Liuzzi satisfied with Force India test

Tonio Liuzzi speaks about his test with Force India

On the test:

"I'm very satisfied of how the test went. In a day and a half we did lots of laps and I understood the car very well. Obviously it wasn't easy at the beginning, since the car was very different. Not only in terms of driveability but also in terms of driving position, steering assistance and all the "optionals" of a Formula One car."

"You need to adapt and I struggled a little bit at the beginning. The time we did was not the one we supposed to obtain, of course, that's why at the end I was very satisfied, because the team proved to be much more professional than what you think from the outside. It surprised me because they are hungry to do well, also thanks to the chances they have now with the new owner."

"They will do lots of steps forward, that's for sure. They will need time, because the team has already a quite solid structure in place, but the car can improve, seeing as it remained a little bit behind. They have very good engineers and there is a good feeling inside the team."

On the Force India car:

"I have to say there are some little flaws which make the car slower, but after very little time they are able to go one second-one second and a half faster, with little details such as the brakes, the steering assistance and so on. Little things which in the end make the difference, because they make the driver more confident with the car. This was the problem I had in adapting to the car."

On driving without electronic aids:

"I have to say I enjoyed it very much, because the car is much more nervous. It's not more difficult to drive, but you have to pay more attention to avoid mistakes, while before the traction control concealed lots of faults in the setup and the driving style. Now you have to try and be much more delicate with the throttle, you have to pay attention because it's much easier to lose control of the rear. So it was much nicer for us drivers because it involves us a lot more."

On next test in Jerez:

"I should test with the team also in Jerez. We are still waiting, but it's very likely."

On his chances to become the team's test driver:

"I think I have good chances because I believe during the test I have shown what we can do. The laptimes in the end aren't so important because it's not the only way to judge the fastest driver. I have already read some articles which criticised me for this, but honestly I don't care about them."

"We managed to work well together with the team and we improved the car in some points, because of course you can't change it all in just one day and a half. I think they understood this and I hope they will give me the possibility to go on in Jerez, too, to be more convinced and to try to improve the car again. The chances with them are good, but there are also some other chances for the future, so I'm very confident."

On his chances with other teams:

"Some other teams got in contact with me. I have to say at the moment I'm quite focussed on Force India because they proved me to be a much more professional and competitive team than what I thought, but there are also other chances we are evaluating."

-credit: f1grandprix.it