Force India retain curent drivers

[Placid]

Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi have been confirmed by Force India
as their drivers for the 2010 season. Sutil will be in his 4th season with
the team since 2007 when it was Spyker at 1st and Liuzzi will have his
full-time ride since 2007.

The test and reserve driver role will be decided in Jerez when Paul Di Resta
and JR Hildebrand hit the track.

Di Resta has a huge advantage and may take that seat. So Hildebrand
will be a huge "Underdog" to grab that 3rd seat.

Report:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80351

[pino]

I am very glad for Liuzzi, he deserved another chance as full-time driver.

[I am evil Homer]

Indeed but I wonder if he'll last the season....maybe he just needed reassurance of a drive and he may start performing better.

[jens]

I hope di Resta becomes Force India's reserve driver.

As for race drivers... I was thinking whether Force India with their improved form is capable of snatching up a top-line driver (Button? Heidfeld?), but since they weren't they might just as well continue with current drivers with no clearly better alternatives available. But still both Sutil and Liuzzi leave an impression of alarmingly inconsistent drivers and quite frankly Fisichella looked a bit better than Sutil during those 1,75 ( :p :) years together. But I hope they'll do well next year and snap up some impressive results from time-to-time.

[truefan72]

hmm ok for now, but we will see about liuzzi

[Saint Devote]

Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi have been confirmed by Force India
as their drivers for the 2010 season. Sutil will be in his 4th season with
the team since 2007 when it was Spyker at 1st and Liuzzi will have his
full-time ride since 2007.

The test and reserve driver role will be decided in Jerez when Paul Di Resta
and JR Hildebrand hit the track.

Di Resta has a huge advantage and may take that seat. So Hildebrand
will be a huge "Underdog" to grab that 3rd seat.

Report:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80351

I doubt either of these drivers will be reserve or test. Hilldebrand is simply not qualified because he is not sufficiently experienced and di Resta last time drove a single seater and then a Formula 3 car THREE years ago.

And what happens if a DTM event clashes with a grand prix when he might [a small might] be needed? But I guess if the team and driver are desperate enough after all Gary Paffett has been a Mclaren test driver for YEARS.

If di Resta is serious about f1 he should have tried out for a GP2 drive - in a year's time there will be another half dozen or so drivers with high level experience - and there will be half a dozen reasons more why he will not be signed. A driver does not get to f1 being all safe and assured in the DTM.

[Saint Devote]

I hope di Resta becomes Force India's reserve driver.

As for race drivers... I was thinking whether Force India with their improved form is capable of snatching up a top-line driver (Button? Heidfeld?), but since they weren't they might just as well continue with current drivers with no clearly better alternatives available. But still both Sutil and Liuzzi leave an impression of alarmingly inconsistent drivers and quite frankly Fisichella looked a bit better than Sutil during those 1,75 ( :p :) years together. But I hope they'll do well next year and snap up some impressive results from time-to-time.

FI did not improve - they fluked into a car that matched Spa and Monza. Fisichella demonstrated that in no small fashion by becoming a Ferrari passenger and becoming the worst Ferrari driver in history.

At Ass Marina the Ferrari team should have sent him home - and his tears after reading how Auto Della Sport editorialized his performance was as pathetic as anything witnessed at a race track.

When I think of AJ and Mario and then this little weed blubbering....... ye gods - talk about the feminization of men!!!!

[Placid]

On the other hand, if Hildebrand does not get any calls from Indy Car teams,
we hope on based on his performance at Jerez may persuade GP2 teams to
open their doors to JR.

[woody2goody]

Good. Still not sold on Sutil, but he's ok, and IMO Liuzzi will have a good year. Good move by Vijay Mallya.

[keysersoze]

FI did not improve - they fluked into a car that matched Spa and Monza. Fisichella demonstrated that in no small fashion by becoming a Ferrari passenger and becoming the worst Ferrari driver in history.

