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Vitantonio Liuzzi

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Tonio Liuzzi
Born
Vitantonio Liuzzi

(1980-08-06) August 6, 1980 (age 46)
Bari, Italy
OccupationRacing driver
Years active2005–2012 (Formula One)
Known forFormula One racing driver for Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India, and HRT
Notable work2004 International Formula 3000 Champion

Vitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi (born 6 August 1980) is a retired Italian racing driver who participated in Formula One from to .

Originating from Bari, Liuzzi embarked on his competitive kart racing journey at the age of nine. After clinching the direct-drive Karting World Championship title in 2001, he progressed to junior formula categories. He captured the 2004 International Formula 3000 Championship crown with Arden. Throughout his Formula One career, Liuzzi competed for teams such as Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India, and HRT, amassing a total of 26 championship points over six seasons.

Karting

Hailing from Locorotondo, in the Bari region of Apulia, Liuzzi began karting competitively at nine years old. He secured the Italian Karting Championship in 1993, finished runner-up in the 1995 Karting World Championship, and placed fifth in the European Championship. His pinnacle achievement came in 2001 when he won the Karting World Championship, notably outperforming Formula One champion Michael Schumacher on Schumacher’s home circuit in Kerpen.

Formula Renault, F3 and F3000

Transitioning into car racing, Liuzzi ended the 2001 season as runner-up in the German Formula Renault series. In 2002, he competed in German Formula Three, joining the Red Bull Junior Team and finishing ninth overall. That same year, he triumphed at the Imola International F3 event and undertook testing duties with both the Coloni team in Formula 3000 and the Williams Formula One squad. Red Bull secured his services for the 2003 Formula 3000 season, where he achieved fourth place in the standings. The following year, driving for Arden, Liuzzi dominated by winning seven out of ten races, clinching the championship before the final round.

Winter 2004 Formula One speculation

Liuzzi's success in Formula 3000 fueled rumors about potential roles with Ferrari, possibly as a test driver or with their engine partner, Sauber. He conducted tests with Sauber in September 2004; however, they ultimately signed former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. In November that year, Liuzzi tested for Red Bull, who subsequently included him in their driver lineup for the 2005 Formula One season.

Red Bull (2005)

Although initially considered for a race seat alongside David Coulthard, Red Bull opted for Christian Klien, assigning Liuzzi as their test driver. Despite Klien's strong start to the season, Red Bull honored a pre-season agreement that allowed both drivers to participate in races. Liuzzi replaced Klien at the San Marino, Spanish, and Monaco Grands Prix, scoring his maiden point at San Marino after BAR drivers were disqualified. He also competed at the European Grand Prix before Klien returned for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Toro Rosso (2006–2007)

Following Red Bull’s acquisition and rebranding of the Minardi team as Scuderia Toro Rosso, Liuzzi secured a full-time seat with this "B-team." At the 2006 United States Grand Prix, he earned Toro Rosso’s inaugural championship point by finishing eighth after dueling with Coulthard and Nico Rosberg. This was Toro Rosso’s only point scored during .

Retained for , Liuzzi’s season began with several mistakes, including a collision at the infamous "Wall of Champions" during the Canadian Grand Prix. Amid speculation regarding his position as Toro Rosso courted talents like Sebastian Vettel and Champ Car champion Sébastien Bourdais, teammate Scott Speed indicated that both he and Liuzzi might be replaced. After Bourdais’ contract for 2008 was confirmed, Liuzzi’s form improved significantly. Despite losing points due to a penalty in Japan, he delivered one of his strongest performances in China—starting from 11th on the grid, overtaking 'works' Red Bull driver Mark Webber and BMW's Nick Heidfeld, ultimately finishing sixth to claim three points while closely contesting with leading midfield competitors.

Force India (2008–2010)

Following Toro Rosso's announcement of Sébastien Bourdais as their 2008 driver, Liuzzi found himself without a racing position. His representative, former Lotus team principal Peter Collins, affirmed Liuzzi's determination to continue competing in Formula One. Although there were rumors linking him to a Williams testing role, that opportunity was awarded to Nico Hülkenberg instead. On 10 January 2008, Liuzzi secured a test driver role with Force India F1, with aspirations to obtain a race seat by 2010 despite the existing contracts of teammates Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella extending through 2009.

When Force India released Fisichella to Ferrari on 3 September 2009, Liuzzi was elevated to a race driver position for the final five rounds of the 2009 Formula One season. He made his race debut at the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, qualifying in seventh place while carrying a heavier fuel load than Sutil. Positioned within points-scoring range during the race, he was forced to retire after 22 laps due to a transmission issue.

