Sutil signs with Force India

Adrian Sutil who last drive for the Force India team in 2011, when he was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg for 2012, has apprently agreed terms with the team.

The news comes from Jules Bianchi´s agent, Nicolas Todt, who confirmed the appointment wednesday afternoon. He was not able to confirm is Bianchi was to be retained as a test and reserve driver.

Sutil has driven for the team through its various guises as Midland F1 and Spyker, but lost his seat after the 2011 season, when it became clear he had been involved in a nightclub incident in Singapore. He was fined €50.000 and received a 18 month suspended jail sentence for attacking Genii´s Eric Lux with a champagne glas.

Sutil will partner Paul di Resta for 2013.

The Official 2013 Formula One Update F1 Season Preview 2/3

The second piece of the 2013 preview is here and once again I dive headfirst into all kinds of speculation about the season ahead. But for now it´s all about the nest three teams and how they will shape the upcoming season.

Today I´ll be talking about Mercedes, Sauber, Lotus and Force India, four mid-field teams with great potential, some truly awesome drivers and they could give us some nice surprises.

Mercedes

Mercedes is one of those teams where you never really know what you get. From the formation, and I am not thinking about the classic Silver Arrowsteam from the 1930´s, but the modern version, the team has had a rather low-key status about them. First it was called Tyrrell and they have three titles to their name. Then British American Tobacco got involved in the late 1990´s, then it was a pure Honda team until they pulled out, leaving Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello in doubt. Ross Brawn bought the team for a penny, turned it around and won the 2009 title, then sold the team to Mercedes. Phew.

The team hired Nico Rosberg and seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, but the return of the most winning driver did nothing for the image of Mercedes. 2010 was so-so, Nico Rosberg secured most of the points, and 2011 was a repeat of the previous year, 4th place in the constructor´s championship. 2012 kicked off with AMG as title sponsor, the high performance division of Mercedes, but the performance of the car and driver left much to be improved. Rosberg finished 9th, with Schumacher in 13th and he retired after the season ended.

So how will they do?

Lewis Hamilton, who was looking for some greener grass and after he had spend his teens with McLaren, he decided to sign with Mercedes, to replace Schumacher. Some say it´s a wise decision, because Hamilton is a driver who needs to push himself further and always prove to himself and others that he can adjust to a new team and that his 2008 title isn´t a fluke. Others think that he has made career suicide, but building a team is no easy feat. Lewis will be partnered by Rosberg, who is staying put, and the two of them know each other very well from junior series. I think that Mercedes might be able to push the front runners from time to time, but still need some work.

Prediction

Mercedes only had one win in 2012, in a year where 8 different drivers won a race. Not good enough. But a great driver in a new team takes some adjustment, but Lewis is a quick learner, and bloody fast too, so 4th for Mercedes.

Lotus

The team formerly known as Renault caused the biggest upset of 2012. They managed to sign Kimi Raikkonen, the one-syllable guy who likes to nap a few minutes before a race. In the second race he had the fastest lap time, and he won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The entire season was a truly awesome thing to watch, from the way he can keep the car so tantalisingly close to his rivals, insisting he has the right of way and then gently persuading them to give up. Raikkonen´s style might be one of a tight-lipped, kinda arrogant guy who dorsn´t care about anything, but he is a true racer who cares only about winning.

Lotus also had some issues that wwasn´t all rosy. Romain Grosjean also returned in 2012 for Lotus, after he drove for the previous installment of the team, Renault some years back. Comparing the two drivers may not be entirely fair, since Kimi Raikkonen was the only driver never to retire during a race, while Grosjean did so seven times, most notably during the Belgian GP, where he tried to squeeze Hamilton up against the pitwall, but both lost control. Grosjean was fined €50.000 and received a one-race ban. Oops.

So how will they do?

Grosjean will have spend some time during the winterbreak, to find himself. A driver is only as good as his last race and he almost jumped back onto the F1 scene, making a lot of noise and speculations. 2013 will probbaly be a bit more stress-free for Grosjean and I expect we will see a more mature and easy-going Frenchman. Raikkonen, on the other hand, will do what he is best at. Win. Surprise us. And sleep a little.

Prediction

Lotus finished 4th last year, and I think that the drivers will score more consistently, but on fewer occasions. I predict a few more retirements for Kimi, less for Grosjean, but more scoring in the lower parts of the board, simply due to the increased competition at this level. 5th for Lotus.

Sauber

The Swiss Sauber team has always been a black sheep in a way, but one that was always welcome. The team reminds me of my uncle, who is always able to see the lighter side of things and make a humorous comment about it. Sauber is a very good team, but they have had to say goodbye to their best driver, Sergio Perez, who will be driving for McLaren this year, replacing Hamilton. Monisha Kaltenborn has taken over the day-to-day running after Peter Sauber stepped down last year, and with Force India ousted Nico Hulkenberg and newcomer Esteban Gutierrez, who previously was the team´s test driver.

So how will they do?

