For Liuzzi, the ‘face-to-face’ for 2009 have begun

The reserve driver for the Force India team, Vitantonio Liuzzi, stated that staying on the sidelines of the Formula 1 world is more difficult than he had imagined. He hopes to return to racing as soon as possible.

The Italian spent one season with Red Bull and two with Toro Rosso but lost his seat this year. He then accepted the role of reserve driver at Force India, where he was encouraged to support Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil as much as he could.

« I never thought that this season without racing in F1 would be so difficult, » he admitted.

« To be honest, I feel really bad. This waiting, watching the races, and not being able to drive a single-seater is exhausting. »

But the team offered me a lot of kilometers in testing, which gave me a lot of credibility. We developed several aerodynamic and mechanical aspects, particularly Giancarlo and I, who are more experienced than Adrian, added the 27-year-old driver.

Liuzzi is keen to secure a racing seat in F1 and is convinced that he will succeed.

« Based on the agreement we reached, anything can happen, and I have a chance to become a full-time race car driver, » he continued.

« At present, the situation is completely open and nothing has been decided for 2009. »

Before the season, the Indian team’s technical director Mike Gascoyne stated: Giancarlo and Adrian will have to perform well, or someone will be more than happy to replace them.

« Liuzzi is fast, he is known for that and he wants to be a race driver. The message is very clear for the two drivers this season: If they want to race in 2009, they need to be good, otherwise, there is a guy who could replace them. »

Finally, the Italian concluded by saying he would be ready to look beyond Force India for a racing seat if an opportunity presented itself to him.

The decisions will be made around mid-August. I’m not only discussing with Force India because other drivers might be on the transfer market. Everything revolves around Fernando Alonso, and the market shifts once he moves.