HRT refugee Vitantonio Liuzzi has re-emerged on the grid of the Italian-based touring car series Superstars.
Despite having a 2012 contract, the 30-year-old Italian lost his race seat at the struggling Spanish team HRT for this year to the well-backed Indian Narain Karthikeyan.

So, in 2012, he will race a Mercedes C63 AMG – which he tested last week at Monza – in the Maurizio Flammini-organised Superstars series.

Also on the grid will be former F1 drivers Christian Fittipaldi, Mika Salo, Gianni Morbidelli and Johnny Herbert.

“I’m persuaded that Superstars is a great choice to open yourself to other categories than F1,” said Liuzzi.

The season begins in April at Monza, then moving on to Imola, Donington, Mugello, the Hungaroring, Spa, Portimao, Vallelunga and Sentul (Indonesia).

Since 2005, Liuzzi also raced in F1 with Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Force India.

The Italian press has pointed the finger at Vitaly Petrov’s “rubles” as Jarno Trulli races out of formula one.
With Vitantonio Liuzzi replaced at HRT by Narain Karthikeyan, and veteran Trulli ousted at Caterham by Petrov, F1 history enters a new phase as Italy no longer has a single driver on the grid.

“If you look,” said former grand prix winner Riccardo Patrese to La Stampa, “the drivers coming in now are from central America and the East.”

The unsponsored Trulli, 37, said he still wants to race but also has his wine and hotel businesses to keep him busy.

“More than anything else, apart from the results, I am proud to have been able to fulfil my dream of racing in F1 for many years and stay on the grid on my own power, without anybody’s help,” he is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Switzerland’s Blick newspaper points out that no fewer than 81 Italian drivers have raced in the modern F1 championship.

And Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio reminded that in 1989, no fewer than 16 drivers in the field were Italian.

Some Italian fans are pointing the finger at Ferrari, annoyed that the famous marque has not signed a full-time Italian race driver for many years.

And why Felipe Massa? “Because we believe in him,” an official of the Maranello based team is quoted by Spain’s Marca newspaper.

“It’s not enough to have an Italian passport to drive for Ferrari,” he added.

 Jerome d’Ambrosio, Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna are all in the running to complete HRT’s driver lineup in 2012, according to the Belgian newspaper La Libre.
According to the struggling Spanish team’s technical boss Jacky Eeckelaert, ousted Virgin/Marussia driver d’Ambrosio is towards the top of the list.

“I don’t think it’s in the interests of the team to have a second Spanish driver,” he said, effectively ruling out Jaime Alguersuari or Dani Clos to be Pedro de la Rosa’s teammate.

“The same goes for the drivers approaching retirement,” added Eeckelaert, thereby also scratching Rubens Barrichello from the shortlist.

With an existing contract for 2012 is Vitantonio Liuzzi, but Eeckelaert also spoke against the Italian.

“He hasn’t really confirmed himself after several chances. We are looking more for a young driver with a lot of potential,” he added.

HRT, formerly Hispania, has had a troubled young history and ahead of the 2012 season is still looking to find its feet with new management and ownership.

“We hope to continue our battle at the back of the pack with Virgin (Marussia),” said Eeckelaert.

“It is difficult to aim higher. The Dallara chassis we used in our first two seasons was clearly not good enough. So in our German workshop we have built our own HRT to be powered by the Cosworth V8.

“We started fresh in September, later than the others, and so we cannot have fantasies.

“The new owners decided to move the team with the result that 90 per cent of the staff in Germany will not follow us.

“This is unfortunate because even if the car did not work, the team was beginning to work well together. Now it’s as though we are beginning again with a new team,” he said.

Daniel Ricciardo is not relaxed about his future in formula one.
Recently seen as the natural successor to his countryman Mark Webber at Red Bull, the 22-year-old Australian has struggled to get up to speed with Vitantonio Liuzzi after replacing Narain Karthikeyan at HRT earlier this year.

The move was funded by his backers Red Bull but Ricciardo is contracted to the energy drinks company only to the end of 2011.

With Sebastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari and Jean-Eric Vergne all also in the running for Red Bull’s junior seats at Toro Rosso, the West Australian newspaper concludes that Ricciardo’s future is clouded.

“I’ve got the next few races,” said the upbeat Ricciardo on Saturday, when it was announced his teammate Liuzzi will sit out India next weekend to make way for Karthikeyan’s one-off return.

“They (the last three races) still play a part for next year, so for me it’s important to stay focused on those and not watch what the other guys are doing and what I’m doing too much off the track.

“I’ll be very disappointed if I don’t have a place next year, but it’s one of those things,” he continued.

“There’s only limited space. I think obviously having Red Bull and hopefully impressing them enough this year, they’ll continue and put me in somewhere.”

Narain Karthikeyan will get two more outings at the wheel of the HRT prior to his race return in his native India late this month.

After losing his full-time race seat to Daniel Ricciardo three months ago, the 34-year-old’s sponsors have secured a one-race return for the Indian to contest his country’s inaugural grand prix.

The Spanish team announced at the weekend that, after his run in Vitantonio Liuzzi’s car for initial Friday practice in Singapore recently, Karthikeyan will return to action on the first day of this weekend’s Japanese grand prix at Suzuka.

HRT said the outing, with Karthikeyan once again in Liuzzi’s car, is to “continue with his preparation” ahead of India on October 30.

Karthikeyan told the Times of India he is happy with his re-acclimatisation to the Cosworth-powered F111.

“I was just 1 tenth slower than Ricciardo during Friday practice (in Singapore),” he said. “That is great considering I was away from the cockpit for a while.

“I will again be doing Friday runs in Japan and Korea before racing in India and I am sure of getting enough track time to be ready for the big show,” added Karthikeyan.

Narain Karthikeyan is tipped to return to the cockpit of the HRT car this weekend at the Nurburgring.
Despite his sponsor Tata’s ongoing backing of the small Spanish team, Indian Karthikeyan was sidelined earlier this month to make way for Daniel Ricciardo’s Silverstone debut.

HRT has confirmed that the Red Bull-sponsored Australian will once again be racing alongside Vitantonio Liuzzi this weekend in Germany.

But according to the auto.cz website, 34-year-old Karthikeyan – who was at Silverstone to entertain HRT’s VIP guests – will be driving Italian Liuzzi’s car during initial Friday practice at the Nurburgring.

“The Tata Group is very supportive of what I do and that’s all that matters,” Karthikeyan told Reuters last week following criticism by Force India chief Vijay Mallya.

A spokeswoman for HRT told us early on Wednesday: “Narain will continue playing his key role in the team and get in the car when he is required.

“This will be decided in the coming days,” she added.

Eric Boullier has for the first time named Pedro de la Rosa as a potential replacement for Renault’s injured regular Robert Kubica.
Another 2010 Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld, however, is in pole position for the R31 seat and will test the black and gold car this weekend.

Heidfeld, 33, was already with the team at Jerez on Thursday.

“We are in talks with de la Rosa, Liuzzi and Heidfeld,” team boss Boullier is quoted as saying by Marca sports newspaper in Spain.

Even Heidfeld’s manager Andre Theuerzeit insisted “I don’t know yet” when asked if the German driver will be racing in Bahrain.

Boullier told Auto Motor und Sport: “This year, with so much new with the car, we cannot risk going with a young driver.

“Experience will be vitally important, so there aren’t too many candidates.”

The Frenchman said Heidfeld is the favourite.

“He will be driving on Saturday and Sunday for a day and a half. If we think he is our man then he will also be at the next test in Barcelona.

“If not, then we would have to try one of the other drivers,” said Boullier, referring to the aforementioned de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi.

“Barcelona is our absolute deadline, as by then we need to know who will be racing our car.”

He explained that Bruno Senna will also drive the R31 at Jerez in order to be the main reserve driver for 2011.

“If something else happens (to the race drivers), I want a driver who has already been in the car,” added Boullier. Romain Grosjean is currently racing in the GP2 Asia series in Abu Dhabi.

