Making the jump to Formula 3 in only his second season of single-seaters, Enzo Trulli says he’s prioritising progression over results during his rookie campaign with Carlin.

Still only 16-year-old, Trulli won UAE F4 in his first year of car racing, taking four wins and 13 podiums from the 20-race campaign. The Italian then went on to finish seventh in Euroformula Open, before opting to make the step-up to F3 with Carlin.

“It was a big step for me,” said Trulli. “I have found F3 quite difficult and challenging so far. I am coming from a very different category, so I am trying to learn as much as I can.

“I don't have the experience or the mileage with this car, but I am seeing the progression. I am working as hard as I can, trying to step up and get in front of my teammates. It will not be easy, I know that, but I am trying to make the most of it.”

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Trulli won the UAE F4 title last season
Trulli won the UAE F4 title last season

Mechanical issues at pre-season testing limited Trulli’s running on two of the three days in Sakhir, but the Italian has been busy ever since, posting 79 laps on the final day in Bahrain as well as a further 179 during two days of testing at Jerez.

With Carlin putting him through his paces, Trulli is confident he can quickly get up to speed.

“Carlin have been great, we are working really hard to try and find our way into the top 10,” he continued. “I think we are doing a great job of testing everything because there is a lot that we have needed to test.

“Testing is really important. We don't have a lot of tests in the year, and we don't get much practice time during the race weekends, so I ran a lot on the two days in Jerez and we got a lot of laps in. I am trying to do as many laps as I can, trying to learn the car.”

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Trulli completed 179 laps during two days of testing at Jerez
Trulli completed 179 laps during two days of testing at Jerez

After Qualifying 28th, Trulli went forward in both races, making it up to 20th in the Sprint Race and 26th in the Feature, and he says he used the test in Spain to work on his one-lap pace.

“The pace is good in the race runs,” he elated. “We have been working on Qualifying because I am still lacking there a little bit and don’t have a lot of experience.

“The grip is very different from what I drove last year and there is more power too, so I am trying to find out the best way to go fast. We did a lot of work in the sun on Wednesday when conditions were dry, but we still have more work to do in Barcelona.

“Tuesday was great with the rain as I had not driven this car in the rain before that. Overall, I made a lot of progress and I see a lot of potential.”