Force India F1 Team Q & A with Vitantonio Liuzzi
Q: Why did you decide to sign for Force India this winter?
“Like I’ve said from the beginning, I saw a really serious team and a really professional team, and I wanted to link myself with them for the long term, because I’m pretty sure that sooner or later I will be back in a race seat. I didn’t want to take the risk of going with a bigger team and becoming like a professional test driver or someone who is a test driver forever!”
Q: What impressed you most about the team?
“They impressed me a lot, the professionalism they have and the approach they have at the circuit. They work in a really good way, something I didn’t always find in other teams. For sure we have a lot of work to do with the car, we are still quite a long way from the leaders, but we’ve already made a big step forward in the past few months. I think the structure is good; we just need a few more people to build a winning team. You need more people to create a stronger group. But at the end of the day I think we will get to this point in the future. It will take a bit of time, but I’m sure that with the way Vijay Mallya is pushing now, we can reach the target.”
Q: Is it important to have people like Mike Gascoyne and Mark Smith, who have come from bigger teams?
“We’ve got Mike on top, and he provides a good base to start with. I work really well with him, and he has got a lot of knowledge. We’ve also got Mark Smith, and he’s a really big support. He worked with Renault and Red Bull, and he knows what the car needs. I’m pretty sure that we will make big steps forward soon. At the beginning of the season it won’t be easy, but that’s normal. But I’m really positive, because the technical side is quite strong.”
Q: Do you think people have forgotten that when those guys were together at Jordan the team challenged for the World Championship?
“Maybe when people saw Midland or Spyker in the last few years they thought the team wouldn’t grow back again, but you shouldn’t forget it was a winning team, and they nearly won a World Championship. It’s important that you build a strong group. In the past this team showed potential, and now if we build a strong group again, even if F1 is different and you need more money now, I think we can do really well.”
Q: There has been a lot of talk about the loss of engine braking. Will the drivers get used to that easily?
“I think you will get used to it, but in race conditions it will be much tougher. When you have to overtake or make a sharp movement at the first corner, you can lose the rear of the car much more easily. It will be more challenging for everybody, but it will make everything more spectacular.”