LAST RACE - 11th May

Gascoyne warns Force India drivers

Friday 18th January 2008

Force India have warned Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil that if they don't perform they could be replaced by Tonio Liuzzi.

Force India, formerly the Spyker team, announced earlier this month that Fisichella would be partnering Sutil in this year's Championship while former Toro Rosso driver Liuzzi would fill the role of official third and reserve driver.

Liuzzi, though, could make the step up to race driver in 2009 as Force India have already warned Fisichella and Sutil that they have one year in which to produce the results that the team expects of them.

"If they need any motivation, they need only look at who the test driver is," technical director Mike Gascoyne told Reuters.

"They are going to need to be performing or else there is a guy there who can obviously step in.

"He (Liuzzi) is quick, he's experienced and he wants to be a race driver.

"The message is very clear for Fisi, for both the race drivers. If they want to be driving in 2009, they have got to deliver.

"If not, there is a guy who will be driving it in 2009."

However, having said that Gascoyne is nonetheless confident that Force India have a driver pairing for 2008 that surpasses anything the team has had in the past.

"If you look at our driver line-up, not just with Fisi as a race driver but with Tonio as test driver, it's obviously a massive step forward over where we were last year," said Gascoyne.

"We've struggled. When your lead driver is a rookie, if he gets lost at all you are going to lose your way."

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