February 28, 2013

Sahara Force India F1 confirms Adrian Sutil as their driver

The only available driver’s seat for the 2013 Formula 1 has now been taken. Sahara Force India F1, the Indian outfit in the international event, has confirmed that they have signed Adrian Sutil as their driver for 2013 season.

Adrian Sutil, the 30 year old German driver is not new to the Force India setup. He had spent 4 years (2008-11) at Force India. His position in 2012 was hampered due to an incident which left him with a 200,000 EUR fine and a suspended 18 month jail sentence. For this seat, too, Adrian had to compete with the 24 year old French driver, Jules Bianchi, whose resume read Ferrari Driver Academy driver. Paul di Resta will be the other driver in Sahara Force India F1 for 2013. Adrian will start his second innings in F1 officially from tomorrow, when he starts testing in Barcelona as a Force India driver.

Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director: “The decision over our driver line-up has not been an easy one and we have given it great consideration over the last few months. It was a close call, but ultimately we felt that Adrian’s experience and historic links to the team gave him the edge, and will provide us with the best possible chance of realising our ambitions for the coming season. If he can rediscover the exceptional form he showed in the second half of 2011, I’m confident that we can pick up where we left off at the end of 2012. As for Jules Bianchi, he has impressed us enormously with his speed and work ethic, and I’m hopeful we can continue working with him this year to help him develop into a future Grand Prix driver.”

Adrian Sutil: “I’m delighted to be back in Formula One, especially with a team I know so well. I’m very happy and I want to thank Sahara Force India for giving me a second chance. Having been away from the sport, I’m even more determined to achieve my goals in Formula One. Things went really well at the Barcelona test last week and it almost feels as though I’ve never been away. Driving the car felt so natural and I was able to get back in the groove quickly and find the limit. Now my focus is on making the most of the final test session this week, working with the team in the simulator and getting myself in the best possible shape for Melbourne.”