F1 News
Date: 28/February/2013
The 2013 F1 grid is finally
complete following official confirmation that Adrian Sutil will return to the
Force India team after a season on the sidelines.
Sutil, 30, was a Force India
driver from the team’s 2008 formation to the end of 2011, when he was replaced
by fellow German Nico Hulkenberg.
By that time a cloud was already
hanging over Sutil in the form of an altercation in a Shanghai nightclub earlier
that year with Eric Lux, CEO of Genii Capital which owns the rival Lotus team.
Sutil was later convicted of
causing grievous bodily harm and unable to find an alternative drive for 2012.
However Sutil will now get a rare
second chance by retaking his place at Force India from Hulkenberg, who has
switched to Sauber. Sutil recently tested for the team in Barcelona, where he
was praised for doing an “excellent job”.
“I want to thank Sahara Force India
for giving me a second chance,” said Sutil. “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.”
Sutil will again partner Paul di
Resta, whom he drove alongside in 2011.
Hulkenberg and di Resta finished
eleventh and 14th respectively for Force India in last year’s
Drivers’ World Championship.
Young Frenchman Jules Bianchi, the
Force India reserve driver, had been the other frontrunner for the 2013 race
seat.
Team Principal Vijay Mallya
explained: “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.”
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