that is dominating too. "Jenson's run this season looks like Schumacher when he was driving the best car of the championship in 2004; it was nearly impossible to beat him. "But you have to keep trying. You don't want someone to win every race." Trulli would love a repeat of that Monaco magic today at the Nurburgring on a track where he finished second in the European Grand Prix in 1999 when he raced for the Prost team.

He is racing for his future too with his Toyota contract ending at the end of this season, with the Italian having claimed two pole positions but no victories in his four and a half-year spell with the Japanese team to date. The team have shown good pace for much of the season, with an all Toyota front-row in Bahrain the highlight, but the all important win has yet to appear. It is his desire to get Toyota's first win in Formula One that is pushing him on, alongside his goal of winning a world title.

"That's what I will do and my hopes will keep me going. I want to win the first race for Toyota, win more races and win the championship," he adds. "When I have achieved one target, I will set a new one. For Toyota it's important to win a race. I hope we can do well in Germany. "It is a track I know really well and I have had some good days there, particularly in 1999 when I finished on the podium for the first time in Formula One.

"It would be great to fight for another podium 10 years on from that." [e-mail]