That was expected of him. It's not much different from last year and in my opinion he remains inconsistent for the entire season and he remains to have what seems to be a very narrow window or zone at which he can deliver good points. He finds it difficult to race from behind and he is very much affected by the quirks of the car. He is so hardworking perhaps it's impairing his natural talent. So what more can Jarno offer?

When Jarno had the Toyota just the way he liked it he scored podiums but Ralf was close by at 4th or 5th, racing from behind while Jarno drove from the front from the beginning. When the revised car came out which was more into Ralf's style (but not entirely as the German also complains of understeer) one could say Jarno abhored the car. He was unlucky, sure, but so was Ralf before. Ralf tolerated the car when it was difficult; what did Jarno do in the same situation later in the year? Hungary showed that Jarno can drive beyond the problems of his car, but apart from that, when else this year?

When Jarno scored the podiums he was with a car that was more clearly a top two or top three overall package. When Ralf scored his podiums he had a top four or top five, at best top three overall package, RACING with occasionally resurgent Ferraris, BARs, at times even Williamses.

I hate it that Ralf missed out on double podiums for Toyota because of his mistakes in qualifying early in the year. But now in light of Jarno's difficulty with the new car it seems Schumacher II tried hard enough and scored maximum points anyway. I hate it that Ralf gets a lot more money over his team mate, though I understand that his salary isn't purely on account of his capacity as a driver but also includes his marketability as a Schumacher. I believe when Ralf finds the rest of his lost qualifying speed (some he already gained later in the year with the new car) we can see something more. Perhaps a lot more.

So why did Ralf exceed expectations? Last year he was whiny and crashaholic, and inconsistent. During winter testing he crashed a lot - a sign that he was having difficulty with the car. But for the entire season, he had far fewer crashes than before and he did not take out any other competitor. He was more consistent. He was more relaxed in a useful way and played the team game, even so acknowledging how Jarno has outscored and outqalified him early on. Ralf improved over last year, plain and simple, and it benefited the team, too.

Ralf started out decent enough, fighting for points and he had a good second half season. Jarno started out phenomenally strong, but mellowed down later in the season. Upward versus downward slope - which is more impressive? Yes, nobody expects politicking or whining from any driver but still it was a welcome change that Ralf became more positive in his ways. And guess who put Toyota in the headlines, but for the wrong reasons?

Credit to where credit is due - I still can't imagine how Toyota could have been without Jarno Trulli. More than being a hardworking guy, it's because of his amazing run in the first part of the season that put light to Ralf's performance, and pushed him to do better. Without Jarno, and say perhaps with Panis, da Matta, Zonta, or Coulthard instead, Ralf and Toyota would be satisfied with what Ralf could do and would have never found out what they can actually accomplish. I salute Jarno for that.

But I salute Ralf more for rising to Jarno's challenge, and really, for transforming himself from previous years to be a true asset to Team TOYOTA.

Let's see what next year brings and I can only hope that they continue to push and motivate each other!

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