Liuzzi Fan Base // www.liuzzifanbase.com

News

Monza test day 1	27 August 2008
Tonio today kick-started Force India's three-day test at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy. The 5.793km high-speed, low downforce track is unlike any other circuit on the calendar and, therefore, Tonio spent much of today conducting set-up and aero work that will be unique to this event and the forthcoming Italian Grand Prix. He completed 99 laps in total, with a best lap time of 1:24.239, the 8th quickest time of the day and just 0.811 seconds slower than Felipe Massa's best time. Tonio commented: "Today we tried to get a good set-up for the rest of the test and the race in just a couple of weeks time, and I think we can be happy with how it went today. This morning the grip levels were very low and it was quite difficult with the tyres we had, and especially as I had not been in the car for some time for a real test. We did make some good progress though, almost 100 laps with no problems and we are not too far from the others in the times either." Adrian Sutil will take over for tomorrow's running, with Giancarlo Fisichella bringing the test to a close on Friday.

Jerez test day 3	24 July 2008
Tonio continued the Force India's test programme today at a scorching hot Jerez de la Frontera circuit. Despite temperatures approaching the high 30s, the Italian had a full day's schedule to work through, including putting more miles on the team's new seamless shift gearbox, aerodynamic work and brake testing. In the afternoon, he also tested the new-for-2009 slick Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Again, the VJM01 ran without any issues, allowing Tonio to complete 380km today, with a best time of 1:19.544, which was the fourth best time today. Again, a Red Bull sponsored car was the fastest of the day, this time it was Mark Webber who set a lap time of 1:19.176. Tonio commented: "We continued on with yesterday's programme and once again had a very positive day. We could do over 80 laps with the new gearbox without any reliability issues. We also completed some aero work with the new wheel spinners and in the afternoon went onto the 2009 slick tyres to try the different compounds, weight distribution and the set up. I enjoyed it a lot as there is much more grip and the car seemed very well balanced with them. Finally we did some brake testing to finish off what's been a very positive two days of testing." Adrian Sutil will take over for the final day of testing tomorrow.

Jerez test day 2	23 July 2008
Just three days after its double finish in the German Grand Prix, the Force India F1 Team was out in action again on the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in southern Spain, with Tonio behind the wheel. He ran the new seamless shift gearbox for the first time following a shakedown last week at Silverstone. Besides that he also pushed on with a programme of suspension work, aero testing and reliability runs in the afternoon. With no mechanical issues and clear weather throughout the day, Tonio completed over 100 laps with a best time of 1min 20.577, just 1.434 seconds slower than Sebastian Vettel's best time of 1:18.843. Afterwards he said: "Today was a good day, especially considering I had not been in the car for a month. I got back into the rhythm very easily and we did some very productive work today. The main issue was to complete a lot of laps to test the new gearbox and other new items, and without any issues we could complete the programme. The gearbox was reliable and the lap time was definitely improved as a result. I also worked on the suspension set-up with the inertia damper, which I hadn't tested before, and the results were pretty positive. It feels like we have made a step forward and the lap times weren't bad, especially considering other teams were testing the slick tyres and different aero packages here. I'm looking forward to more tomorrow and making sure the car works well in Hungary."

Liuzzi looking for racing return	16 July 2008
Tonio says that sitting on the sidelines of Formula One is more difficult than he expected and is eyeing a return to a race seat. The 27-year-old Italian spent a season with Red Bull and two with Toro Rosso, but he lost his drive this year and accepted the reserve role at Force India, where he was encouraged by the team to put pressure on Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil. He told Autosprint magazine: "I would never have thought that one year without racing in F1 would be so tough." Read the full article here.

Silverstone test day 1	24 June 2008
Force India's British Grand Prix preparations got underway Tuesday with the first day of a three-day test at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. Tonio was on driving duties at the 5.141km track as the team tested a major aerodynamic upgrade for the VJM01. He also worked on set-up and preparation for the race. The Italian completed 108 laps with a best time of 1:22.250, just 2.062 seconds slower than Felipe Massa, who set the fastest time today. Tonio said: "Today was a long day with a lot of laps as fortunately the weather stayed dry and we could get some consistent running. The guys did a really good job and the car was very reliable. As a result it was a good day of testing. The new parts we ran gave a positive impact on the car and Giancarlo and Adrian will have some more bits to test for the rest of the test. We covered a lot of miles and did some quick laps and the balance of the car felt better. The new package is working well so far and hopefully in the next two days we will improve the speed as well." Giancarlo Fisichella will continue testing on Wednesday.