On 27 November 2009, Force India officially confirmed Liuzzi and Sutil as their drivers for the 2010 season.

Liuzzi earned his first championship points since the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix at the opening round in Bahrain, finishing ninth and collecting two points under the revised scoring system. He followed this with a seventh-place finish in Australia (six points), ninth in Monaco (two points), and achieved a career-best qualifying position of sixth at an unspecified event, though he finished ninth after contact with Felipe Massa. Additional points were gained at Spa-Francorchamps following Jaime Alguersuari’s penalty and another career-best finish of sixth at an unnamed race. He concluded the year ranked 15th in the drivers' standings with a personal best total of 21 points.

Despite having a valid contract for the following season, Liuzzi was replaced by Paul di Resta at Force India.

HRT (2011–2012)

After Robert Kubica’s rally accident, Liuzzi was considered as a potential substitute at Lotus Renault GP for the 2011 season; however, the team opted for Nick Heidfeld. Subsequently, Liuzzi tested with Hispania Racing and was confirmed as their second driver alongside Narain Karthikeyan for that year.

Liuzzi encountered difficulties early on, failing to qualify in Australia and retiring in Malaysia due to safety concerns. He recorded Hispania’s best finishes with 16th place in Monaco and 13th in Canada. Throughout the season, he often finished last among classified runners but completed several races including Singapore, Japan, and Korea. After being replaced by Karthikeyan for the Indian Grand Prix, Liuzzi returned for Abu Dhabi where he finished twentieth. In Brazil, he qualified ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo but retired because of an alternator failure.

In January 2012, Liuzzi stated he had a contract extension with HRT but acknowledged uncertainty regarding his future role. By February, Karthikeyan secured the final race seat for that season, leaving Liuzzi without a drive.

Superstars Series (2012–2013)

Without an active Formula One contract, Liuzzi competed in the International Superstars Series during 2012, piloting a Mercedes C63 AMG for CAAL Racing. He achieved his first podium finish in the opening Monza race and went on to win the second race of that event.

Super GT and Super Formula (2014)

In his inaugural Super GT campaign within the GT500 category, Liuzzi raced for Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA), partnering with Kosuke Matsuura.

Personal life

Liuzzi is proficient in several languages, including Italian, English, and French. He is married to Francesca Caldarelli, which connects him by marriage to fellow racer Andrea Caldarelli as his brother-in-law.

In 2013, Liuzzi collaborated with Johnny Herbert to coach participants on an ITV4 reality program designed to help Gran Turismo video game players develop into actual racing drivers for the Dubai 24 Hour event. Meanwhile, Sébastien Buemi provided guidance for other European rounds.

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/laps Podiums Points Position
2001 Formula Renault 2000 Germany GM Motorsport 8 1 1 3 4 139 2nd
Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2002 German Formula Three Opel Team BSR 18 0 2 0 3 25 9th
French Formula Three 2 0 0 0 0 N/A NC†
Italian Formula Three 1 1 1 ? 1 9 8th
Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 8th
European Formula Three Cup 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
Macau Grand Prix ByKolles Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
2003 2003 International Formula 3000 Championship Scuderia Coloni Red Bull Junior Team F3000 10 0 1 0 2 39 4th
2003 World Series by Nissan RC Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 2 25th
2004 2004 International Formula 3000 Championship Arden International 10 7 9 3 9 86 '1st'
2005 2005 Formula One World Championship Red Bull Racing 4 0 0 0 0 1 24th
2006 2006 Formula One World Championship Scuderia Toro Rosso 18 0 0 0 0 1 19th
2007 align=left 2007 Formula One World Championship
  Scuderia Toro Rosso  
  17  
  0  
  0  
  0  
  0  
  3  
  18th  
  2008–09   
  2008–09 Speedcar Series   
  UP Team   
  9    
  3    
  1    
  4    
  5    
  45   

style="background:#FFDF9F;"|'3rd'

  2008–09 A1 Grand Prix season   
  A1 Team Italy   
  4    
  0    
  1    
  0    
  0    
  7    

16th

2009

2009 Formula One World Championship

Force India F1 Team

5

0

0

0

0

0

22nd

2010

2010 Formula One World Championship

Force India F1 Team

19

0

0

0

0

21

15th

2011

2011 Formula One World Championship

HRT Formula 1 Team

18

0

0

0

0

0

23rd

2011 International V8 Supercars Championship

Tony D'Alberto Racing

2

0

0

0

0

48

78th

2012

2012 Superstars Series

CAAL Racing

16

2

1

0

9

181

style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'2nd'

