Vitantonio Liuzzi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vitantonio Liuzzi
|
|
|---|---|
Liuzzi at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
|
|
| Born | 6 August 1980 Locorotondo, Bari, Italy
|
| Spouse(s) |
Francesca Caldarelli
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Andrea Caldarelli (brother-in-law) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Italian |
| Active years | 2005–2007, 2009–2011 |
| Teams | Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India, HRT |
| Entries | 81 (80 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 26 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2005 San Marino Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2011 Brazilian Grand Prix |
| Previous series | |
| 2017 2015 2015 2012–2013, 2015 2014 2014 2012–2013 2009 2008–2009 2003–2004 2002 2002 |
International GT Open Formula E GT Asia Series FIA WEC Super Formula Super GT Superstars Series A1 Grand Prix Speedcar Series International F3000 German F3 German Formula Renault |
| Championship titles | |
| 2004 | International F3000 |
Vitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi (born August 6, 1980) is a former racing driver from Italy. He competed in Formula One races from 2005 to 2011.
Vitantonio grew up in Bari, Italy. He started kart racing when he was nine years old. He had a very successful career in karting. In 2001, he won the Karting World Championship. After that, he moved on to bigger racing cars. He won his first major title in 2004 in the International F3000 Championship. Liuzzi raced in Formula One for teams like Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India, and HRT. He earned 26 championship points during his six seasons in Formula One.
Contents
Early Racing Career: From Karts to F3000
How Vitantonio Started in Karting
Vitantonio Liuzzi began his racing journey at age nine. Like many race car drivers, he started with kart racing. He quickly showed his talent. In 1993, he won the Italian Karting Championship. He also finished second in the Karting World Championship in 1995. In 2001, he won the Karting World Championship. He even beat famous Formula One champion Michael Schumacher on Schumacher's home track in Kerpen.
Moving Up to Formula Cars
After karting, Liuzzi moved to racing cars. In 2001, he finished second in the German Formula Renault Championship. In 2002, he joined the Red Bull Junior Team. He raced in the German Formula Three Championship. That same year, he won a race in Imola. He also got to test drive for a Formula 3000 team and the Williams Formula One team.
Red Bull hired Liuzzi for the 2003 F3000 season. He finished fourth overall. In 2004, he joined the Arden team for the F3000 season. He was amazing that year. He won seven out of ten races. He secured the championship title with one race still to go.
Formula One Journey (2005–2011)
Joining Red Bull in 2005
Liuzzi's great performance in F3000 caught the eye of Formula One teams. In November 2004, he tested for Red Bull. They hired him for the 2005 season. At first, it looked like he might get a full-time racing spot. However, Red Bull chose Christian Klien instead. Liuzzi became the test driver.
Red Bull had an agreement to let both drivers race. So, Liuzzi replaced Klien for three races. These were the San Marino, Spanish, and Monaco Grands Prix. In his very first race in San Marino, he scored his first point. This happened after two other drivers were disqualified. He raced one more time at the European Grand Prix. Then, Klien took his seat back.
Racing for Toro Rosso (2006–2007)
Red Bull bought the Minardi team and renamed it Scuderia Toro Rosso. Liuzzi was given a full-time racing spot with this new team. In 2006, at the United States Grand Prix, he finished eighth. This earned the team its first point ever. However, it was the only point they scored that year.
Liuzzi continued with Toro Rosso in 2007. He faced some challenges early in the season. He almost scored points in Canada but crashed. He also had to deal with rumors about losing his seat. The team was looking at other drivers. But his performance improved later in the season. In China, he drove one of his best races. He finished sixth and earned three points.
Time with Force India (2008–2010)
In 2008, Liuzzi became a test driver for the Force India F1 team. He hoped to get a full racing spot in 2010. In September 2009, a spot opened up at Force India. Their driver, Giancarlo Fisichella, moved to Ferrari. Force India announced that Liuzzi would race for them in the last five races of 2009.
He made his racing debut for Force India at the Italian Grand Prix. He qualified in an impressive seventh place. He was running well in the race but had to stop due to a problem with his car.
In 2010, Force India kept Liuzzi as one of their main drivers. He scored points in the first race of the season in Bahrain. He finished ninth, earning two points. He continued to score points in Australia, Monaco, and Canada. He finished ninth in Canada after a tangle with another driver. He also finished tenth in Belgium and sixth in Korea. He ended the 2010 season with 21 points, his best year in Formula One.
Even though he had a contract for 2011, Liuzzi was replaced by Paul di Resta.
Final Season with HRT (2011)
In 2011, Liuzzi joined the Hispania Racing team. He was confirmed as a driver on March 9, 2011. He did not qualify for the first race in Australia. In Malaysia, he had to stop racing for safety reasons. He finished races in China and Turkey. However, he had to retire in Spain due to a gearbox issue.
He finished 16th in Monaco and 13th in Canada. The 13th place was Hispania's best finish at that time. He continued to race for the team. In the Indian Grand Prix, he was replaced by Narain Karthikeyan. Liuzzi returned for the last two races of the season. In the final race in Brazil, he had to stop due to an engine problem.
In 2012, Liuzzi said he had a contract with HRT, but his future was uncertain. Later, it was announced that Narain Karthikeyan would take the final racing spot. This left Liuzzi without a drive in Formula One.
Life After Formula One
Racing in Superstars Series (2012–2013)
After leaving Formula One, Liuzzi explored other racing options. He joined the International Superstars Series in 2012. He drove a Mercedes C63 AMG. He achieved his first podium finish in the first race in Monza. He then won the second race of that event. He continued to race in this series in 2013.
Competing in Japan (2014)
In 2014, Liuzzi moved to Japan. He competed in two major racing series there: Super GT (GT500 class) and Super Formula. In Super GT, he drove for the Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (ARTA) team.
Personal Life
Vitantonio Liuzzi speaks Italian, English, and French. He is married to Francesca Caldarelli. Her brother, Andrea Caldarelli, is also a racing driver.
In 2013, Liuzzi helped mentor six contestants for a TV show. The show aimed to turn players of the Gran Turismo video game into real race car drivers. They competed in the Dubai 24 Hour race.
Images for kids
-
Liuzzi driving for STR at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix.
See also
In Spanish: Vitantonio Liuzzi para niños
