Vitantonio Liuzzi

Born in Bari, Italy on 6 August 1980, Tonio Liuzzi’s racing journey began at age nine in the fiercely competitive world of karting—a world he soon came to dominate. His crowning karting achievement came in 2001, when he won the Karting World Championship, a title previously taken by drivers like Ayrton Senna. From there, Liuzzi rocketed through the junior single-seater ranks, ultimately claiming the 2004 International Formula 3000 Championship with Arden. This made him one of the hottest young talents in Europe, sparking serious speculation that Ferrari might scoop him up for a test role.

Nationality	Italian
Born	Vitantonio “Tonio” Liuzzi 6 August 1980 Locorotondo, Bari, Italy

Red Bull: 2005

Although a Ferrari seat didn’t materialise, Liuzzi joined Red Bull Racing in 2005, just as the team was making its F1 debut. Originally set as a test driver, Liuzzi was given a few race weekends as part of a shared-seat deal with Christian Klien. In his very first F1 race at San Marino, he scored a point—helped in part by BAR’s disqualification, but points are points!

He raced three more Grands Prix that season before Klien took the seat full-time, but Tonio had made enough of a mark to stay on Red Bull’s radar.

Toro Rosso: 2006–2007

Red Bull handed Liuzzi a full-time race seat in its junior team, Scuderia Toro Rosso (formerly Minardi), for 2006. At the 2006 United States Grand Prix, he scored the team’s very first point with a gutsy eighth-place finish. That, however, would be STR’s only point that season.

His second season with the team was tougher. Despite some strong runs—like a brilliant sixth-place finish in China after a sublime drive—Liuzzi faced constant speculation about being replaced. With Sebastian Vettel and Sébastien Bourdais knocking at the door, it was only a matter of time.

Force India: 2008–2010

After Toro Rosso cut ties, Liuzzi landed as a test driver at Force India in 2008. When Giancarlo Fisichella left for Ferrari late in 2009, Liuzzi finally got his chance to race again—starting at Monza, where he qualified a stellar 7th. He was running in the points before a mechanical failure ended his race.

In 2010, he got a full season with Force India and had his most consistent year yet. He scored points in five races, including another career-best sixth at the Korean Grand Prix, and finished 15th in the championship with 21 points—his best season tally.

Despite a valid contract for 2011, Force India replaced him with Paul di Resta—a reminder that in F1, contracts can be more guidelines than guarantees.

HRT: 2011

Liuzzi’s final F1 chapter was with the struggling Hispania Racing Team (HRT). He joined in 2011 and endured one of the toughest seasons of his career—battling outdated machinery, underfunded operations, and constant speculation.

Despite all that, he managed a few respectable finishes, including 13th in Canada, which was HRT’s best-ever result. In typical Liuzzi fashion, he also found drama—like his first-lap crash in Monza, which took out both Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg in one grassy slide.

In 2012, despite having a contract, he was replaced by Narain Karthikeyan, and with that, Liuzzi’s time in F1 came to an end.