SEPANG, Malaysia, March 23, 2008 (AFP) - Jarno Trulli, winner of one of his 183 races and approaching his 34th birthday, showed all the exuberance of a teenage newcomer Sunday when he finished fourth in the Malaysian Grand Prix.

His performance endorsed his own view that as a ´marathon man´ with vast experience he is far from finished as a competitive driver and also proved that Toyota, after a few false starts, are finally ready to prove they are on the march.

"For me, it is so nice to be back in the points," he said. "And after such a strong race. I am especially happy for the team both here and in Cologne.

"This result is mainly down to their work over the winter and I dedicate it to them. I just hope now that we can carry on improving with the performance of the car because at the end of winter testing we were strong.

"I am also a strong person. I have believed always in myself and this proved that if I have the right car, it has the performance and the potential, I can do the job.

"I have always believed this. I am not old and I am still keen for my next win!"

Trulli, a keen long-distance runner and wine-producer at home in Italy, has run the New York marathon and believes his steely strength makes him ideal for the job.

"When you are older you are stronger in a different way," he said. "I feel I am capable of being a better driver now than earlier in my career with Renault and the other teams."

On his race, he said: "I had a difficult first corner, I lost grip and I ran wide and then I touched Nick Heidfeld and lost some ground.

"But after that I felt I could keep up with the McLarens. We made it past Mark Webber as the team did a great job at the pit-stops and in the end I had a great fight with Lewis Hamilton.

"We were pushing each other very hard. He was obviously slightly quicker than me, but I gave it 100 per cent and thanks to the team and a trouble-free weekend we got our reward with fourth place."