Jarno Trulli said he was actually quite happy with the behavior of Pirelli's tires during the Australian Grand Prix, despite some criticism of them after the event.
The Italian said after the Melbourne race that he was "shocked" by how much the tires have changed since winter testing.
"The most important thing to be said is that every result this weekend, whether positive or negative, has a common cause: the Pirelli tires," Trulli wrote in his column for Repubblica newspaper. "They've left us all shocked. I don't mean they were better or worse than we had expected, I mean that they were completely different: it's as if they have been changed since the last tests in Barcelona."
Although the Lotus driver conceded the tires were different than during testing, he said he was actually pleased with the job done by Pirelli.
"I think that came from a completely wrong translation because I see Pirelli did a good job from Australia," Trulli told a news conference in Sepang. "We didn't expect to have a problem with the tire warm-up. There wasn't degradation, one driver did a one-stop strategy.
"For the Australian Grand Prix the tires behaved completely different, very well compared to the experience of winter testing. Some people struggled for tire warm-up which was the case for several drivers. It shows that we have a lot to learn.
"Pirelli is trying to adjust itself and give the best tires for the conditions and circuit. The first show was pretty good for Pirelli but there is still a lot to learn."