Jarno's background, like many of his F1 peers, is in karting, where he was regarded as one of the finest talents to grace the sport.
Many believe (or believed?) that, given the right car and the right environment, Trulli could become Italy's first Champion since Ascari.
As a promising young Italian driver, Trulli started his F1 career with Minardi in 1997 before switching to the more competitive Prost team midway through the season following Olivier Panis' dreadful accident at Montreal.
On the Frenchman's return, Trulli handed back the drive, although a fourth place at Hockenheim and a scorching Austrian GP - where only a blown engine denied him an astonishing win - was enough to give him a permanent seat alongside Panis the following year.
A woefully inadequate car in 1998 meant a frustrating season, the only vague bright spot being a sixth place at Spa.
1999 was much of the same, with Trulli becoming increasingly unhappy with the poor performance of the car.
For 2000, Trulli joined Jordan, lining up alongside Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Another frustrating season brought none of the rewards he had been hoping for.
However, Jarno put his faith in the Honda engine making them more competitive in 2001. But once again Trulli flattered to deceive, the Italian often putting in good qualifying performances, but failing to deliver when it came to the race.
Such a scenario has tended to blight his F1 career.
His best results in 2001 were fourth-place finishes in Indianapolis and Barcelona. He ended the year ninth overall with 12 points.
In 2002 he swapped teams with Giancarlo Fisichella and seemed to get much the better deal at Renault. He outgunned Jenson Button in qualifying, though by mid-season Trulli was getting the more powerful evolution of Renault engines if one were to blow up in practice.
Yet his reputation as 'a bit of a choker' was not enhanced through the year and Button easily outraced and ultimately outscored him. Nonetheless, it has to be said that Trulli was badly handicapped by Renault's unreliability - had his car held up slightly longer, the two drivers would probably have ended all square.
The following season was a frustrating one for Jarno. Bedevilled by misfortune and a lack of reliability, his reputation took a battering as another Flavio Briatore protégé, Fernando Alonso, took the plaudits for a series of stunning drives.
The Italian, though, more than matched F1's latest bright young thing in the first half of the 2004 season.
His run of form culminated in a faultless drive at Monaco in which he held off a hard-charging Button to earn his maiden F1 win. Yet even in the immediate aftermath of victory Briatore indicated that he wouldn't be renewing Trulli's contract at Renault.
From this point onwards Trulli's performances declined at the same rate as his relationship with the team.
After a series of lacklustre performances, and amid accusations by Jarno that Renault were providing him with an inferior product, the team dropped him with three races remaining.
It had been confirmed in the previous month that he had signed a long-term contract with Toyota and Jarno thus made an immediate switch to his new employers, making his debut at the Japanese GP.
Supplied with the disappointing TF104, his performances were steady if unspectacular.
He entered the 2005 season determined to fulfil Toyota's promise of podium finishes and with the help of yet another new qualifying system, it didn't take the Italian long.
By the end of the fifth race Trulli already had three podium finishes (including two P2s bagged in Malaysia and Bahrain) to his name.
However his performances petered out as the season progressed and, at the Chinese GP, he was eventually overhauled by team-mate Ralf Schumacher in the Drivers' standings.
Remaining with Toyota for a second season, Jarno struggled to score points in the first half of the season as reliability issues dogged him. In fact his first points of the season only came at the Canadian GP, round nine of the Championship.
It was a disappointing campaign for the Italian, who finished the year on 15 points and down in 12th place.
Jarno scored his first points of the 2007 season in Malaysia, finishing seventh after qualifying eighth. A couple more points followed in Bahrain, but he stalled on the grid at the start of the Spanish GP and dropped out during the early laps due to mechanical failure.
Monaco brought no better fortune for Trulli, as he finished down in 15th place, just ahead of team-mate Schumacher, after qualifying his season-worst 14th. His second retirement of the season followed in Canada, before he was back in the points at the United States GP, finishing sixth. After a series of non-scoring runs, Trulli said that the result was 'incredible'.
2008 was meant to yield better things for Toyota and although there were signs of promise it did appear to be more of the same from Trulli. Some highs, some lows, but mostly just mediocre results. A podium finish came at the French GP, but there was little sight of that first win that Toyota have been dreaming of.
Taking advantage of the new 2009 regulations and a loophole that allowed for the double-decker diffuser, Trulli and Toyota looked on course for that first win in the opening stint of the season. A pole position in Bahrain set the Italian up perfectly, however, once again Trulli proved to be a qualifier and not a racer as he finished the grand prix in third place.
Having lost that perfect opportunity, Trulli and Toyota's form slumped a bit with only points and not podiums following suit. And although there was a bit of an improvement in the latter few races, one has to say that Toyota and Trulli had their chance and blew it.
The end of the season was followed by Toyota's announcement that they were quitting F1 with immediate effect, leaving Trulli without a seat for the 2010 Championship. The experienced Italian, though, did not have to wait around for very long before being snapped by newcomers Lotus F1 Racing.
Driving for a rookie outfit was always going to be challenge, no matter how experienced the driver is and Trulli found that out in the first half of the season. He failed to cross the finishing line in five of the first eight races, including a DNS in Australia.
Although the team improved as the season went along and edged closer to some of the more established teams time wise, Trulli couldn't match his team-mate Heikki Kovalainen as he suffered four further retirements. His best result came in the Japanese Grand Prix when he finished 13th - one place behind Kovalainen.
Despite picking up no points, Trulli and Kovalainen helped Lotus to 10th in the Constructors Championship as they finished highest of the new teams.
And it was more of the same in 2011, in fact the only thing that changed was the team's name, becoming Team Lotus.
Entering the season with the main of scoring a point, Trulli came relatively close at the very first race in Australia when he finished P13.
That, though, was to be his best result of the season, matched in Monaco, and matched by his team-mate. However, P13 was the closest Team Lotus could come largely because of their lack of KERS cutting them short.
The team still finished P10, best of the newcomers, while Trulli was 21st, one place ahead of Kovalainen by virtue of his two P13s to the Finn's one.
Trulli has re-signed with the team for the 2012 season although that immediately prompted rumours that he may take a position other than race driver. Both the team, now called Caterham F1, and the driver have denied this it must be said that there is not smoke without fire.
