Liuzzi looking forward to strong season

Tonio Liuzzi is gearing up for his first full season since he left the Toro Rosso team at the end of 2007. The Italian competed in five races last year with Force India after Giancarlo Fisichella left to join Ferrari and he is now looking forward to the final test in Barcelona before heading off to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“Last year I showed from Monza we were immediately back very aggressive since the first Grand Prix and this year we’re going to do a season at a high level,” he told 422race.com. “I have to say we are very happy. The car seems to be born well and is improving more and more. We still have one test in Barcelona, where we’ll have a lot of development towards the race in Bahrain.

"So I have to say we are confident for a good beginning of the season, but we always have to try and understand what the other teams did during the winter.”

Like many up and down the pitlane, Liuzzi is uncertain as to the full pecking order but acknowledges that last year’s dominant teams will surely set the pace at the front.

“Unfortunately with the regulation changes on the fuel it’s difficult to see where the others are,” he said. “So we’ll have to wait for Bahrain, but as Force India we are in a good level.

“For sure McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari are the favourite, and I think they will fight for the championship,” he continued. “I think we can be immediately after them, surely not on the podium, but trying to get to the points much more often than last year."