Jarno Trulli admits he is not a 'typical Italian'. He arrives early for appointments; does not care for football, claiming he did not even support Italy in the last World Cup; and he even has a Finnish name - he is called Jarno after a Finnish motorcycle rider, something which confused the Italian media when Trulli entered Formula One. "When I made the announcement I was entering F1 with Minardi," he explains, "many people thought I was Finnish. The Italians did not know me because I had not driven in Italy!"
Schooled for 12 years in karting, the 25 year old Italian came to Formula One with an impressive list of achievements. He is the only Formula One driver to have won everything there is to win in karting. "It was very important for me to get my grounding in karting," he explains. "I used to go to karting events from the age of three. My father drove as a hobby and I used to go along with my mother to support him." As a result, Trulli was a big fan of motorsport from an early age and was watching Formula One from the tender age of four. "Then one day," he recalls with glee, "when I was about seven, there was a new category for young people called mini-kart and my dad asked me if I wanted a go. Once I was in the kart that was it - I didn't want to get out again! But I never dreamed where it would lead me!"
Trulli shone in the karting races and became a driver for an official factory team. The next step proved elusive for a while as he struggled to find the financial backing. Then, in 1995, he received a call from the German F3 KMS team who offered him a free drive. Trulli made the most of the opportunity, winning two of the six races he competed in, as well as being crowned Rookie of the Year. After only half a season driving a Formula car, his results were impressive enough for three F1 teams to come calling. Trulli chose to go with Benetton, who offered him a full season in the German F3 Championship with the KMS team. He won the Championship and became Benetton's Junior team Champion.
