Interview: Liuzzi Must Earn Drive, Says Horner

Christian Horner's sudden arrival as head of the Red Bull Formula One team has boosted Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi's chances of a race drive this season.

However the Italian, who won last year's Formula 3000 title with Horner's Arden team, will not be fast-tracked onto the F1 starting grid.

"I know Vitantonio very well and he's a talented driver," Horner told Reuters after being appointed sporting director on Friday following the dismissals of Tony Purnell and David Pitchforth.

"But he'll be judged on what he does in a Formula One car. We'll be looking at him and Christian Klien closely in forthcoming tests," the 31-year-old Englishman said in a telephone interview. "We're in no rush to make a decision. Both are contracted Red Bull drivers anyway."

Liuzzi, already hailed as a brilliant prospect, is also co-managed by Red Bull's director of motorsport Helmut Marko. The Italian and Austrian Klien, who had a debut season with Jaguar last year, are rivals to partner Briton David Coulthard in the race line-up.

Horner's appointment came after a failed attempt to buy into the struggling Jordan team and enter Formula One as a team owner.

"For me it (the Red Bull move) is the most logical progression into Formula One," he said after meeting staff at the factory in England. "We looked very closely at Jordan but we couldn't see that through to a conclusion."

Well Known

"I looked at Jordan long and hard but unfortunately it wasn't a deal that we could accommodate," said Horner.

"Red Bull wanted some changes in the company and I'm very well known to them from Formula 3000. We've maintained good relations, they know who I am and what I'm about."

The deal is an open-ended rolling management contract with Arden, although Horner is the only employee involved.

Arden will continue to run teams in the new GP2 series replacing F3000 as the main support category at Grand Prix weekends. They will also be involved in the new Dubai-based A1 GP series to start up next September.

The Briton was determined to make the most of his opportunity.

"I want to understand how the business operates, the strong and weak points and move from there," he said. "I've no preconceived ideas other than to make sure there is a racing spirit here and that the team punches above its weight.

"I don't underestimate the challenge ahead but I'm convinced that hopefully with the right direction we can pick up a few points and grab opportunities when they present themselves."

Jaguar, the team bought from Ford by Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz in November, finished seventh overall last season with some strong qualifying performances from Australian Mark Webber.

Horner, the youngest team chief since Rocco Benetton took the helm of his family-owned team in the late 1990s as a 29-year-old, said his age was irrelevant.

"I've been dealing with older guys for all of my professional career," he said. "I was one of the youngest members of my own company. I have zero problem with that.

"I know most of the other team principals. At the end of the day, I'll be judged on what I do, not on how old I am."