Liuzzi On The Spot
ITV Sport’s F1 pit lane reporter Louise Goodman is always on the trail of the sport’s stars to find out what makes them tick.
For her latest interview she tracked down Toro Rosso ace Vitantonio Liuzzi.
People often have the impression of you as a party man but is that the right impression? Which comes first – party man or racer?
Vitantonio Liuzzi: “For sure in the first year of Red Bull we had a lot of parties and I was a Red Bull driver so it was easy to think of me as a party man but we’re into another era now and I’m in a different situation. I try to avoid everything that could possibly distract me from my racing because my goal now is just to win races. For sure, like all young people, I like to party, but racing comes first and I am 100% focused on that.”
How do you think this season has gone so far?
VL: “Practically, within the team, I think it has been good but historically it’s not so good because we didn’t score any points at all and we have had too many retirements which is not positive at all. But everybody has done a great job if you think that we received the car just one week before the first race and we are now just one second behind the speed of the leading cars. We have had great pace but the problem this year is that everybody’s pace is quick. The field is really tight so within two or three tenths there are seven or eight drivers and that makes a big difference between being in Q2 or getting into Q3. It’s pretty tight for sure. P16 or 15 or 14 is not where we aim to be but I have to say that the team did a great job. We just need to improve our speed.”
Do you envisage yourself staying with Toro Rosso for the foreseeable or do you think you might look to move on?
VL: “Of course I would love to stay with Red Bull – they have handled me since I was 20 years old and started my car racing career – but you have to look forward. Red Bull overall is doing a great job but we have to make a faster car that can give us the chance to win races and move forward. Projects for the future we still don’t know, but I am happy to stay with Toro Rosso because I think the team is growing a lot.”
You were the hot new driver in the paddock a few years ago – looking at the progress of people who have come into F1 since then, do you sometimes feel like opportunities are passing you by?
VL: “I didn’t start with a McLaren or a Ferrari – I was a rookie the same as my team was a rookie because Toro Rosso started in F1 the same year as me. We knew that we wouldn’t win races in the first or second year – teams like Toyota have been trying for years to win races – so I knew from the beginning that even if I was one of the young guns coming into the sport it was always going to be a tough career. I am a fighter though and the experience I am getting fighting at the back will pay off when I am fighting for wins.”
And now for the trivia…
What’s your nickname?
“I don’t think I have a nickname – just Tonio.”
Which racing car, past or present, would you most like to drive?
“I would like to drive a car from the 50s or 60s with my shoulders out of the cockpit. I think that was the time when they were real racers – they had balls and not so many cares about traction control or electronics.”
Mansell or Piquet?
“Mansell. ‘The Lion’ was my greatest driver in the past – I was always a big fan of him. When I was a kid I was a big fan of him and Williams which wasn’t so usual for an Italian. I loved the way he was racing; he was a real animal!”
Which is your favourite race of all time and why?
“I think Formula 3000 in Monte Carlo in 2004 was one of my greatest races.”
Who’s your favourite designer?
“I change quite often depending on how I feel. In the past it was D&G but now I just chose what I like.”
What’s your least favourite food?
“I think Indian.”
Who would you most like to get stuck in a lift with?
“Angelina Jolie for sure.”
What was the last great party you went to?
“For sure a Red Bull one but we’ve had so many in the past. The best one was three years ago in Australia at the launch of the car.”
What’s your favourite song?
“At the moment it’s Timberland’s ‘Way I am’ but it changes all the time.”
What are you frightened of?
“Nothing really. I’m disgusted by insects, but I’m not frightened of them.”
What’s your greatest achievement outside racing?
“I think that I have really good respect from my partners in work and my friends. I think some people expected me to become an asshole when I got into Formula 1 but I think that I kept myself true and I’m really proud that everybody realised this. I’ve got a lot of real friends and I like this.”