Abu Dhabi: Cars exiting the pit-lane in the Yas Marina track re-enter the circuit via a tunnel and this will be one of the most challenging factor in next week's Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, according to Force India driver Tonio Liuzzi.
After a tough Brazilian Grand Prix which included a qualifying crash in rain-hit conditions, Liuzzi eventually finished 11th in the race and is looking ahead to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
The Italian, who was back in the seat as a F1 driver after Giancarlo Fisichella's switch to the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team following Felippe Massa's injury, said he has had a feel of the Yas Marina Circuit on the simulator.
"We did a couple of hours, and I'll do some more this week. I think it's an interesting circuit," said Liuzzi, who before the Monza GP was Force India's test and reserve driver since the start of the 2008 season.
"In a way I don't think it's a really challenging one, even though there are two long straights where you might be able to overtake. There are not really special challenging corners. The pit exit will be the most challenging thing during the race," Liuzzi said.
In last week's Brazilian GP a qualifying crash in Q2 left him starting in 15th place. Due to the accident he had to change his gearbox, and the subsequent penalty put him to the very back. However, the Italian worked his way up to 12th place, which became 11th when Heikki Kovalainen was penalised.
"When you start so far behind it's always difficult to aim for points. But we're pretty happy about the way it went. We had a good race with the Ferraris and Toro Rossos, and we had a good pace. We couldn't achieve more starting from that far behind," he said.
"We finished in a decent position, and now we have to look forward to Abu Dhabi, and scoring some points there. For sure it's not going to be easy, because a lot of teams are making developments, but we'll keep on trying," he said.
Commenting on his display in Brazil, Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal of Force India said, "Tonio's race was always going to be tough after the crash but he picked up another race finish — again by tailing home a Ferrari! We are all now really looking forward to Abu Dhabi. The car's working well, the drivers are confident and hopefully the track should suit us pretty well."