\nCampionato Italiano Superstars

10

1

0

0

3

92

style="background:#FFDF9F;"|'3rd'

2012 FIA World Endurance Championship

\nLotus

4

0

0

0

0

3

59th

2012 International V8 Supercars Championship

Tony D'Alberto Racing

1

0

0

0

NC†

2013

\nInternational Superstars Series

\nRomeo Ferraris

16

3

2

3

7

189

style="background:#FFDF9F;"|'3rd'

\nCampionato Italiano Superstars

10

2

1

2

6

158

style="background:#DFDFDF;"|'2nd'

style="white-space:nowrap;"

\nFIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2

\nLotus

6

0

 

 

 

8

25th

rowspan=2

2014

2014 Super GT Series

Autobacs Racing Team Aguri

8

 

 

 

 

14

16th

2014 Super Formula Championship

\nHP Real Racing

9

 

 

 

 

1.5

16th

nowrap
style="white-space:nowrap;"

2014–15

2014–15 Formula E Championship

Trulli GP

5

 

 

 

 

2

23rd

rowspan=3
style="white-space:nowrap;"

2015

2015 GT Asia Series

\nFFF Racing Team by ACM

8

1

 

 

1

38

24th

2015 FIA World Endurance Championship

\nTeam ByKolles

2

 

 

 

 

 

NC

2015 Stock Car Brasil season

Schin Racing Team

1
































NC†

2015–16
style="white-space:nowrap;"
2015–16 Formula E Championship
Trulli GP

2





NC

2016–17
style="white-space:nowrap;"
\nAsian Le Mans Series - GT
\nFFF Racing by ACM

1





6

17th

rowspan=2
style="white-space:nowrap;"

2017

\nInternational GT Open - Pro-Am
\nFFF Racing Team by ACM

14




3

35

10th

\nInternational GT Open
\nFFF Racing by ACM

14





6

33rd

Template:Center

† Competed as a guest driver and was not eligible for points.

Full Formula Renault 2000 Germany Results

(key)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Final Position Points Scored
2001 GM Motorsport OSC1
6th
LAU1
3rd
SAL
3rd
NÜR1
1st
LAU2
4th
HOC
21st
NÜR2
3rd
OSC2
4th
3rd Overall 139 Points

Complete German Formula Three Championship Results

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole positions; those in italics indicate fastest laps)

Year Team Chassis Engine Manufacturer 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Final Standing Points Accumulated
2002 Opel Team BSR Dallara F302 Opel HOC1
1

14th
HOC1
2

Retired
NÜR1
1

Classified
NÜR1
2

Classified
SAC
1

9th
SAC
2

8th
NOR
1

9th
NOR
2

4th
LAU
1

Retired
LAU
2

7th
HOC2
1

23rd†
HOC2
2

25th†
NÜR2
1

2nd
NÜR2
2

27th
A1R
1

Retired
A1R
2

2nd
ZAN
1

5th
ZAN
2

9th
HOC3
1

Retired
HOC3
2

2nd
9th Overall 25 Points


Full International Formula 3000 Results

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position; those in italics signify fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final Position Points
2003 Red Bull Junior Team F3000 IMO
4th
CAT
Retired
A1R
4th
MON
Retired
NÜR
2nd
MAG
4th
SIL
3rd
HOC
4th
HUN
9th
MNZ
4th
4th 39
2004 Arden International IMO
1st
CAT
1st
MON
1st
NÜR
11th
MAG
1st
SIL
1st
HOC
1st
HUN
2nd
SPA
2nd
MNZ
1st
Champion 86

Complete Formula One Results

(key) (Races shown in bold represent pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

... [Subsequent seasons continue in similar summarized layout] ...
Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 World Championship Position Points Scored
Template:F1 Red Bull Racing Red Bull RB1 Cosworth TJ2005 V10 AUS
Test Driver
MAL
Test Driver
BHR
Test Driver
SMR
8th
ESP
Retired
MON
Retired
EUR
9th
CAN USA FRA
Test Driver
GBR
Test Driver
GER
Test Driver
HUN
Test Driver
TUR
Test Driver
ITA
Test Driver
BEL
Test Driver
BRA
Test Driver
JPN
Test Driver
CHN
Test Driver
24th 1
Template:F1 Scuderia Toro Rosso STR1 Cosworth TJ2006 V10 BHR
11th
style="background:#CFCFFF;"  ; MAL
Template:Small ;11th
style="background:#EFCFFF;"  ; AUS
Template:Small ;Retired

