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Q & A: Liuzzi on Hispania test

Tonio Liuzzi tested Hispania's 2010 car at Barcelona yesterday with a view to taking the team's currently vacant second seat alongside Narain Karthikeyan

He told AUTOSPORT about the experience and what he was hoping for from 2011.

Q. You tested for HRT yesterday for the first time. What are your impressions of the car?

Tonio Liuzzi: I had an interesting day. We worked on the car a lot and there was plenty of work to do because it's easy to see that the car has a lack of downforce.

We did a lot of work in the morning and improved the balance, making a good step forward in terms of handling. We found a good direction and made progress, so reached the afternoon with a good balance. Unfortunately we had some problems with the gearbox, so we could have set a better lap time. We changed a lot of things and achieved really good results.

Q. How does the HRT compare to the Force India you drove last year?

TL: It has all of the feelings of an F1 car. It's well-known that the aerodynamics are the key to a fast car in F1, so that was the biggest weakness. The mechanical side is good and the Cosworth engine was very competitive. For a team with such small resources, they are doing a very good job so it definitely still felt like an F1 car.

The new car will be an interesting step forward. I saw some things about the new car and it will be interesting for HRT to get into a position to fight with the next group, maybe Virgin or Lotus. The team has got an interesting programme, so it is definitely working as a proper F1 team. They just need to increase the budget and the people - all of the things F1 teams need.

Q. What did you make of the way that the team was operationally?

TL: Of course, there is still a lot of work to do and a big window of improvement, but they have a good group. The structure can be there, they just need to put everything in place. There's real potential for the team to improve because there are good people. So despite the little bit of work needed, I was impressed.

Q. What does this test mean for your future?

TL: We will wait and see. They needed someone to test the car who could drive the development and engineering side. They were really happy to have me in the car for the day and we agreed to do this day of testing to get to know each other and to see if there is any way for the future.

In the next few days, we'll see what will happen. I'm still finalising my situation, but there is a chance to be there for the future.

Q. What are your other F1 options?

TL: For a race drive, it's very difficult because it's well known that it is the only available seat. There are some third driver possibilities but I don't think that there is one choice pointing me one way or the other. I'm evaluating the situation, but at the moment it's a big question mark. Nothing is done yet.

Q. How important is it for you at least to stay involved in F1 in 2011?

TL: My priority is to get results and to be happy in what I do is the most important thing. My desire to win is still the same and that's why I want to stay in F1 because I don't think that I have had the chance to shine. I'm evaluating other options apart from that and I still don't have a clear decision in my mind. But F1 is where I want to be.

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