Luzzi Signs deal with Ferrari (rumour)

[sonic]

according to F1racing.com

"Reigning F3000 champion Vitantonio Liuzzi will spend 2005 in a Ferrari cockpit [as a test driver], a source in the Italian media has revealed"

lucky boy if that turns out to be true.

[Kirk]

lucky indeed.

[Kicking-back]

I'm assuming this will be as second test driver alongside Luca Badoer.

[BSchneiderFan]

If it turns out to be true, it's the best reward for a F3000 champion for a long time, certainly as good as Montoya's Ganassi seat.

[sonic]

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
If it turns out to be true, it's the best reward for a F3000 champion for a long time, certainly as good as Montoya's Ganassi seat.

indeed. I was thinking that. wonder what Ferrari see in him that they haven't seen from countless other F3000 champs (this seasons crushing dominance aside!)

Wonder if when TGF put in a good word after meeting him during his karting exploits?

[BSchneiderFan]

Italian blood?

[sonic]

that seems to normally put them off!

[BSchneiderFan]

It's been ten years, maybe they think it's worth another try. Though the experiences of Larini and Capelli would suggest not...

[BootsOntheSide]

Enzo was never keen to sign Italians, after Bandini died while driving for them. More recently, Capelli was a gross flop, and they passed over Badoer to fill in for Michael, which was a strange decision.

I suspect Michael had a lot to do with this decision, and it is the perfect time for Ferrari to add a second test driver, with Burti seemingly gone and Massa ensconsed at Sauber.

If Michael were to retire after 2005, would he come in as #2 to Rubens (or to Alonso/Kimi)?

[Kicking-back]

Larini did an excellent job on his very rare race outings for Ferrari - and was a great tester for them for many years.

[BootsOntheSide]

I was thinking that KB - everyone forgets that he came 2nd at Imola 94 - although he flopped quite badly at Sauber (in tehir first Ferrari-engined car) in 1997.

[Kicking-back]

He didn't do that badly at Sauber - and I think his departure was his decision.

At that time Sauber seemed to focus strongly on one driver - Herbert that season, Alesi in future years.

[Inigo Montoya]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide


If Michael were to retire after 2005, would he come in as #2 to Rubens (or to Alonso/Kimi)?

I am quite confident that the boys and girls at Ferrari are smarter than that. Look for Rubens, the prototypical #2 driver to end up somewhere else - as a #2. Ferrari will go with a proven talent as #1 - Kimi or Jenson perhaps? Or Fisichella.

[Snrub]

Why exactly aren't F3000 champs given F1 rides rather than considered lucky if they land a testing role. Most testing roles seem to lead no where.

Originally posted by BSchneiderFan
If it turns out to be true, it's the best reward for a F3000 champion for a long time, certainly as good as Montoya's Ganassi seat.

What about Junquiera to Ganassi? Bourdais to Newman-Hass?

[Kicking-back]

A drive in Champ Cars now is not what it was when Montoya went there.

[BootsOntheSide]

It certainly isn't KB - Bourdais is the only one of half a dozen aspiring F1 drivers who's been even vaguely linked to F1 this year, and Bruno and Justin are F3000 champions. Then again, none of them have been half as impressive as rookies.

[Knowlesy]

Although Justin was impressive last year I thought.....wonder if he'll get another crack at the big time?

Wow....a Ferrari test role. At worst he is going to end up in a Sauber race seat, which in the next few years will be no bad thing.

[climb]

Liuzzi's links to Ferrari are not a surprise to us in Italy.
His connections to Sauber were supposed to be a consequence of them; now, cos of the Villeneuve affair, Ferrari are just trying and find him a new placement, helped by the fact that Badoer's contract won't probably be extended.

[Snrub]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
A drive in Champ Cars now is not what it was when Montoya went there.

What was different in 2001 when Junquira started driving? I can see a case made 2003 for Bourdais, but even for Bourdais the parity in cars makes things pretty tough.

Back on track...No one's answered my question, why do those who win the F3000 championship rarely get a shot at F1?

[Kicking-back]

Snrub, partly it's because the most highly rated drivers have already been snapped up (or at least signed to a manufacturers programme) before they even get to F3000.

Therefore the F3000 guys tend to be the late developers.

Mika Hakkinen went straight from F3 to F1, as did Senna, for example.

Button similarly.

Raikkonen didn't even do F3 - going straight from FRenault to F1.

[luke]

How was Senna a late developer?

[luke]

Klein also jumped from F3 to F1.

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by luke
How was Senna a late developer?

He wasn't.

Read the post again

[sonic]

only my opinions but I think F3000 was in recent years seen as a bit of a 'weird' formula by F1.

The power to grip ratio was too different from modern F1 - F3 cars, whilst slower, were much more akin to F1 handling characteristics i.e. nible, light with tons of grip. F3000 is more like Champ car.

Also the 'hot' shots seemed to be able to get into F1 direct from F3 (e.g. recently Hakkinen, Button, Sato, Fisi, Trulli, (and Kimi came from even lower) there was a 'fast-track element to it.

It seemed to take drivers a couple of years to get used to F3000 (parlty as i understand it because of the weird qualifying rules that required you to be totally on it from the very start) and in that 'dead' year where your hype ran low another hot shot could come and usurp you.

just some ideas.

[luke]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
He wasn't.

Read the post again

Thanks for pointing it out!