Tonio on 2007
Mixed emotions clouded Vitantonio Liuzzi’s second year at Toro Rosso. In 17 races, the Italian suffered seven retirements, welcomed a new team mate, found out he would not be re-signed for 2008 and scored his best-ever result. Here Liuzzi assess his season and consider his future prospects…
“My second season with Scuderia Toro Rosso has been a tough one with a lot of reliability problems, especially in the mid season. But towards the end of the year, the reliability improved and I was able to remind people of my abilities. The last three races brought conflicting feelings as I had a strong race in Japan to pick up a point for eighth, which looked like being the team’s first of the year, but then we lost it in the courts.”
“Then just a few days later came the Chinese Grand Prix and my best-ever result, a sixth place. I was so happy to be able to do this, not just for myself but for all the guys in the garage and the factory who have worked so hard with me for the past two years. We were a good fit – me an Italian driver and them an Italian team, but sadly that is over now. As we speak I don’t know where my future lies, but I hope it is in F1, if only because it would be nice to see all my Toro Rosso crew again next year.”
Championship position: 18th (3 points)
Best race result: 6th (x1)
Best qualifying: 11th (x1)