Name:
Vitantonio LiuzziBorn:
August 6, 1981 in Locorotondo, Italy
Team:
Force IndiaHeight:
5'8"Weight:
150 lbs.
Hobbies:
Girls, music, dancing, soccer
Previous F1 Teams:
- 2005 Red Bull
- 2006 - 2007 Toro Rosso
- 2008 Force India (Test driver)
Victories:
0Background:
Tonio was world champion in go-karting in 2001 when he won the title racing at Michael Schumacher's family karting track in Germany. Schumacher, although an F1 driver, took part in the race, and Tonio beat him too. Schumacher spoke highly of him in F1 circles. Liuzzi then won the Formula 3000 title in 2004 with a record number of victories, winning seven races out of 10.
His Career Thus Far:
Tonio had been supported by the Red Bull energy drink company in the lower levels of racing, and so he joined Formula 1 at the fledgling Red Bull team, in its first season in 2005. However, Tonio was told that he would share the drive with another rookie and Red Bull drinks company driver, the Austrian, Christian Klien. In fact, Tonio took part in only four races in his first season. Even so, he scored a point at his first race, the San Marino Grand Prix.
The following season Tonio joined Scott Speed at the second Red Bull team, formerly Minardi, now called Toro Rosso. There he again scored a point, but only one point, through a full season of racing. In fact, the team was one of the weakest on the grid, finishing in ninth position in the constructors' series.
When Scott Speed was dropped part way through the 2007 season and replaced by Sebastian Vettel, Tonio might have shown weakness. In fact, his lap times were consistently better than those of his young teammate. But despite this, the team dropped him for 2008, kept Sebastian and hired Sebastien Bourdais as the other driver and this left Tonio without a drive. He then joined the new Force India team as a test driver for the 2008 season.
Driving Style:
Although Tonio dominated in karting and in Formula 3000 and appeared to be at a high level in every domain of racecraft, in Formula 1 he had a difficult first full year at Toro Rosso, possibly as he tried to push the car for more than it was capable of giving. He frequently proved fast during the practice , but he often made errors during the races. During the winter break before the 2007 season, his team director, Gerhard Berger, criticized both his and his teammate's committment.
Character:
Tonio is one of the most agreeable of drivers. A colorful figure in the paddock, who likes dancing, he was appreciated by the press with his look of a pirate, with his earring and crow-like face. And he is a bright, cheerful man who mingles with the crowd in the paddock and does not make himself inaccessible as so many drivers do. It is perhaps for this reason, however that he was criticised by his team director after his first full season. Yet he showed in the lower series what he is capable of if given the car to achieve it.