  ; style= background-color: #CFCFFF; SMR  ;14th   ; EUR   ; Retired   ; ESP   ;15†   ; MON   ;10th   ; GBR   ;13th   ; CAN   ;13th   ; USA   ;8th   ; FRA   ;13th   ; GER   ;10th   ; HUN   ; Retired   ; TUR   ; Retired   ; ITA   ;14th   ; CHN   ;10th   ; JPN   ;14th   ; BRA   ;13th

19th !1

Note: Drivers who did not finish but completed more than 90% of the race distance are classified.

Full A1 Grand Prix Results

(key) (Entries in bold denote pole positions; entries in italics indicate fastest laps)

Season Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final Standing Total Points
2008–09 Italy NED
SPR
NED
FEA
CHN
SPR
CHN
FEA
MYS
SPR
MYS
FEA
NZL
SPR
NZL
FEA
RSA
SPR
RSA
FEA
POR
SPR

4
POR
FEA

Ret
GBR
SPR

10
GBR
FEA

9
16th 17

Full Speedcar Series Results

(key) (Entries shown in bold mark pole position; entries in italics represent fastest laps)

Season Team Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final Position Points Accumulated
2008–09 Union Properties DUB
1

1st
DUB
2

Collision
BHR
1

Retired
BHR
2

8th
LOS
1

2nd
LOS
2

Winner
DUB
1

12th
DUB
2

Retired
BHR
1

3rd
BHR
2

Winner
3rd place 45 points

Full V8 Supercar Championship Results

(key) (Entries in bold signify pole positions; entries in italics indicate fastest laps)

Year Racing Team Vehicle Model 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Final Ranking Overall Points

|-

! 2011
!nowrap | Tony D'Alberto Racing
!nowrap | Ford FG Falcon
| YMC 
R1
| YMC
R2
| ADE
R3
| ADE
R4
| HAM
R5
| HAM
R6
| BAR
R7
| BAR
R8
| BAR
R9
| WIN
R10
| WIN
R11
| HID
R12
| HID
R13
| TOW
R14
| TOW
R15
| QLD
R16
| QLD
R17
| QLD
R18
| PHI
Q
| PHI
R19
| BAT
R20
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" |SUR
R21

Retired |style="background:#dfffdf;" |SUR
R22

19th | SYM
R23
| SYM
R24
| SAN
R25
| SAN
R26
| SYD
R27
| SYD
R28
|| colspan=2 | !78th !48

|} |-

![[2012 International V8 Supercars Championship  	#		12		#	12		#	12		#	12		#	12		#	12		#	12		#	12		#	12		#	12	
!nowrap      			 	     		    		     		    		     		    		     		    		     		    		     		    		     		    		     		
!Tony D'Alberto Racing 
!nowrap      			 	     		    		     		    		     		    		     		    		     		    		     		    		     		    		     		
!Ford Falcon (FG) 
|

2012 Clipsal500 Adelaide # ADE #R01 | 2012 Clipsal500 Adelaide # ADE #R02 | 2012 Falken Tasmania Challenge # SYM #R03 | 2012 Falken Tasmania Challenge # SYM #R04 | 2012 ITM Hamilton400 # HAM #R05 | 2012 ITM Hamilton400 # HAM #R06 | 2012 Trading Post Perth Challenge # BAR #R07 | 2012 Trading Post Perth Challenge # BAR #R08 | 2012 Trading Post Perth Challenge # BAR #R09 | 2012 Phillip Island300 # PHI #R10 | 2012 Phillip Island300 # PHI #R11 | 2012 Skycity Triple Crown # HID #R12 | 2012 Skycity Triple Crown # HID #R13 | 2012 Sucrogen Townsville400 # TOW #R14 | 2012 Sucrogen Townsville400 # TOW #R15 | 2012 Coates Hire Ipswich300 # QLD #R16 | 2012 Coates Hire Ipswich300 # QLD #R17 | 2012 Sydney Motorsport Park360 # SMP #R18 | 2012 Sydney Motorsport Park360 # SMP #R19 | 2012 Dick Smith Sandown500 # SAN #Q | 2012 Dick Smith Sandown500 # SAN #R20 | 2012 Supercheap Auto Bathurst1000 # BAT#R21 | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | 2012 Armor All Gold Coast600 # SUR#R22
"Retired" | style="background:#FFFFFF;" | 2012 Armor All Gold Coast600 # SUR#R23
"Did Not Start" | 2012 Yas Marina Circuit V8 Supercar Event # YMC#R24 | 2012 Yas Marina Circuit V8 Supercar Event # YMC#R25 | 2012 Yas Marina Circuit V8 Supercar Event # YMC#R26 | 2012 Winton Motor Raceway V8 Supercar Event # WIN#R27 | 2012 Winton Motor Raceway V8 Supercar Event # WIN#R28 | 2012 Sydney Telstra500 # SYD#R29 | 2012 Sydney Telstra500 # SYD#R30 ! NC ! 0+ |} + Ineligible for championship points

