• Force India

Liuzzi plays down loss of technical director

ESPNF1 Staff
June 15, 2010 « Renault rules out Jacques Villeneuve for 2011 drive | »
Tonio Liuzzi is confident Force India will be strong next year © Sutton Images
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Tonio Liuzzi is confident the loss of key technical staff to Lotus will have a minimal effect on Force India next year.

Technical director Mark Smith and two of his team, Lewis Butler and Marianne Hinson, will join Lotus in April 2011. Liuzzi admitted it would be a big loss when Smith goes but said Force India already has a contingency plan.

"It won't have that big an effect on us because he won't leave until next year and we are pretty sure he will continue to work with us 100% until then," Liuzzi told ESPNF1. "It's a big loss for Force India because he was a big part of Force India's development and our recent results, but the team has already got a Plan B."

He added that Smith was one of Formula One's hottest properties.

"I've worked with Mark for many years, at Red Bull and even in the less good times, and I think he's one of the best technical guys I have ever worked with," he said. "So it's a shame to lose someone like Mark but the future of the team is still in safe hands."

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