Art of rally wheel support drivers#

“The plan was to have four races for Klien, four for me, four for him… but after the first swap, we realised it was not good for him, nor for me. The 2005 season would see David Coulthard take the first seat at Red Bull with rookie Liuzzi and ex-Jaguar driver Christien Klien sharing the second seat – in a plan that was somewhat freeform, according to the Italian.

Art of rally wheel support drivers#

It’s a big shame, and a big loss for the world of motorsport, and at the end of the day, he gave a big chance to drivers who are still in the paddock right now.” Every time we were together, it was like he was a father to me. He’s a real person – when you are somebody like him, so big, with such a position, it’s not easy to have a connection – but he was so real and so passionate about what he was doing, not only in Formula 1 but in taking care of every person in the company.

“I think he was one of the nicest people I ever met. READ MORE: Remembering Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s quiet patriarch Sauber seemed to be Liuzzi’s chance at F1 but just before the Italian was due to test with the team in September 2004, Jacques Villeneuve was announced as their driver for the following season – “a shame”, says Liuzzi, who was then offered a lifeline.īrand-new outfit Red Bull offered him a seat for 2005 instead, and Liuzzi says the company’s co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz was 'like a father” to him. Finishing fourth in his maiden F3000 Championship, Liuzzi was picked up by Red Bull and moved to the Christian Horner-founded Arden squad for 2004, where he won all but three of 10 races to take the title – with rivals like Robert Doornbos, Jose Maria Lopez and Patrick Friesacher in the field.