Sutil and Bianchi to test for Force India

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In the round-up: Force India will run 2013 seat contenders Adrian Sutil and Jules Bianchi at this week’s test.

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Sutil and Bianchi in Force India test (Reuters)

“It’s not a shoot-out. It’s just two drivers helping the team with this week’s test. I don’t think it should be perceived as such, that’s not the intention.”

Red Bull assures Webber over equality (Autosport)

“Asked by Gazzetta dello Sport whether that meant Red Bull would put its full weight behind three-time champion Vettel, [Dietrich] Mateschitz insisted Webber would have a fair chance.”

CVC revs up for Formula One float (The Telegraph)

“Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners is planning to float Formula One on the Singapore stock exchange in October and is targeting a valuation of more than $10bn (6.45bn).”

Stoffel Vandoorne joins McLaren Young Driver Programme (McLaren)

“Having won the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship in 2012, he will step up to compete in the Formula Renault 3.5 Championship this year, driving for the successful Fortec motorsports team.”

BIC all set for 2013 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix (Bahrain International Circuit)

“BIC hopes to come close to matching its biggest-ever turnout to the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend of 100,000 fans in 2010.”

Ferrari: the world’s most powerful brand (Ferrari)

“Ferrari took the number one spot of the top five most powerful brands in 2013 ahead of the likes of Google, Coca-Cola, PwC and Hermes on a list that includes the 500 most famous companies in the world.”

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Comment of the day

Has popular opinion in Melbourne turned against the Grand Prix?

People against the Australian Grand Prix will do anything. I love the Grand Prix but if the majority of people there didn’t want it, then I would think F1 should leave.

The problem comes when comes when people will say anything to get rid of it. It is ludicrous to suggest that it has a real effect on the water levels, and trying to pull on peoples heart strings by including people with disabilities into the argument is a bit of a desperate argument.
@Mike-The-Bike-Schumacher

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On this day in F1

Eighties F1 hopeful Stephen South turns 63 today. South won the British F3 championship in 1977 and got his F1 break as a substitute for Alain Prost at Long Beach in 1980. But he failed to qualify and later that year was badly injured in a Can-Am crash at Trois-Rivieres.

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69 comments on “Sutil and Bianchi to test for Force India”

  1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    19th February 2013, 0:12

    Sutil, who first raced for the team in 2007 when it was called Spyker, had a seat fitting at the Silverstone factory last week.
    This week’s test could be the 30-year-old’s last chance of a comeback.

    In my opinion, Sutil can be considered one of those drivers who shone for a while, but not as much as to be called by the big guys. Not even to be considered as Kovalainen was, once, called by McLaren. The incident at the disco just made things worse. Another driver without farewell? It was sad to see Barrichelo go without one, now Sutil ( who is NOT a Barrichello of course) can share the same fate if Force India chooses Bianchi after all.

    1. he out did di resta in 2011 and i dont think paul has got any better since then

  2. Force India have been making quite a fuss over them wanting Bianchi to start in 2014. I can’t see him being drastically better next year after a few Friday practice sessions this year. So does that mean the only reason they want him next year is for a Ferrari engine deal?

    I think that Sutil’s got the drive, and they’re keeping Bianchi in the frame to please Ferrari.

  3. Maybe if the say it one more time, I’ll start believing that Webber’s position is totally equal to that of Vettel.
    Or I probably won’t.

    1. Position maybe not, but equipment, for sure!

    2. @brace – it’s about as equal as Button’s was at McLaren, which nobody seemed to complain about! And @magon4, +1 to you sir!

  4. Of course Sutil and Bianchi testing isn’t a shoot-out.

    That would imply that Force India were evaluating the two of them on talent or expertise.

    The only reason they’re dragging it out is to see how much change falls out of the drivers pockets while they’re jerking them around.

    1. @hairs Nice analogy!

    2. Yes, I am pretty sure you are spot on there @hairs.

  5. “It’s not a shootout.” = It’s totally a shootout.

  6. My bets are on Bianchi to take the second Force India seat, the only thing Force India could achieve by putting Sutil in the seat is to look bad by making one or both drivers look rubbish/average. If Di Resta narrowly beats the Ferrari Protege then all parties will look well off, but if Bianchi thrashes DiResta then PDR will have signed his own death warrant.

