Razia aims for a seat at Force India for 2014
Ousted by the Marussia team even before the start of the 2013 season, Luiz Razia has not given up on the idea of driving in Formula 1 one day. The Brazilian driver is currently in talks with the Force India team for a role as a third driver this year, with 2014 in his sights.
At the beginning of the year, the Marussia team announced the arrival of Luiz Razia alongside Max Chilton for the season. However, very quickly, during winter testing, the absence of the Brazilian driver at the wheel of the Russian car raised eyebrows, leading to rumors of a possible eviction.
These rumors were eventually confirmed, with Razia being dismissed from the Marussia team due to non-payment of amounts owed by his sponsors – he was ultimately replaced by the Frenchman Jules Bianchi.
Despite these missed beginnings in F1, the native of Barreiras has kept faith and motivation and has just revealed that he is in talks with another F1 team, Sahara Force India, with which he drove in September 2012 during the young drivers test at Magny-Cours, aiming for a full-time seat in 2014. He shared this with radio Jovem Pan: « The possibility is there. Force India is very interested in making this project happen. But – surprisingly – I need sponsors. »
Once again, the crux of the matter is the acquisition of sponsors for Razia, who could be granted the role of third driver within the Indian team as early as this season, with some Friday practice runs, before potentially aiming for a full-time race seat in 2014, similar to Hülkenberg and Bianchi before him: « The team does not want to rush things, they want a project for at least two years; this year to prepare to be a race driver the following year. I need sponsors. It’s disappointing to have to rely so heavily on this aspect to do our job professionally, but that’s how it is. »
The GP2 2012 vice-champion, behind Davide Valsecchi, also revealed that he had discussions with the two “small” teams on the Formula 1 grid, Caterham and Marussia, and that he chose the Russian team because their car seemed more competitive: « We had an option to go with Caterham, but we chose Marussia for two reasons: they had a better package while Caterham was more focused on 2014, and because we had several meetings with Pat Symonds and he was very confident. »
The Brazilian believes that while Marussia immediately placed their trust in him, it will be different at Force India: « Marussia was immediately convinced by me so they placed me without too much thought. But I think Force India will want something more concrete. »
