Vitantonio "Tonio" Liuzzi is an Italian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 2005 to 2011. Born and raised in Bari, Liuzzi began competitive kart racing aged nine. After a successful karting career—culminating in his victory at the direct-drive Karting World Championship in 2001—Liuzzi graduated to junior formulae. He won his first title at the 2004 International Formula 3000 Championship with Arden. Liuzzi competed in Formula One for Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT, scoring 26 championship points across six seasons.