Sutil says Force India need more speed

2011 Australian Grand Prix

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Adrian Sutil, Force India, Barcelona, 2011

Adrian Sutil says Force India’s 2011 car is reliable but not quick enough.

The German driver said: “We have a reliable car, which is positive, and this will help us during the first few races. But we still need to look for more speed and we require a little more time to understand the developments and aero side of the car.

“The first few races may be a little tough in that respect, but for sure we shall pick up our race pace soon.”

He reckons he should be able to score in Melbourne if his car makes it to the end: “I hope that I will be able to finish the race as last year the gearbox let us down.

“It is always a good feeling to finish the first race, as you then know that the season has really started. It was a crazy race in Australia last year when the rain came in; I think only ten cars made it to finish. This is also why I think it is so important to finish the race in Melbourne – there are usually points to be won if you see the chequered flag.”

New team mate Paul di Resta is looking forward to making his F1 debut after the Bahrain round was postponed.

He said: “I am very excited obviously, but it is a strange feeling as the first race was cancelled and everything was prepared for that.

“But the last few weeks have been pretty seamless and I am fully prepared for the race in Australia. I enjoyed the track last year and Melbourne is a great city.”

He is refraining from making any early predictions: “I am open minded and will be concentrating on performance, getting the best out of the car on the Friday and Saturday to see what areas we need to improve as a team for the race.

“As for my personal expectations I am going to be realistic and gauge how it goes over the weekend and focus on the job in hand.

“The winter was a continuation of last year; I have been fully focussed on fitness and working with the team. I started working on this year’s car on the simulator last year and this prepared me in the best way possible for the coming races.

“I have also been getting some personal things in my life in order too. With so much time taken up by travelling this year and all my concentration being focussed on the races, it was important to spend as much time with family and friends as possible over the winter.”

2011 Australian Grand Prix


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    Keith Collantine
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    24 comments on “Sutil says Force India need more speed”

    1. I think in a few cases you could’ve swapped around “Sutil” and “Force India” in that title.

      1. I dunno, I rate him fairly highly… To be honest I don’t think he has to car to look good.

        I mean, look how he demolished Liuzzi… Even Liuzzi isn’t that bad…

        1. I’m with Mike. I think he’s like Rosberg. Okay, maybe not quite that good, but he is much better than his car makes him look.

        2. I think Sutil certainly belongs in F1. Maybe no champ material, but given the right car he could win races.

          Force India certainly lost its speed relatively to the pack from the middle of last season with the departure of Key and other technical staff.

        3. But Fisichella was beating him all the time when they were together

        4. Yeah but look how he couldn’t beat Fisichella who was passed his best and Liuzzi has never quite delivered in F1 anyway. Sutil can be quick but then often throws it away. I think Ted Kravitz or another commentator said that FI weren’t that happy at his skills with developing a car either. Personally, I think Sutil’s had more than enough chances to show his talent in F1 and get a better drive and there’s a reason he’s been stuck at FI all these years now. I think he deserves a spot in F1 but when Hulkenberg’s a 3rd driver at the same team I know exactly who I think would be better racing.

          1. I hate it when people make me agree to disagree with myself.

            But I agree :D

          2. Another than Hulk, name a driver looking for a ride that would be faster than Sutil let alone a driver interested in FI.

            He showed pretty good raw talent consistently, but I think being on a slow team has done what it does to a lot of drivers: it demoralizes and makes you lose focus and your edge. People forget how good a great car can make a mediocre driver look and vice versa.

      2. True. Suitl is no slouch but a team like Force India needs a young Alonso or young(er) Vettel to take that car places.

    2. It was a crazy race in Australia last year when the rain came in; I think only ten cars made it to finish.

      14… But Kovalainen down 2 laps and Chandhok down 5 laps hardly count.

      1. I hope it rains again! Even if it means getting wet. There’s no shelter in any of the stands at Albert Park…

        1. Great spirit of you Damon to face the rain in for all of the fans looking to seeing a race just as exiting as last year!

          I would love that as well.

          1. I’m more excited about seeing a great F1 race than staying dry whilst watching a boring race. ;)

            1. I thought Melbourne was one of the few tracks that can have agood race even when it’s dry.

              For instance 2009 was pretty good too.

    3. i think the car was born slow (online launch included). it’s bulky at wrong places, the times set by the drivers during the test were not so good… the team drivers and some key people have said the car will be slow for the first few races.

      it’s very likely that Team Lotus may be ahead of them at the moment, they will prolly be one of the established team failing to make through Q1.

      1. or exactly the same, given the ‘synergy’ between the two chassis

      2. Are you working with some f1 team or previously worked? coz your comments looks like.

        I dont agree with you. FI do have a better package then sauber & toro rosso. Wiliams look a bit stronger. Team Lotus still they have a long way to go to beat any of the midfield teams. Testing times mean nothing.

    4. More then the fight in the front the mid field battle this year will be great to watch.

    5. This car might even be slower than the Team Lotus, real lemon from the test times. Looks like the worst car too, after the Virgin.

    6. I don’t know why but I have a feeling Di Resta will give Sutil something to think about this year.

    7. Sutil is a case of unrestrained talent. We all know he has the abili
      ty ( monza 09), but after a good 5 years in the game,
      one would think he would have matured and become a more disciplined custome
      r-as Rosberg has proved….

    8. Sutil is the biggest relative time improver going from dry to the wet. He’s an off’er but it will be interesting to see whether he’s the one who chances his arm a bit more on skaty tyres, what does he have to lose? Mallya will roll him anyway at the end of the year if the team don’t do anything.

    9. One thing i like about Sutil is he improvises every time he is in track and as far as ForceIndia is concerned it i has proven itself as a strong midfield team in recent time. Hope to see something new with KERS introduced in Force India.

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