Italian F1 driver Tonio Liuzzi has said that he is "sick" of having to play second fiddle to drivers with sponsorship backing in seat negotiations, as he faces up to the likelihood of being dropped by HRT for the 2012 season.
Liuzzi drove for the HRT squad last season after losing his drive at Force India, and still officially retains a contract for 2012.
But with Pedro de la Rosa having signed for the team in one of their 2012 seats, and the Spanish squad chasing a paydriver for the second seat. Liuzzi seems certain to be left in the cold.
And the Italian has angrily suggested that he does not feel the current reliance on sponsor money over talent is a fair situation in the sport.
"If you've got a big sponsor behind you then you are an F1 driver and that's not the way it should be from my point of view," he ranted at the ESPN F1 website this week.
"There may be some people that think differently, but F1 is the top of the sport and should be full of talent that have got the results during their career and have been kicking arse since they were kids, not people that just have the money."
He added: "I'm sick of it being like this at the moment, but I have to just accept it and hopefully I will get another chance."
Liuzzi added that he and the team were still working on a solution where he could drive for them in accordance with his contract, but admitted that the team was more likely to opt for a paydriver.
"I'm still linked with the team and have a long, multi-year contract," he bragged regarding his 2012 plans.
"At the moment the team has been clear to me; it's a difficult period in terms of money so they are trying hard to find sponsors to be able to run me as per the contract.
"But in the case that they are struggling then they might be forced to look for a driver that brings money."
He added: "Unfortunately at the moment it's not a matter of talent or skill or your CV, it's a matter of money.
"Obviously, with the global position being so difficult at the moment, it is not easy for anybody and I don't have much money myself to spend or to bring sponsors.
"So I can just bring my talent and my skill and pay a team back with results.
"Unfortunately, at the moment, the teams just want the money upfront and in their pocket and they care less about the results."
The second seat at HRT is the sole remaining 2012 drive still officially available.
As well as Liuzzi, well-backed GP2 driver Giedo van der Garde has increasingly been linked with the seat in recent weeks.
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