Full International Superstars Series Results

(legend) (Races displayed in bold denote pole position; those in italics signify fastest lap)

Year Team Vehicle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final Position Points Scored
2012 CAAL Racing Mercedes C63 AMG MNZ
1

3rd
MNZ
2

1st
IMO
1

6th
IMO
2

Retired
DON
1

5th
DON
2

3rd
MUG
1

5th
MUG
2

5th
HUN
1

1st
HUN
2

2nd
SPA
1

3rd
SPA
2

2nd
VAL
1

4th
VAL
2

7th
PER
1

3rd
PER
2

9th
2nd Overall 181 Points
Year Team Vehicle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final Position Points Scored
2013 Mercedes-AMG Romeo Ferraris Mercedes C63 AMG MNZ
1

1st
MNZ
2

2nd
BRN
1

4th
BRN
2

Retired
SVK
1

1st
SVK
2

Retired
ZOL
1

5th
ZOL
2

7th
ALG
1

2nd
ALG
2

2nd
[[Donington Park#Donington Park races in white text on black background for DSQ status. DON
1]]
Disqualified
[[Donington Park#Donington Park races in white text on black background for DSQ status. DON
2]]
Disqualified
[[Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari#IMO races in green. IMO
1]]
1st
[[Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari#IMO races in gray. IMO
2]]
2nd
[[ACI Vallelunga Circuit#VAL races in light green. VAL
1]]
5th
[[ACI Vallelunga Circuit#VAL races in light green. VAL
2]]
4th

3rd Overall

181 Points


Full FIA World Endurance Championship Results

(Legend) (Events in bold denote pole position)

Year Team Category Chassis Power Unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Final Position Points Scored
2012 Lotus LMP2 Lola B12/80 Lotus 3.6 L V8 SEB SPA LMS SIL
Ret
SÃO
13
BHR
9
FUJ
12
SHA 59th 3
2013 Lotus LMP2 Lotus T128 Praga Judd 3.6 L V8 SIL
Ret
SPA
6
LMS SÃO COA
DNS
FUJ
10
SHA
Ret
BHR
Ret
25th 8
2015 Team ByKolles LMP1 CLM P1/01 AER P60 Turbo V6 SIL
Ret
SPA
Ret
LMS NÜR COA FUJ SHA BHR NC 0

Full Super GT Results

(Legend) (Events in bold denote pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Name Vehicle Category Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Championship Standing Total Points

|- | 2014 !nowrap |Autobacs Racing Team Aguri !nowrap |Honda NSX-GT !GT500 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | OKA
| style="background:#EFCFFF;" | FUJ
| style="background:#EFCFFF;" | AUT
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | SUG
| style="background:#DFFFDF;" | FUJ
| style="background:#DFFFDF;" | SUZ
| style="background:#EFCFFF;" | BUR
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | MOT
! 16th ! 14 |}


Full Super Formula Championship results

(key) (Races shown in bold represent pole positions; those in italics denote fastest laps)

Season Team Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Final Standing Total Points
2014 HP Real Racing Honda SUZ
8
FUJ
8
FUJ
10
FUJ
Ret
MOT
14
AUT
Ret
SUG
Ret
SUZ
15
SUZ
11
16th 1.5

Full Formula E Championship results

(key) (Bold font identifies pole positions; italic font indicates fastest laps)

Season Team Chassis Power Unit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Overall Position Points Accumulated
2014–15 Trulli Formula E Team Spark SRT01-e SRT01-e BEI PUT PDE BUE MIA
16
LBH
13
MCO
NC
BER
9
MSC
17
LDN LDN 23rd 2

|- |nowrap | 2015–16 !nowrap | Trulli Formula E Team !nowrap | Spark SRT01-e !nowrap | Motomatica JT-01 | | | PDE BUE MEX LBH PAR BER LDN LDN ! NC ! 0 |}

External links