Thursday August 30th, 2001
Italian driver Jarno Trulli has expressed his sadness at having to leave the Jordan team to join the Renault-owned Benetton outfit next season.
Trulli, who joined the Silverstone-based outfit back at the start of the 2000 season, will swap teams with compatriot Giancarlo Fisichella after Renault decided to exercise an option on Trulli, who has admitted he will miss the Jordan team and their members.
"I am not leaving Jordan because I am unhappy here," Trulli said. "Jordan is my family. I spend more time with the people I work with at Jordan than I do with my real family because that's the way Formula One is.
"The atmosphere is excellent in the team, even with the difficult times we have been going through recently. I am sure I will make good friends in Benetton, but it will take time as it takes at least a year to really start to feel at home in a new environment."
Published at 19:42:15 GMT