“If this (Kubica’s crash) had happened in the middle of the season, then we could have taken the chance of a young driver. But we need to develop this car from scratch with someone experienced,” he insisted.

“On paper, the ideal replacement for Robert is Heidfeld,” he is quoted in French by sport24.com.

Romain Grosjean insists he is ready to return to Europe to replace the injured Robert Kubica.
The Swiss-born Frenchman, who along with Bruno Senna is a third driver at Renault this year, is currently in Abu Dhabi for the start of the GP2 Asia series.

But at Jerez, Senna is driving the R31 this week, as experienced drivers including Nick Heidfeld, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi are considered for the injured Kubica’s race seat in car number 9.

“I am ready to answer the call, but for now I’m here to race in GP2,” Grosjean, who tallied an unremarkable 7 debut grands prix with Renault in mid 2009, is quoted by L’Equipe.

“My goal and (management company) Gravity’s goal is for me to be in F1 in 2012, and we will work towards that step by step.

“If they do call me (for Kubica’s seat), I’ll go, but if they have something else in mind, I accept it as a member of the team.

“I will always support the team and, at the moment, all of my thoughts are with Robert,” added 24-year-old Grosjean.

Another candidate reportedly discounted for Kubica’s seat by team boss Boullier is Force India reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg.

“In my eyes, he is the best person available,” former driver Jos Verstappen wrote in his latest column for De Telegraaf newspaper.

“I see the German with great potential; very fast, a hard worker and a winner in many classes of racing.”

Speaking to reporters at Jerez on Thursday, however, Boullier said Hulkenberg is not a candidate because of his lack of experience.

Robert Kubica’s recovery from horrific rally crash injuries might not take as long as a year.
The 12 month prediction was made by the surgeon in charge of the Polish driver’s nearly eight hour operation on Sunday, but Renault team boss Eric Boullier said on Monday that doctors’ forecasts are always conservative.

“With yesterday’s (Monday’s) news and the medical bulletins, I was worried,” Flavio Briatore, who visited the 26-year-old in hospital, told the ANSA news agency.

“I was prepared for the worst. But when I saw him we even shared a joke and he asked about my son.

“I called Alonso and Bernie and told them I think they will see him on the track before the end of the season.

“He’s a great and tough guy and I am sure he will come back soon,” added the Italian.

“Considering the terrible accident he suffered, he’s ok.

“We didn’t talk about the accident but about formula one and about a quick return. Considering his will and his fitness, I would bet he will come back within five or six months,” said Briatore.

Kubica’s friends Fernando Alonso, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Pastor Maldonado have also visited the hospital.

“He didn’t tell me anything special,” new Williams driver Maldonado told 422race.com, “(except) that he’s quite well.”

La Gazzetta dello Sport tracked down for comment Alessandro Nannini, who was driving for Benetton in 1990 when his right arm was severed in a helicopter crash.

The Italian did not return to F1 but he subsequently raced touring and sports cars.

“His injury is different to the one I had,” the 51-year-old said. “His arm was not completed separated, and the nerves, tendons and muscles will grow back in just a matter of time.

“For sure Robert will come back to racing,” added Nannini.

Kubica’s hand surgeon Igor Rossello is also confident, but he warned that it is “impossible” to make precise predictions.

“With the nervous system, you never know, but if Alessandro Nannini managed to go back, why shouldn’t Kubica?” he said.

With Robert Kubica facing a long recovery from his horror rally crash, the candidates to fill his Renault race seat are beginning to line up.

The Lotus-sponsored team’s boss Eric Boullier acknowledged on Monday that with the Polish regular out for several months, he is likely to look beyond contracted reserve drivers Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean.

“The difference is that it is not going to be for one race but probably all of the first half of the season,” Flavio Briatore, who visited 26-year-old Kubica in hospital on Monday, is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo.

“So it has to be an experienced driver. The team has come forward compared to last year, so they will need someone who knows how to race at the front,” added the Italian.

The most famous name in the mix is Kimi Raikkonen.

“I’d be amazed if Kimi is still fit enough for F1,” Martin Brundle wrote on Twitter, “and (the world) rally programme trips over F1 tests.”