    Sorry I couldn’t think of a more eloquent way of writing my statement above, I wil try again tomorrow when I’m 100% sobre and more focused… Just after my D40 at Daytona Milton Keynes if anyone wants to come along and race me I’m aiming to g one spot higher than last time, going for a podium and I weigh 13 stone…

    1. Im thinking that Paul will actually want Bianchi in the other seat. Bianchi doesn’t seem impressive enough to beat Paul in his first year, and I’m sure that Paul will outcore his teammate comfortably. But Sutil could give Paul a good beating.. and that wouldn’t look too good on Paul especially since his teammate was out of the sport for a year

  7. “It’s not a shoot-out. It’s just two drivers helping the team with this week’s test. I don’t think it should be perceived as such, that’s not the intention.”

    It’s also a way for the team to stall and buy more time to make a decision on their line-up.

    “Asked by Gazzetta dello Sport whether that meant Red Bull would put its full weight behind three-time champion Vettel, [Dietrich] Mateschitz insisted Webber would have a fair chance.”

    This is beginning to sound less like a promise and mroe like the official party line.

    1. @prisoner-monkeys
      “It’s not a shoot out..”

      It’s totally a shoot out.

      1. Is it Opposite Day again, and I wasn’t told about it?

  8. Good news everybody! Video of Sutil in preparations for F1 this year: http://youtu.be/uj2dmQruJXs

    1. How’s that good news? The only drivers I’ve been remotely interested in staying in F1 are Kobayashi and Schumacher because they can regularly demonstrate awesome wheel to wheel overtakes and defence’s on a regular basis, something I’ve not yet seen from Sutil, DiResta or Bianchi.

      1. How’s that good news?

        If you watched the video, you’d understand that it’s a joke.

      2. Oops My bad! That video is funny!!

    2. Haha quality!

  9. People against the Australian Grand Prix will do anything. I love the Grand Prix but if the majority of people there didn’t want it, then I would think F1 should leave.

    I spoke to a couple of people who live within a kilometre of the circuit (and actually drive parts of it to get to work) over the weekend. They reckon that a lot of people in Melbourne like having the race there, and those that don’t are usually more than happy to lease their homes out to visitors because they can make a few hundred dollars out of it. The most vocal opponents of the race are the people who don’t like it and don’t want to go away for the weekend, and apparently only represent a small proportion of the city.

    1. Do you know what kind of buildings surround the Albert Park precinct? Is it mainly residential or is it more office/apartment type? I remember watching a news story a while ago about the ‘action group’ or whatever they called themselves but wasn’t sure if that was made up of mainly residents or just those who oppose the cost.

      1. Albert Park is nestled between St.Kilda – known for it’s bar restaurants, backpackers, apartments and easy living style, Prahran and South Yarra – which are known as the $$$$$ area of Melbourne with large houses, lots of dollars and restaurants and strip shops, South Melbourne – the business end of Melbourne with many offices and apartments and Middle Park – which is a residential area between the beach and the track. So there is a bit of everything surrounding the track. The shear noise of a formula one car can be heard for many kilometers throughout the city and surrounding suburbs, so the whole of Melbourne knows there is an event on. Don’t get me wrong it’s a disturbance to have a race in the streets of a city, but realistically these cars run for 3 days and a it’s a world class event that people should embrace. I don’t need to argue about the economic benefits its brings to the surrounding businesses, but I will state the area around Albert Park which is highly used by athletes, dog walkers, bike riders and general public is disrupted for a long period of time. Something I think the AGPC could handle better and more cost effectively. The action group you refer to are made up of greenies, residents, people in general that don’t like F1 and anti government types who chose to blame the F1 for the state of the medical system or their child’s school closing down. If you were to follow any street circuit I’m sure you see similar complaints (except maybe Monaco), it’s just our media do a great job of making us look like fools.

