Tonio Liuzzi’s Cockpit View – Spanish Grand Prix

“We had some updates for the weekend, which the team did very well to bring to the car on time, but maybe they weren’t that obvious from the outside as so many of our competitors brought new parts too. We still have to understand the balance of the revised car because our pace with the soft tyres was not great and I struggled to get temperature into the rears. The car would understeer into corners and then snap into oversteer, and that doesn’t make for quick lap times.”

“Then on Saturday morning we had a problem with the throttle, and although I did a few laps, they were all aimed at sorting out the issue and not at finding a set-up for qualifying. As a result we we’re still struggling for rear grip in Q1 and Q2 and that prevented us getting higher up the grid.”

“So we were starting a long way back and, because of Parc Ferme rules, we couldn’t improve the set-up for the race. We decided to pit quite early for hard tyres as I was struggling on the softs, and from that point onwards I had an easier time. But by then we had lost too much time and any hope of challenging for points was gone. To top it all off, the car stopped on the last lap with what we suspect was a problem with the fuel pump. We received the car back from Parc Ferme quite late on Sunday, so we still haven’t got confirmation of exactly what the problem was.”

“But looking at the wider issue of car’s balance, we think it could be down to the tyre selection at the races so far. Bridgestone has been bringing harder tyres to each event compared to last year and that has made it difficult to get the rubber up to temperature. The good news is that in Monaco we will have the softest compound and that should play into our hands quite nicely.”

“Overall, we’ve probably lost out a little bit to the competition, because my team-mate Adrian Sutil didn’t make it into Q3 either. Maybe Sauber have made a step forward in qualifying but I’d like to think we still have the edge over them in the race. Race pace is where our strength has been since the start of the season so we just need some better qualifying results to get back in the points.”

“More and more of our competitors are bringing F-ducts to their cars now and there has been a lot of media attention on that. We are working on something similar, but at a slower rate and with a system that keeps both hands on the steering wheel. I think the F-duct is a really revolutionary technology in the world of Formula One, the only problem is that if we keep allowing things like that then maybe some of the ideas will get out of hand. Already the steering wheel is a very complex thing; so to handle it, the F-duct and X amount of other things could lead to a driver being distracted from what is going on around him on the track. I always say that Formula One should be the pinnacle of motorsport but it’s important to control the evolution of technology to keep things safe.”

“Next up is Monaco and it’s a place I’ve always loved driving. In the past I’ve had some great performances in qualifying and some good race results too, especially in F3000. I love that you have to get into a rhythm for one-and-a-half hours to make sure you keep it out of the barriers and remain consistent. It is one of those circuits where the skill of the driver shines through a bit more, but of course a good car is still the most important thing.”

“This year it’s going to be even more of a challenge because of the expanded grid and the slower backmarkers. Q1 is where it will really show and I am in support of splitting that session, but I’m not sure that will happen now. As I’ve said in this column before, being held up has been a big thing for me this season because it has happened at three of the first five rounds and it’s been ruining my qualifying sessions. But while it has just been annoying so far, in Monaco there is real chance it could be dangerous. We’ve got a five or six second gap between the fastest and the slowest cars on the circuit and Monaco isn’t designed to cope with that. It will be a risky business for everybody.”