Tonio visits Canadian secondary school students	07 June 2008
As part of the activities surrounding the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, five F1 representatives took a few hours out of their busy schedules to meet around 300 students from St-Henri secondary school in Montreal. Besides Tonio, Steve Clark from Honda, Jean-Pierre Raymond from Renault, Silvia Hoffer from Williams and Gino Rosato from Ferrari were available to answer questions from students. Through the discussion, students got to learn more about the sport as well as related career opportunities. The questions, from the mostly young males who approached the mike, were aimed at Tonio, and were about speed, speed and more speed. "What's it feel like, the G-forces? That must be huge!" said one young man in baggy pants. "Did you ever crash? Did the car break into a thousand pieces?" asked another teenager. Tonio patiently explained that the driver's section is very solid and resists breaking up, whereas most of the rest of the car is made of carbon fibre that shatters on impact. "What does it feel like when you look down and the speedometer says 360 kilometres an hour?", asked another student. "We don't look down," Tonio replied with big laughs. At least a couple of times, some students tried to find out a race driver salary but Tonio avoided a clear answer. He confirmed that his salary was far from those of champions like Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso! As you can see in our gallery, Tonio really enjoyed this Wednesday morning in Montreal.

Behind the scenes at the Force India factory	06 June 2008
Ever wondered how a F1 factory looks and where all those team members work? Well, this is your chance! In a very exclusive photo shoot, the official Formula 1 website gives you a unique look behind the scenes at the factory of Tonio's team. You can see the race bays, the machine shop, the composites department and much more! To see the photo shoot from the Force India F1 factory in Silverstone, click here.

Tonio one of the best overtaking drivers of 2007	28 May 2008
F1 Racing magazine analysed the number of overtaking manoeuvres of 2007. First lap overtaking actions and places gained by pit stops from other drivers were excluded from the results, to measure only the real overtaking manoeuvres. Felipe Massa was the driver who did the most overtaking actions - 20 - while he was overtaken just twice in 2007. Tonio overtook 12 cars and he was overtaken 7 times, good for the 9th spot at the overtaking ranking! This means he did even more overtaking actions than Trulli, Button, Coulthard and Kovalainen. Marcus Winkelhock was the driver with the least overtaking manoeuvres: he didn't overtook anybody, while he was overtaken 15 times...in just one race!

Tonio enjoys DTM race	19 May 2008
Tonio had his first DTM experience last weekend on the Most circuit in the Czech Republic. He enjoyed racing and gave many fans an autograph. He commented: "Well, this was a nice surprise for me. Charouz Racing System is a very professional team, and I liked the Most circuit. I wasn't used to racing with a roof above my head, because I've only done open wheel racing (like F1, F3000 and karting) and some motorcross. Fortunately I got used to the car very well and I was able to do some quick laps, which was very satisfiying!" Tonio and his Charouz team mates qualified 3rd for the race on Saturday. Unfortunately, Tonio retired during the race with a gearbox problem. Check our Gallery to see some pictures from Tonio's DTM!

Tonio to race this weekend!	16 May 2008
Tonio will turn his hand to endurance racing this weekend when he takes part in the second round of the International Circuits Championships of the Czech Republic at the Most circuit. Tonio, who hasn't competed in a race since last year's Brazilian Grand Prix, will drive one of the Charouz Racing System Mercedes AMG DTM C-Class cars in the three-hour race on Saturday. He commented: "I am looking forward to the Most race, it will mean several firsts for me. For the first time, I will try this Czech circuit, and I have never to date driven a DTM series car. I was happy to accept Antonín Charouz's offer to start for his team. I know Charouz Racing System is a good team, I know that they will offer me to drive a perfectly prepared Mercedes Benz AMG DTM C-Class car. I have heard that the Czech Republic’s International Championships are attractive and of good quality. I believe I will have a good race and a lot of fun on Saturday’s three-hour event." He will be joined in the car by Jan Charouz, Antonin Charouz and Vaclav Nimc, while the identical sister machine will feature former F1 driver Tomas Enge, Stefan Mücke as well as Antonin Charouz and Nimc, who will swap between cars.

Paul Ricard test day 1	14 May 2008
Almost a year ago Tonio drove the same circuit as he did today: the Paul Ricard circuit in France. In 106 laps he was able to set a fastest time of 1:07.346, 1.746 seconds slower than the fastest man on the track today: Lewis Hamilton. Liuzzi focussed on the development of some new parts and the set-up for the forthcoming Monaco Grand Prix. Therefore, the French track was was configured to a short layout. Afterwards, Tonio said: "We did more than 100 laps with no reliability problems today, which let us test some new development items for Monaco, including some of the new aero parts, and some new updates to the suspension. We had to work on the balance a bit at first to adjust to the new items, but over the longer runs it was very consistent and we could make some steps forward. As we only used the hard tyre today the lap times were pretty good in comparison to the other teams who used the soft tyre, which gives a big performance advantage over the harder compound. I think today was quite a good start for the test."

Sutil under pressure, Tonio to take over?	02 May 2008
ITV Sport's intrepid pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz gives his view after every race in his notebook. In his latest notebook about the Spanish Grand Prix he suggests that Adrian Sutil is under pressure after three DNF's and one 19th-place finish. Ted comments: "Given that the team have the very able and certainly very willing Tonio Liuzzi waiting in the wings, Adrian will be under some pressure to get closer to Fisichella – or may run the risk of being replaced mid-season." To read the full article, click here and scroll down to the Force India part.