Numerous journalists’ attempts to contact Raikkonen’s manager Steve Robertson on Monday were fruitless.

“Personally I’d crowbar (Nico) Hulkenberg from FI (Force India),” continued Brundle, the British commentator and former driver and manager.

Timo Gans, a member of Hulkenberg’s management team, admitted the German would be interested in the appointment, even though he is signed up to be Force India’s Friday driver this year.

“We have a contract with Force India and we will not take the initiative to contact Renault,” Gans told the Daily Mail.

“If Renault should contact us we will start thinking about that, but we are not doing that yet. Hopefully Robert gets well soon,” he added.

Also mentioned have been Nick Heidfeld, Jarno Trulli, Pedro de la Rosa and Christian Klien.

Axed Force India driver Vitantonio Liuzzi visited his friend Kubica on Monday and admitted to 422race.com that he would be interested in sitting in for the Pole.

“It’s obvious that when Renault should be sure that Robert won’t be able to step in the car, this chance might be open and I hope to be chosen instead of somebody else,” he said.

It might be said that Vitaly Petrov is either hoping for an experienced driver to replace Kubica so that he is not forced into a leadership position, or hoping for Renault to promote from within to enhance his status in F1.

“I believe it is senseless to discuss Vitaly’s status because there is no such thing as first pilot and second pilot,” his spokeswoman told Ria Novosti agency.

It is “too early” to be publicly considering a replacement for the badly injured Robert Kubica.
That is the claim of the Pole’s Renault team boss Eric Boullier, who was speaking just hours after Kubica emerged from surgery in an induced coma after sustaining multiple injuries including a partially severed hand in a rally crash on Sunday.

The surgeon said Kubica’s injuries are likely to take at least a year to heal, which leaves Lotus-sponsored Renault in a bind after producing a new car for 2011 in which Kubica drove to the fastest time in its maiden test last week.

At the R31′s launch one week ago, the team’s new third driver Bruno Senna joked that if Kubica or Vitaly Petrov “break a leg or something like that, then … they know who is going to replace him”.

Another candidate is Senna’s fellow third driver Romain Grosjean, but as Telegraph writer Tom Cary points out, Petrov “has only one season’s worth of experience”.

“Can Renault afford to make the Russian their lead driver and promote one of their reserves to the second race seat? Or do Renault try to replace Kubica with another experienced driver?” wondered Cary.

Among the earliest candidates in that scenario are new Force India third driver Nico Hulkenberg, Team Lotus driver Jarno Trulli, Pirelli tester Pedro de la Rosa and the out-of-work Nick Heidfeld and Vitantonio Liuzzi.

And Cary continued: “Even Kimi Raikkonen(‘s name) … (was) being bandied about last night.”

Team boss Boullier is travelling with Petrov to Italy on Monday to visit Kubica.

“It is too early and impolite to think of a replacement driver. We are waiting for news of Robert and how long he will be out of action before we think of taking such a decision,” he is quoted by AFP news agency.

Robert Kubica’s career is in the balance, and his 2011 season almost certainly over, after his rally crash on Sunday.
Also with right leg fractures reportedly caused by armco barriers piercing the car, the Pole underwent seven hours of surgery conducted by seven doctors in Italy with the main focus being efforts to save his badly damaged right arm and hand.

“He … suffered severe cuts to his forearm, which could have an impact on his right hand mobility,” confirmed his F1 employer Renault.

The statement said doctors are “reasonably satisfied” after the surgery, but 26-year-old Kubica remains in a serious condition in an induced coma.

“It has been a very important and difficult operation,” said hand surgeon Mario Ignor Rossello.

“Robert Kubica’s right forearm was cut in two places, with significant lesions to the bones and the tendons. We did our best to rebuild the functions of the forearm.

“At the end of the operation, Robert’s hand was well vascularised and warm, which is encouraging,” he added.

When asked by reporters about what the future holds for Kubica, he answered: “We will see in the next days what will happen.

