F1 | Jarno Trulli and the unforgettable Monaco GP of 2004

256 GPs contested, 246,5 points obtained, 11 podiums, one fastest lap, 4 pole positions and one victory. These are the numbers that summarize the career of Jarno Trulli, who in Formula 1 pushed the cars of Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault, Toyota and Lotus to the maximum between 1997 and 2011.

But if we really want to tell who Jarno was on the track, we must then go to May 23, 2004. The Monaco GP is held and the driver from Abruzzo, racing for Renault, starts from pole position, won on Saturday with a time of 1'13"985 ahead of Ralf Schumacher's Williams (releged ten positions on the grid for having replaced the engine). Jenson Button's BAR – Honda then starts behind Jarno, in turn ahead of Alonso's Renault and Michael Schumacher's Ferrari.

Renault was competitive that year, a small taste of the successes that would come in 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso. Jarno comes from third place achieved in Spain and excellent performances in the first GPs, which saw him always score points. However, it is the year of Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, with five victories in the first five races of the season. However, that day Jarno was determined to write the most important page of his career and at the start he defended and maintained first position with determination.

That day, everything happens behind Jarno: Sato (BAR-Honda) floods the track with oil; Fisichella (Sauber) hits Coulthard (McLaren), forcing the Safety Car; Alonso loses control of the car and crashes into the barriers under the tunnel; the Safety Car enters the track and upon exiting the tunnel Montoya hits Schumacher, who brakes sharply in an attempt to warm up the tires and is forced to retire.

However, none of this prevented Jarno from crossing the finish line first, taking his first (and only) victory in Formula 1. Behind him Button and Barrichello's red. Trulli will finish sixth at the end of the season, due to an unfortunate ending for Renault, between retirements and drops in performance.

But that will remain a great season, crowned by a memorable victory. On the top step of the podium the Mameli anthem, for once, does not celebrate Ferrari's victory but the triumph of Jarno, who on May 23, 2004 wrote a small and large piece of the history of Italian motoring.