Liuzzi hails 'amazing' slick tyres	15 April 2008
Vitantonio Liuzzi hailed Bridgestone's slick tyres as "amazing" after testing with them for the first time at Barcelona yesterday. The Force India test driver was working with a 2009 aero configuration, with a lot less downforce in his car, but with the new slicks introduced by Bridgestone for this test. Liuzzi, who did not try the slicks in their first test at Jerez, said he was amazed by their performance. "It's been amazing, because I didn't expect the tyre to be so strong," Liuzzi told Autosport.com at Barcelona. "I think they brought a softer compound compared to what they used in the previous test and they are amazing for the first two laps. We were running with the 2009 configuration with a lot less downforce. I think it's 40% (less downforce). We took away floor, sidepods, bodywork, everything." Liuzzi had last driven on slicks back in 2004, when he was racing in F3000. The Italian said running with the current grooved tyres and 2009 downforce levels was almost impossible. "When we drove with the grooved tyres it was impossible," he said. "But with the slick tyres we made really good progress. But they are a bit too soft because after three laps they were gone and it was really difficult to drive. It was a really good feeling. With so much grip it was like going back to go-karts. I enjoyed it."

Barcelona test day 1	14 April 2008
Tonio today completed testing duties for the Force India F1 Team on the first day of its three-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya, Spain. During this day, Massa set a blistering fastest time of 1:18.339, which was already 2.7 seconds faster than Wurz, the second fastest man today. Tonio completed 91 laps and set a fastest time of 1:22.846. He focussed on establishing a strong baseline set-up with the 2008 aero package and tyres in the morning before moving over to compare the runs with the 2009 slicks and wings in the afternoon. Afterwards he said: "Today was a good day of testing with quite a few kilometres and no real mechanical issues. The car was good from start to finish and responded well to the changes we made. It has improved a lot from the last time I drove it in February, which shows the steps forward the team has made in the first three races. In the morning we tested the 2008 configuration and then the 2009 aero package in the afternoon. It was difficult to drive as there is much less downforce, but I think Bridgestone has done a good job with the tyres as they performed very strongly over one lap. On longer runs it was not quite as good, but there is still a lot of time to get it right. I was pretty happy with the work we have done for both 2008 and 2009. It looks promising." Fisichella will take over the wheel tomorrow, with Sutil finishing the test on Wednesday.

Tonio to test next week	09 April 2008
During the first three races of the season, we saw a continuously improving Force India F1 Team. The team will now return briefly to its Silverstone base before heading out to Barcelona for a three-day test, to improve the performance of the car even further. The test will take place from 14 - 16 April, with Tonio driving the first day, Giancarlo the second and Adrian bringing the test to a close. After the test, the team will return to the factory to make the final preparations for the Grand Prix of Spain, which will take place from 25 - 27 April.

Tonio's exclusive 2008 F1 Season Preview	10 March 2008
Today GPWeek was launched, an all-new weekly 'virtual' magazine dedicated to the three biggest international motorsport formulae - Formula 1, MotoGP and the World Rally Championship. In this first issue, Tonio takes you through his list of who’s looking hot and who’s certainly not, for F1 2008. "I think Ferrari is untouchable at the moment, especially Kimi.” he told GPWeek. "It seems as though he has got such a good pace when he is doing long stints, in quali trim and I don’t even think they’ve really been trying to go for quick times with low fuel. They seem really strong." To read Tonio's preview, go to GPWeek.com or download the PDF magazine here.

Barcelona test day 2	26 February 2008
Tonio once more recorded some competitive lap times during the second day of testing in Barcelona. His fastest lap time, 1:22.942, was good enough for the 10th position today. Once again it was Lewis Hamilton who topped the time sheets with a lap time of 1:21.234. Together with team mate Fisichella, Tonio focussed on set-up work in the morning and race and qualifying simulations in the afternoon. He commented: "Today was a much better test and we achieved a lot of kilometres and had no issues with the car. It seems to be getting better and better as we felt yesterday. We seem to have made a step forward from last year's car and now we are tuning the little details. We did some long runs and short runs for both qualifying and race simulations and were pretty happy. We still have some work to do, but we are for sure going in a good direction. The engineers did a great job - it was a tough programme between myself and Giancarlo but we both had no issues reliability wise and were very competitive over the day." Sutil will take over from Tonio tomorrow.

Barcelona test day 1	25 February 2008
Force India's new challenger, the VJM01 made it's debut today at Circuit the Catalunya in Spain. Tonio was the first to drive the car around the 4.655 km long track, setting a fastest lap time of 1:23.270, less than a second slower than the fastest man of the day: Lewis Hamilton.Tonio focussed on understanding the behaviour of the new aero package and maximizing the balance on the car. At the end of the day Tonio said: "It was a pretty difficult day as we did not run that much as we had quite a few problems in the afternoon. It was also a shame that the weather was not better and we could not do too many laps. The balance, considering the conditions seemed OK, and the few laps we did in the dry seemed a step forward from last year’s car. It felt a bit more balanced and we still have to understand more on the settings, but from the few laps we did in the dry it was quite a good feeling." Tonio will continue testing tomorrow.
Next >>