        1. Its also important to note that the most popular walking track in Melbourne nicknamed “The Tan” is only 5km’s away from Albert Park, and it is more popular than Albert Park, but I guess if you’re a resident of Middle Park/St Kilda its just easier to walk Albert Park Lake…

          I use to work on Fitzroy St, near turn 12-14 side of the track, and I can tell you that Fitzroy St was buzzing each time the grand prix came, whether it was the back packers staying in the nearby “Elephant and Wheelbarrow” or high society types hanging out in the many fine dining establishments in St Kilda…

          The media make so much out of this that it is a non-issue. The protesters get their own camp site, outside of gate 1 each year and they attempt to protest the thousands of patrons walking into the circuit (Gate 1 is also the gate where paddock club patrons enter from as well). No one cares, some give comment of “look at those clowns”, but thats about it…

          In short, its a beat up :)

  10. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    19th February 2013, 0:49

    Re COTD:

    I love the Grand Prix but if the majority of people there didn’t want it, then I would think F1 should leave.

    This is just from my personal experience…
    I actually think that the majority of people in Melbourne in fact DO want it there.

    For one, it’s a great event. Everything is thought out well, and when the F1 cars aren’t racing, they have other things happening on track (I.e. Speed Comparison) which are mostly really interesting and fun to watch.

    But when I was there, everyone (People in Melbourne, not just at the track) we met seemed to think that the GP was a good thing. We Aussies love sport, especially good sport (even though i find AFL a complete bore), so when something as prestigious as a Formula 1 grand prix comes to town, it sells out very quickly. What I dont understand is how the Govt. says that the GP isn’t making enough money, when every year it’s completely sold out?

    It seems that the only people who are against the GP are the left wing media outlets (i am left wing, and i disagree with The Age’s stance on the GP), and old pensioners who like to walk around Albert Park in their free time. One weekend out of 52 isn’t going to kill them… geeze.

  11. It amazes me that Force India still haven’t filled their vacant seat. Surely this can only have a negative effect on the two drivers in their preparation for the coming season, if not the team itself.

  12. Unfortunately I think the boots are shaking at SFI and their instability is showing. Shootout or not, you have 2 drivers on the books or 3. The team and the drivers need cohesion to work, not just thrown together 20 days before the season opener. Sutil has the seat in my eyes which doesn’t impress me, Bianchi would have been the better future choice, but are they building for the future? or maybe taking experience in an effort to gain results in order to survive. Mateschitz states that Webber has a fair chance…..if he wins the 1st 3 races we won’t start substituting parts on his car is the way I read it! Like it or not Mark is the No.2 driver and in a year where development will be crucial for 2014, by the 2nd half of the season, there will be a puppet in every team I’m sure.
    “Ferrari took the number one spot of the top five most powerful brands in 2013 ahead of the likes of Google, Coca-Cola, PwC and Hermes on a list that includes the 500 most famous companies in the world.” Oh spare me! Ferrari based on their size and blah blah blah…find me somewhere other than the Ferrari website that this written and I might believe they are more powerful than Google, Coke and Apple when they can’t even beat RedBull :P

    1. Unfortunately I think the boots are shaking at SFI and their instability is showing.

      Bernie reckons that, following HRT’s withdrawal, no more teams are in danger of collapsing. So I’m guessing that Force India are trying to play Bianchi’s sponsors and Sutil’s sponsors off one another to get as much money out of one of them as possible, or they are waiting for something going on in the background – possibly related to Sahara’s and Kingfisher’s problems – to impact the team.

      1. So I’m guessing that Force India are trying to play Bianchi’s sponsors and Sutil’s sponsors off one another to get as much money out of one of them as possible

        I reckon that’s the most likely explanation. It’s a shame it’s coming down to rattling the piggy bank to see if they can shake more coins out.

        1. Perhaps, but it’s not as if Sutil or Bianchi are incompetent.

          1. At least they have that on their side, which ever one they go with, they are like to get an at least decent driver.

          2. True, which is why it seems likely.

        2. Maybe they could put Oprah in the car, it’ll do wonders for the F1 audience!

          1. The after race interviews might get better.

          2. @dvc

            LMAO! Good one man! That was a good joke ! Got a good laugh out of it!

  13. I don’t believe my emotions have anything to do with it, it’s the way the article(s) are written and titles given in relation to the findings/results.
    “Ferrari has achieved the highest brand rating according to the Global 500 survey, which takes a look at the financial and brand performance of major companies”. That is a much clearer discription and direct quote from an article with the headline “Ferrari is the world’s most powerful brand”. It’s media mumbo jumbo! Ferrari is a great company that produces quality cars and take nothing away from that F1 world champs many times. But to say they are the world’s most powerful brand is like saying…. David Hasselhoff is the worlds best swimmer.