Kamui Kobayashi was not signed for 2013, a tough decision for many fans. Gutierrez is a talented driver and will need to get his hands on some real race time before we can asess his performance. Hulkenberg has several seasons behind him and will add valuable knowledge to the team, but I don´t expect the leap forward many others do. I expect the team to finish roughly in the same place they did in 2012, mainly because they will not have the same amount of retirements they did last year. Remember, it´s a prediction…2013 will be a transitional year for the team, and it will be very interesting to see if the team´s own predictions about their driver choices will be on the mark.

Prediction

Perez was definitely the best driver the team has had for many years, and it looked as though Kobayashi might be able to finally develop into a brilliant racer. But with new guys on board and a new team manager, I think we should be happy with 6th for Sauber.

Force India

Rumours about Kingfisher´s imminent death, the absence of Vijay Mallya, the future collapse of title sponsor Sahara and a goodbye to Hulkenberg means, that Force India is a joker. They are yet to announce their second driver next to Paul di Resta, but in these very hours, Adrian Sutil´s agent has confirmed that Force India has stated that they want Sutil to race and not, as expected, Jules Bianchi.

So how will they do?

Because of the previous experience of Sutil, the team could collect a lot of points, but everything is up in the air. I honestly have no idea what to believe regarding the rumours we hear, and will not take address them in this article. I will, on the other hand, be carefully optimistic and sprinkle some light points in their general direction, with the odd retirement here and there.

Prediction

No idea. But to be a little more specific, I think they will stay in exactly the same place as last year, like Sauber. 7th place.

Bit of this, bit of that

Williams became the last team to launch their 2013 car, the FW35. Adrian Sutil had had a seat fitting made at Force India, and are testing the new car in Barcelona, while the Kingfisher Airline owned by team owner Vijay Mallya is in deep financial trouble. Mercedes rejects the claims that they are about to pull out of F1 all together, and Lewis Hamilton has beaten Sebastian Vettel´s time on TopGear.

According to two shareholders of Mercedes, Michael Muders form the fund manager Union and henning Gebhardty, of DWS, the foray into F1 has been to expensive for the Daimler group and the yield is not big enough to continue, they say.

“Mercedes has been behind for years, without consequence,” said Muders. “But Formula One is expensive and brings nothing to the (Daimler) group.”

Gebhardt added: “Formula One no longer enhances the image (of Mercedes), especially if we are in countries criticized of human rights violations.”

Truly some good and valid points and they need to be discussed. But is it a carmakers job to deal with human rights issues? Who draws the line between hat is right and what is wrong? Personally, I think the Bahrain story of 2011 and 2012 was a very good example of how a completely different event drew attention to F1, even though the demand for reforms and basic human right has nothing to do with 24 cars screaming around the desert. Of course the carmakers could and should be concerned about what is going on in the world, and yes I do tink that the event in bahrain was controversial. But a carmakers finest task is to build cars and if they wish, to race them. Don´t race cars and then say it costs too much. You´re in or you´re out.

Mercedes´ new chairman Niki Lauda, rejected the claims from the two shareholders, saying that there are more TV viewers today and there is a lot of growth to be seen, as more and more countries are added to the calendar.

Over at Force India, Adrian Sutil is back. Or is he? The German, who has spent his entire F1 career at the team, when it was known as Midland and Spyker, and knows his way around the team. Sutil was in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, when he was incolved in a nihgt club incident with Genii´s Eric Lux. Sutil was charged with assault, received a suspended 18 month prison sentence and a fine of €200.000. His career looked to be over. But then, as the teams managed to fill their seats, Force India was the only one left with a vacant seat. The call came and Sutil had a seat fitting last week, and he is today testing the brand new car. But there is still no contract for him to race this year.

So, a team in financial distress, a team owner who has not shown up and taken the bull by the horns, not even trying to explain what is going on in his own team, and a experienced driver who is testing their car. For free, it seems. If Force India does not sign Sutil, they are shooting themselves in the foot. Rumour has it that Sutil has secured a sponsorship package worth €8 million, so the money is clearly there. Just sign it, Vijay…

Lewis Hamilton appeared on TopGear recently, and was eager to beat his own previous time in the reasonably priced car. And not only did he do that, he also smashed Sebastian Vettel´s time, who at the time was the fastest time of F1 drivers past and present, with more than a second. Kudos to you, sir.

Finally, Williams launched their FW35 car. it is blue and white. Four wheels. A steering wheel. Ok, so it looks enormously dull, but Mike Coughlan, you remember, the guy with the spy shit some years back, said that the team had made a great deal of dyno testing to ensure reliability. The work also includes a new gearbox new rear suspension, new radiators, a new floor, new exhausts, new bodywork, a new nose and a significant amount of weight-saving.

It will be interesting to see how well Williams will fair this season, considering their improved form last year.

Force India reveals VJM06 – full gallery inside

Di Resta sued by Hamilton Sr

According to The Telegraph, Anthony Hamilton, father of the 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton and former manager of Paul Di Resta, has filed a lawsuit against the Scottish Force India driver for wrongful termination.

