The Tonio Liuzzi Fan Club is a small but very exclusive group and I am proud to be a member. I have followed his career since karting days and I am a believer. The guy has speed and character. He’s a class act. Fate has not been kind to him. He was a great kart racer (and still is). In 2001 he won the World Karting Championship at Kerpen, Michael Schumacher’s home track, beating Michael who had descended from the heights of F1 to show the kids how to do it. Michael got shown…
Red Bull signed him up for Formula 3000 in 2003. It was a necessary step as Tonio had no money to go further. In 2004 he dominated the championship with Arden, winning 10 races. When he won the title at Monza, he moonwalked on to the podium wearing gold lamé racing boots… showing a little of the charisma that he has in spades.
He came close to a deal to race for Sauber in 2005 but the team chose World Champion Jacques Villeneuve instead. So he became a Red Bull driver but the team was a political hotbed (as ever) and the powerful Austrian lobby wanted Christian Klien. It was decided that Liuzzi and Klien should share the second Red Bull seat – a stupid idea as neither was able to show as well as they might have done. Tonio made his debut at Imola and overtook Michael Schumacher TWICE on his first lap of racing in F1. Michael noticed even if no-one else did. He ended up with a point after the BAR drivers were disqualified. By the midseason the team realised that it was dumb to try to share the drive and politics again dictated that the drive be given to the Austrian.
At the end of the year when the team was picking drivers for 2006 Klien was chosen because (obviously) he had more experience (although he was later dropped). Liuzzi was pushed into the far less competitive Toro Rosso and later scored the team’s only point of the year, despite a not very good technical package. He stayed with Toro Rosso in 2007 but it was clear that the team management wanted different drivers to Liuzzi and Scott Speed and things became very tense. Speed came to blows with the team and left, Liuzzi stayed quiet and when the much-toted Sebastian Vettel turned up, he showed the German up on several occasions. The team then axed Tonio in favour of Sebastien Bourdais, which ended up being another big mistake. With a better car in 2008 Vettel was able to produce some great results, but Liuzzi fans wondered if Tonio might have done more.
Liuzzi took the Force India test role in 2008 and 2009 because it promised a race drive in 2010 and 2011. The cutbacks in testing meant that Liuzzi had to do most of his work in a simulator, but he has stayed motivated and hungry despite the frustrations.
He could be a big surprise at Monza, given the speed of the cars in Spa.
I think if he’s going to do well in F1 he’ll have to learn to put his had on straight.
Sorry that should be “hat on straight”
It will be of interest to see how much better he fares than Badoer given that his car, as of Spa, could give any Ferrari a run.
I’m sorry but I don’t get the Liuzzi hype.
- In F3000 he won 7 races, finished twice 2nd and so was on the podium every race bar one. Excellent…
- …but the class of F3000 in 2004 was ‘not good’. Doornbos, Enge and Viso are the names one will remember, but we all know those guys are not F1 material.
- Ferrari had great troubles with their tyres in 2005 especially in the early laps of a race. Apart from that I remember even ‘the great’ Enrique Bernoldi passing Michael Schumacher in Malaysia a year before (or 2?).
- Liuzzi was slightly better than Speed, but I really don’t remember him getting close to Vettel. The resut don’t show it. Apart from that he -Tonio- had much more race experience than Vettel, so it should have been the other way round anyway.
Red Bull politics… all I can say: Sauber, Raikkonen, Bernoldi!
Sorry, but that’s the way I see it, nevertheless Tonio is a bright character and I hope he will do well and wish him good luck!
I always thought this guy was quicker than the cars he drove and I am very much looking forward to seeing how he goes this weekend. Surely thought, even the most ardent fan would expect him to be near the back.
He hasn’t driven this year’s car or this years control bridgestones. Force India may have taken a step but do you really see him getting out of Q1?
Extremely interesting article Joe. I think I’d like to be in the fan club too.
I’m a fan, too. Looking forward to seeing what Tonio can do back in the driver’s seat.
Is it just bad luck, or is something else at play here? Bad management?
Perhaps in my ignorance, having not met any of these fellows, I’ve always felt Liuzzi came from the same mold as Massa. Nice, charming, quick, a bit wild, benefited from taking a testing role at a more stable team. Filipe got lucky with the right job (testing at Ferrari when that meant actually driving) and some helpful friends (including MS). Tonio has not been so fortunate in his jobs and friends.
Someday I’d also like to hear the real story behind Scott Speed. He clearly has a temper and, probably, a young American’s lack of maturity, but there was clearly more going on. Would they really have put him in the car if he lacked talent? As with most things F1, the real story is veiled in mystery and unattributed anecdote.
Y’all should take a note from the NFL: real drama, real courtrooms, real consequences, on the record.
Do you honestly believe that Tonio Liuzzi is better than Sebastian Vettel? He probably deserves a place on the grid, but he did virtually nothing in his 2 seasons at Toro Rosso to suggest he was a potential world beater.
Would be a great day if Tonio and Fisi finishes on the top steps. Can’t wait for the weekend !
Go kick ass Tonio!
Yes, Tonio could do well in Italy, but personally, I don’t see him getting into Q2
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The way this season has gone I don’t rule out anything!
I like Tonio, but I have to echo the sentiments regarding curiosity about the real story on Scott Speed. Race to race Liuzzi’s results are really no better at all.
Yes, Liuzzi managed an 8th (of nine cars finishing at the USA in ’06) but in my quick count over ’06 and half of ’07 Liuzzi finished ahead 13 times, Speed 11, with 4 joint retirements.
I happen to be American, but I am no USA!USA! rah-rah, obviously Scott Speed could just be another on the long lists of drivers who did not get a fair shot (and I have no idea whatsoever, and even less interest in finding out how he’s now doing in NASCAR) but there certainly seems no real difference between these two.
Maybe Liuzzi shades it on the “personality” side, but while I’m not a fan of typical American brashness, I thought Speed was pretty charming in his way, and certainly offered the best chance of making those long talked about American inroads.
I’ve got £20 on him to win in Italy at 100/1 at the bookies…
Liuzzi, or Speed ?
Count me on the Tonio fan club.
A small correction: He won 7 races in 2004 F3000 season in a 10 race schedule. Which I’m pretty sure makes him the most dominant champion in F1 main feeder series ever. Although its true that wasn’t the greatest of grids.
I have put £10 on him for pole, like skippy I got 100-1, the car he was driving was on pole at spa remember, madness.
Podium finish is 50-1.
I agree with joe on this one, after all he was a match for vetal at red bull.