At Ass Marina the Ferrari team should have sent him home - and his tears after reading how Auto Della Sport editorialized his performance was as pathetic as anything witnessed at a race track.

When I think of AJ and Mario and then this little weed blubbering....... ye gods - talk about the feminization of men!!!!

Spectacularly wrong here SD. Aside from the big points-scoring results at Spa and Monza, the team still exhibited a remarkable upturn in pace at ALL tracks. The difference last year was 1.8-2.0 seconds (or more) at each track, but this season it was 1.0 on average. And then there is their qualifying record, which shows more appearances in Q2 and Q3 than ever before.

As for Fisichella, his Spa form proves the guy can still wring the maximum from a car. His subsequent decline at Ferrari clearly demonstrates how difficult a mid-season switch is, particularly THAT Ferrari with its different handling characteristics, due to KERS. You only need to observe your boy Button's performance to see how CRITICAL it is for the driver and car to be IN SYNC: lousy for two years running, spectacular in the first half this season, then sliding back as 1) the car's characteristics, 2) the tracks coupled with the weather, and 3) Button's driving style, did not mesh.

[markabilly]

No news here......nobody else wanted them and force india not smart enough to figure out why....

[Saint Devote]

Spectacularly wrong here SD. Aside from the big points-scoring results at Spa and Monza, the team still exhibited a remarkable upturn in pace at ALL tracks. The difference last year was 1.8-2.0 seconds (or more) at each track, but this season it was 1.0 on average. And then there is their qualifying record, which shows more appearances in Q2 and Q3 than ever before.



Mallya has done a superb job to turn the team around from decline and that is evident in the general better performance this season. But the Spa and Monza results was unexpected and they could only guess why - otherwise they would have been able to replicate it at other circuits.

[keysersoze]

Mallya has done a superb job to turn the team around from decline and that is evident in the general better performance this season. But the Spa and Monza results was unexpected and they could only guess why - otherwise they would have been able to replicate it at other circuits.

Fisichella as well as Badoer were simply not up to the job. The constant whine from Fisichella was he had no confidence. Kobuyashi showed these two up in no small measure.

Wrong again, SD. The team knew their car would perform better in low downforce configuration. This has been well-reported.

As for the Fisi-Kobayashi comparison you are not comparing apples to apples, so your "argument" cuts no ice.

[Saint Devote]

Wrong again, SD. The team knew their car would perform better in low downforce configuration. This has been well-reported.

As for the Fisi-Kobayashi comparison you are not comparing apples to apples, so your "argument" cuts no ice.

Not "knowing" - perhaps expecting simply because it has been fast in a straight line, but it is inconsistent to understand why it will go well in one area and then be unable to replicate it in another.

The incompetence of Fisichella, well criticzed in the Italian press, is a disgrace. He made excuses and promises all the time beginning at Monza.

Kobayashi, a debutant, was very good, despite his actions with regards Nakajima and Button.

It is on track that drivers show what they can do and these drivers showed, you offer no support to your argument.

Both drivers were in cars new to them and only Kobayashi kept pace with his teammate - Fisichella was far behind and had even been half competent he could have scored at least ONE or TWO points - unlike Kobayashi he has not only raced in a few grands prix - and Ferrari could have beaten Mclaren in teh constructors championship.

Fisichella was correctly described in the Italian auto racing press as the WORST Ferrari driver ever. It brought him to tears and the little cry baby he deserves no sympathy.

[gloomyDAY]

Fisichella was correctly described in the Italian auto racing press as the WORST Ferrari driver ever. It brought him to tears and the little cry baby he deserves no sympathy.What the hell are you talking about? Can you provide a link? Are you making crap up again? When exactly did Fisichella cry over some reported article?

[keysersoze]

Wrong again SD. The team knew they had an advantage at low downforce tracks--that's why they were often one of the fastest through the speed traps but still recorded times in the back half of the grid. It was something inherent in the chassis--this has been well-documented.