“The danger is that in five or seven days we have vascular problems. He could have surgery again to resolve the problems.”

It has been suggested that Kubica will take at least a year to recover, but Rossello insisted: “Drivers are always very special patients. I have a lot of motorbike patients and they heal in the fastest way possible, much faster than normal people.”

It is believed Kubica’s friend Fernando Alonso has already visited him in hospital.

Among the candidates to replace Kubica in 2011 are team reserves Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean, new Force India third driver Nico Hulkenberg, Team Lotus driver Jarno Trulli and the out-of-work Nick Heidfeld and Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Vitantonio Liuzzi’s manager has admitted he is not sure if the Italian will be on the 2011 grid.
Amid strong rumours that Force India has signed Paul di Resta to race alongside Adrian Sutil this year, 29-year-old Liuzzi has been staunchly insisting that he has a watertight contract for the 2011 season.

But the di Resta/Sutil stories have stepped up even more this week, after team boss Vijay Mallya said an imminent announcement is pending only “some legal loose ends”.

Liuzzi’s manager Peter Collins also hinted that negotiations about the contract are taking place with Force India.

Collins told BBC Sport: “Tonio will be in F1 this year. Will he be racing? I don’t know.”

A spokesperson for Force India declined to comment, and di Resta and his manager Anthony Hamilton were not available.

Collins continued: “I’ve no (further) comment to make at this stage and it would be wrong for me to do so.

“The position has been very clear for some time and it is best to let the team make any announcement,” Liuzzi’s manager added.

The FIA is proposing to mandate plexiglass windscreens for the cockpits of formula one cars, according to an Italian report.

Autosprint, publishing a photoshopped image of a possible F1 windshield that can be viewed at tinyurl.com/2ew7rf6, claims the innovation would be to protect drivers from being struck on the head.

The exposure of the drivers’ heads made headlines last year, when Felipe Massa was seriously injured by a flying suspension spring, days after F2 driver Henry Surtees was killed when he drove into the path of a stricken wheel.

“I’m not saying we need to cover (the cockpit) completely,” Ferrari driver Massa said after recovering from his skull injuries. “But maybe there are some other things we can do to the car to stop a wheel hitting your head.”

After those incidents last year, Bernie Ecclestone said Professor Sid Watkins – the president of the FIA Institute for Motor Sport Safety – had been commissioned to “deal with” the issue.

The renewed push for driver head safety also comes just six weeks after the nose of Vitantonio Liuzzi’s Force India rode up and almost struck Michael Schumacher’s head during the 2010 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Autosprint said the proposed protective structure, whilst not impeding driver visibility, would be designed to withstand the impact of a flying wheel and the full 640kg weight of an F1 car.

The report said the solution would also need to take into consideration its aerodynamic impact, including the flow of air to the engine airbox and the wings.

Narain Karthikeyan has played down increasing rumours he could be set to return to formula one in 2011.

Before Karun Chandhok made his debut in 2010, 33-year-old Karthikeyan was India’s first grand prix driver, contesting the full 2005 season with Jordan.

The Silverstone based team is now headed by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya and called Force India, and is yet to officially confirm a single driver for next season.

It was believed that Adrian Sutil, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg were vying for the two race seats, but Karthikeyan – reportedly with $8 million in sponsorship to offer – is now also regarded as a credible candidate.

Karthikeyan has recently established a new career in America’s premier NASCAR motor racing scene, but Indian media reports say he tested in Force India’s driver simulator after the Abu Dhabi season finale last month.

“I did go for a simulator test but that’s all that happened,” he told the press.

“I’m not willing to comment on what happened during and after the tests. I think you should talk to (Vijay) Mallya about the results and my performance,” added Karthikeyan.

His hopes may have been bolstered by the fact that, next October, India will host its first ever grand prix.

“I’m looking forward to it. Every driver would like to be in the inaugural race,” Karthikeyan admitted.

But he admitted that turning his focus away from NASCAR to return to F1 next year would be “a risk”.

“I see myself being in this (NASCAR) for some time,” revealed Karthikeyan. “Getting out of America and then getting back in is not easy.”