Saturday June 3rd, 2000

Jarno Trulli produced he performance expected of him for the past two years on Saturday when he claimed second place on the grid for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

The Italian drove his Jordan with the enthusiasm and elan which marked him out as a great prospect when he took pole position on the street circuit in a Formula Three race four years ago.

His excellent effort was not quite enough to stop world championship leader Michael Schumacher from taking the 25th pole of his career, but it earned him a front row spot.

"It's great for me, because I didn't expect it at all," Trulli said. "I struggled really badly in practice on Thursday and it is only thanks to a lot of hard work by the mechanics and the engineers that we have made such a big difference."

The former world karting champion reached Formula One by winning the German Formula Three title with Benetton in 1996 before joining the Minardi team the following year.

When Frenchman Olivier Pannis broke his legs in a bad accident at the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix, Trulli replaced him at Prost. He switched to Jordan this year.

"I wanted to be in a team with British discipline which makes progress and gets on with things," he said. "I am not a typical kind of Italian guy, you see. I prefer a more straightforward life than some people and I don't even like football.

"Monaco is a track I really enjoy and, of course, I live here so it is my home race, too. I like that. The car is also developing a lot and Mugen-Honda is pushing very hard which is encouraging for the future races. We had a new specification engine today, too, and that is a real step forward."

Asked about the advice given to him by former boss Alain Prost, Trulli said: "He was a big help to me as a driver and I owe him a lot. He really helped me to make progress. Maybe this year I did not have a great start, but I am sure the team will help me to move forward a lot now.

"The atmosphere is good for me and it is very open and equal. There is a lot of fun, but a lot of serious work too. One of the best things is that I have a very good relationship with (team mate) Heinz-Harald Frentzen. I feel we are treated the same and that matters a lot to me."

Trulli's best result this season was fourth in the Brazilian Grand Prix. His highest finish was second in the rainswept European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring last year.