    1. That was suppose to be a reply to @npf1 in my previous post

      1. You said you didn’t believe it because it was on the Ferrari website, now you’re dismissing it because of the headline on the Ferrari site and making a strawman argument/fallacy. It’s a survey result which would please any company, especially in beating giants like Google and Apple. It’s good press, but I don’t understand why you seem to get so upset over Ferrari’s phrasing on their own webpage, which I don’t think claims to be a objective news source.

        1. @npf1 In my reply, I write “it’s the way the article(s) are written and titles given in relation to the findings/results”. I’m not upset and/or emotional as I stated. I just dislike bad reporting! I also give praise for Ferrari, they have achieved great things, but the headline quote, taken from another article is misleading. They are not the most powerful company, I’m sure you must agree with me on that. Thanks for your links by the way

          1. Ferrari is a very well known and powerful brand. Mostly due to their road cars…

          2. Again, I don’t see how Ferrari’s promotional website in any shape or form promises to be objective as a news website or good as a reporting website. It’s their website, and the claim is taken from a survey not taken by Ferrari themselves. I still don’t see arguments against Brand Finance’s survey result, which also in no way claims to be the absolute end to the question ‘which is the most powerful brand’. I don’t know what the world’s most powerful brand is, but if Ferrari is that to Brand Finance for now, I don’t see why anyone would claim Brand Finance is wrong for simply stating so.

          3. @npf1 No need to beat yourself up over it Nick, if you need help understanding, just think of it this way. If Ferrari ceased to exist tomorrow, what effect would it have on the world? And relax two ppl are allowed to have different opinions, mine may not be correct, but that’s my perception. Powerful is a big claim.

          4. You know, before I replied to you the first time, I checked your older posts on here and saw similar anti-Ferrari sentiments. I guess it would brighten your day, as well as sadden their enourmous fanbase around the world. I’m trying to argue rationally, you’re talking with your gut. If reality indeed is different to you than to me, agreeing to disagree seems like the best use of our time.

          5. @npf1 I’m not anti-Ferrari, I may not follow them in F1 (well not since he Kimi days) but have respect for their brand. I’m sure what exactly you are referring to in my previous posts, but my arguement here is not with Ferrari, it’s the claim made by Brand Finance which is simply miss leading. Ferrari is an outstanding company with along history. Good on Ferrari for using it. Yes my initial comment claimed that Ferrari were making false accusations, but at that time it was my only source, as I considered it to be in accurate I never followed it up. You have since shown me the other sources and I have stated my stance on these. I never intended to offend you and your passion for Ferrari. I was only responding to all my thoughts of the days news rap.

  14. It is good to see that there are 2 FR3.5 drivers(Magnussen, Vandoorne) in McLaren’s Young Driver Programme and 1 (Sorensen) from Lotus’s Junior Team. I hope this will help bust the myth of GP2 being the only feeder series for F1 and only Red Bull Junior drivers(Vettel, Alguersuari, Ricciardo, Vergne, and possibly da Costa in the future) cominng in directly from FR3.5.

    1. I hope this will help bust the myth of GP2 being the only feeder series for F1

      There never was any myth. Drivers who win the Formula Renault 3.5 title – and its immediate predecessors, like the World Series by Renault – have been elegible for a superlicence from the day the series was established. It is only in the past few seasons that the series has become popular enough with young drivers to rival GP2.

  15. Why is Paul Di Resta given preference over any of the two ? I rate Bianchi and Sutil higher than Di Resta, who in my opinion is nothing more than .01 over average. Sure he bagged 4th in singapore and shined here and there, but I seriously do not think he is WCC material. Sutil isn’t exactly WCC stuff either but > than PDR in my humble opinion.

    1. Why is Paul Di Resta given preference over any of the two ?

      Probably because he has a connection to Mercedes, which gets the team cheaper engines.

      1. @prisoner-monkeys

        Is this true or is it speculation ? Also what does MB gain from this ?

