Liuzzi looking for racing return

The 27-year-old Italian spent a season with Red Bull and two with Toro Rosso, but he lost his drive this year and accepted the reserve role at Force India, where he was encouraged by the team to put pressure on Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil.

"I would never have thought that one year without racing in F1 would be so tough," he told Autosprint magazine. "To be honest, I feel really bad. This wait is exhausting, watching races but being unable to step into the car.

"But Force India are giving me the opportunity to run plenty of miles and they've given me a lot of credibility. We've developed several aerodynamic and mechanical solutions, especially Giancarlo and I, who are more experienced than Adrian."

Liuzzi is keen to reclaim a race seat in F1 and is confident of making a return.

"Based on the agreement we have, anything can happen and I have a good chance of becoming a regular race driver," he added. "At the moment the situation is totally open and nothing has been decided for 2009, so nobody can claim to be confirmed."

Before the season started, Force India technical boss Mike Gascoyne said: "If (Giancarlo and Adrian) need any motivation, they need only look at who the test driver is. They're going to need to be performing or else there is a guy there who can obviously step in.

"He (Liuzzi) is quick, he's experienced, and he wants to be a race driver. The message is very clear for both race drivers, if they want to be driving in 2009, they have got to deliver. If not, there is a guy who will be driving it in 2009."

And Liuzzi says he would be willing to look beyond Force India for a race drive if an opportunity came up.

"The decisions will be taken around mid-August, and I'm not just talking about Force India: other drivers could become available," he said. "Everything revolves around (Fernando) Alonso and the market will move once he moves. The team would allow me to leave should I find a race drive elsewhere."