Two drivers bid farewell to their respective teams at the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix, but Vitantonio Liuzzi and
Ralf Schumacher will not be leaving
Scuderia Toro Rosso and
Toyota on a high.
Both drivers were involved in a first corner skirmish at Interlagos that saw several drivers come into contact with one another, Schumacher clipping the
Renault of
Heikki Kovalainen and Liuzzi losing his front wing on the back of
Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault too.
Dropping them down the field, Schumacher would eventually bring his Toyota stint to an end in 11th place, while Liuzzi will be classified 13th after finishing two laps adrift of the leaders.
Attention however now turns to their futures, with Liuzzi vocally confident that he will still be in
Formula 1 next year, with
Williams currently thought to be in negotiations with the Italian amongst others.
“The first corner here is always difficult. I saw Giancarlo lock up the wheels and go straight and I expected him to miss the corner, so I went down the inside but he came back and clipped my nose and that ruined my race, as I had to pit.
“Then, for the first stint I was struggling as I think front wing debris went under the car and it was really undrivable. In the last two stints I was quite strong, but coming back from last, the race was over for me. A shame, as I was in a positive frame of mind about this race before the start. Now, I am looking forward to my future and I hope to know where that future is quite soon.”
Schumacher meanwhile, who has scored a total of 70 points and three podiums in the three seasons he was with the team, was disappointed with the outcome of his final race, but he too is confident of returning to the grid in 2008.
“It is my last race for Toyota and for sure it is a pity to be leaving after three years. This has been a difficult season in terms of results but we tried our best and it simply didn't work out.