The dispute between Hamilton and Di Resta began when the latter fired the former, after claims that he was misled over a sponsorship agreement with an energy drink company called Go Fast. The deal, allegedly worth €5.5m, or £4.3m, was brought forward from Di Resta to Hamilton, who informed the Force India driver that buying the rights from the team would cost €2m. However, Di Resta then discovered that it would cost only €1m, half of the amount Hamilton said it would be, to buy the sponsorship deal from Force India, and this lead to the termination of contract.

According to several observers, the two parties would most likely reach an out of court settlement to end the dispute.

 

Stewart: di Resta should replace Massa

Former triple world champion, Jackie Stewart, believes that Force India´s Paul di Resta is the right man to replace Felipe Massa, alongside Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.

The legend of the race tracks is adamant that the fellow Scotsman is showing clear signs of becoming a top driver and thinks di Resta could make a valuable team mate to Fernando Alonso.

“Alonso is almost at his peak and to have a young driver such as Di Resta be an understudy to Alonso is something I’d consider if I was at Ferrari.

Asked if di Resta would one day be champion, the 72 year-old replied:

“It’s difficult to know. He has got an enormous amount of talent. I hope Scotland doesn’t ask too much too soon from him. You’ve got to be with a top-class team in order to win, you can’t do that with a second-rate team.

“Force India are trying hard to be a first-rate team but they’re not there yet. Paul has been leading that team to better results. I think he’s got every chance. We’ve got a great history of drivers, for a small country we are punching above our weight and Paul di Resta is the present generation of that.”

For the time being, Paul di Resta is committed to Force India and has racked up 15 points so far in the season. His best result is 6th in Bahrain.

 

Spanish Grand Prix preview – Force India

The Sahara Force India team comes into the Spanish Grand Prix on something of a high, after Paul di Resta secured sixth in the Bahrain Grand Prix. The two-stop strategy adopted by the team worked perfect, and netted the team ten points.

Paul di Resta talks about Bahrain, and expectations for Spain:

“I think when you have a result like that you feel very proud of everyone in the team. Everybody stepped up and helped deliver the performance. The strategy was a bold one, but it was the right one and gave us one of our best results in the last couple of years.

“We didn’t do a massive number of laps but it was a chance to start evaluating some of our car developments. There’s still plenty of work to do in free practice to get on top of the car, but we’ve already done the basic checks.

“I probably know Barcelona better than any other track on the calendar. We did two tests there in the winter and I had four days in the car so I already feel quite well prepared, but it’s the same for everyone. I expect the field to be incredibly close once again.”

Team mate Nico Hulkenberg has come away with just two points, a ninth place secured in Malaysia. Hulkenberg is getting familiar with the crew and as most drivers, he is looking forward to start the European leg of the season.

“It’s a track I enjoy and where I’ve been successful in the past. It’s high-speed, there are lots of right hand corners and it’s quite tough physically, especially on your neck. As a city I enjoy being in Barcelona because it’s a great place with a nice atmosphere. Also, the stands are always full on race day because the Spanish fans love Formula One.

“The first sector through turns one, two and three is tricky and you need to treat them as one corner. A mistake in one or two will hurt you through three and cost your laptime. It feels great when you get them just right. Also, the final sector is quite technical: it’s slow and twisty, especially the last chicane and it’s easy to drop time at the end of the lap.

“I feel very comfortable in the team and I’m enjoying the season. A few of the races haven’t worked out for me, but I’m looking forward not backwards and determined to get some great results for the team. I’m working well with my car crew, we are pushing hard and we will try our best to get back in the points this weekend.”

Busy day for Force India

Force India´s Paul di Resta suffered an early problem with the hydraulic on his car on Wednesday, limiting his run to only 14 laps.

The original plans for Force India today, Thursday, was to have Nico Hulkenberg to drive the car the entire day, but the team has altered the plans to allow Paul di Resta to do some more running, the to drivers sharing the testing duties. But according to di Resta there shouldn´t be too many issues ahead of the team on this the last day of testing before Spain.

“I don’t think it’s massive,” Di Resta said. “We’re quite limited with what we were going to learn anyway, given the way the track is. It’s not got that many similar characteristics compared to the tracks we’re racing at.

“It would have been nice to get some more running, but these things happen. If we can get cracking tomorrow [Thursday] and get a full programme in we’ll be okay.”

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley said that the team has made several big chances to the car, including the engine and hydraulics.

“We had some faults in the data and we needed to do quite a few changes to the hydraulic system to eliminate it. [It was] a bit of a painful day,” he said.

“[The] problem was tracers. We were just worried it was going to cause an issue, partly safety and not wanting to cause any damage. We changed everything; the engine, the hydraulic pack. The key thing was to make sure Paul was comfortable.

“We will change our schedule, run half a day with Paul [Thursday] morning and Nico in the afternoon, to give them equal time in the car.”

As of noon Thursday, di Resta is down in sixth place, after a trip to the gravel trap. He was running in fourth at one point. Nico Hulkenberg will take over the car after the lunch break.