        1. @ideepak – It’s true. Paul di Resta is a Mercedes driver; he raced for them in DTM. He was placed at Force India to evaluate his potential as a driver, with a view to promoting him to a works drive when one became available. In exchange, Force India got a discount on their engine supplies.

          Now that an opening was formed at Mercedes and the team took someone other than di Resta, I don’t know if that relationship is still in effect. Force India might simply be keeping him around because he knows the team, and continuity is important.

  16. Maybe they thought Vandoorne was related to Vodafone.

    1. Or maybe McLaren thought that, since Vandoorne is the reigning Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 champion – which meant he beat Nyck de Vries, who is also in the McLaren Young Driver Programme (as well as Daniil Kvyat, who is a Red Bull driver; and Oscar Tunjo, who is supported by Lotus) – he is actually a talented driver. Have you seen his results? In the fourteen races of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, Vandoorne finished on the podium in eleven of them (and came fourth in two others), with four wins and six pole positions to his name. He contested seven of the twenty races in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, and won five of them, took a podium in another and started from pole position four times.

      1. Yes, it seems some of the fans now start looking for money rather than fast drivers as well. As you write, a team picking up a talented driver in their “to watch” squad can only be right @prisoner-monkeys.

  17. I’m about to go and look them up, but I’ve never heard of Hermes before.

    1. @dvc – They’re a manufacturer and retailer of high-end fashion clothing. They’re particularly well-known for their scarves (Grace Kelly was a fan), perfumes and silk ties.

      1. I don’t think my life is any better for knowing that. Thanks anyway.

  18. Shaikh Salman expressed his delight with the massive crowd of up to 70,000 people attending last year’s highly successful Formula 1™ Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

    Typical of a dictatorship to tell lies that are so blatantly untrue. Or did they count all the people protesting on the way to the circuit?

    1. @adrianmorse
      In these statements they usually add up the 3-4 days of the event, so it is possible, if there were 15-20 thousand ppl/day. If I remember correctly last year the Hungaroring stated that there were 160-180 thousand, but they also said “over the weekend”.

    2. Yes, as @bag0 writes, most of the times tracks add up the numbers for thursday, friday, saturday and sunday to get a total number of visitors (counting you 4 times if you are there all days). Thats how Silverstone gets over 300.000 over the race weekend with a 160.000 sunday crowd.

      1. @bascb, @bag0 I thought I remembered Mark Webber remarking after the race that there were hardly any spectators there; 15000 people would still be a noticeable crowd. Did anyone here attend the Grand Prix?

        I think for the moment I will stick by my statement. Even with some very creative bookkeeping (like counting all the people that work at the circuit), I don’t think there were that many people there.

        1. Yes I have been attending the GP every year, they do add up the people over the whole weekend. In the Bahrain GP the F1 Village is the most crowded area, something you all watching on TV couches miss.

          1. @lak, welcome back, all four of you.

    3. Don’t forget the security personnel .

  19. I really can’t be bothered with Sutil. He’s so dull and uninspiring.

  20. I guess it is not a subject people want to acknowledge, like global warming perhaps but here we are on page 2 and no-one has mentioned the financial state of F1 as listed in the Telegraph article. A basic summary of the facts show that for his own personal gain Bernie has imposed a $10Billion debt on F1 and the owners of that debt (Bernie included) are going to take a 10% ( $1 Billion)annual return on that money, that is $1B that F1 earns that the teams will get no share of.
    What does that mean for us, it means pay drivers, restricted development of the cars and traditional circuits being priced out of business to make way for Tilkedromes in the desert and of course higher prices to watch F1 at the track and in the home.

    1. @hohum
      Let him be dude, he wants a nice casket and ceremony, so he has to start saving for it.

      But seriously: those are interesting numbers. In my opinion it wont change the situation mutch. F1 has been like that for a while now, earlier the teams payed from their own pocket, and looked for cheap but fast drivers, most notably Williams (Jones, Hill, Button, etc), but recently the teams decided to go with fast and stuffed drivers, so they wouldnt have to spend their own money on things like this. The beautiful thing in Formula 1 is that you can give any set of rules (sporting, technical, or financial, legit or not) to the teams and they will always find a solution as long as they want to be in F1.

      1. @bago, Yea, I guess HRT didn’t really want to be in F1.

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