Paul di Resta set for Force India promotion
Paul di Resta is poised to make his Formula One debut as a primary driver with Force India in 2011. The 24-year-old, who has achieved impressive practice times this season, is to be promoted. This comes
as no surprise, since the team has been grooming the rookie into becoming a champion contender for F1.
Di Resta, the cousin of Indy Car champion Dario Franchitti, currently races for DTM and is the champion of the 2005-06 Formula Three Euroseries and 2003-04 Formula Renault UK. The racer has shown a remarkable
potential on the F1 circuit, and the team is eager to grant him a more dominant role.
As for the status of current drivers Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi, their future remains uncertain. Speculation is mounting that Sutil is eyeing a switch to Renault, despite Force India’s eagerness
to keep the German for another year.
Sutil commented, “I want a decision very soon, so hopefully after Singapore, or closer to Japan, I will have some news.”
When questioned about his readiness to take on the pressure of driving for the prestigious team, he responded, “I think I’m ready. A driver is always ready for a good car, you could say, but I have a good
car here. I want to make sure that I find a much better team than Force India if I move and that’s hard to find.”
He added, “There are a lot of positive aspects in this team – that’s why it was the first team that I talked to ask about my future as well. It would have to be something really interesting for me to change.”
Renault is currently considering its own driver options, with rumours of 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen hoping to make his return to F1 with the team. But Renault insists that any decisions they make are
dependent upon the financial benefits of the deal, whether they can gain the right sponsorships to maintain a high-profile racer, and on rookie Vitaly Petrov’s progress. Changing the team strategy from grooming the talents of Petrov and team-mate Robert Kubica
differ drastically from taking on a star veteran, and Renault is keen to monitor Petrov’s progress before casting him aside.
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