Force India in no rush to decide 2013 driver line-up
13 November, 2012
Nov.13 (GMM) Force India will wait until the end of the season before announcing its full driver lineup for 2013, although it is an open secret that Paul di Resta is staying put. His 2012 teammate Nico Hulkenberg has inked a deal to switch to Sauber next season.
The list of candidates to replace German Hulkenberg is long, ranging from former Toro Rosso drivers Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastien Buemi to ex-team driver Adrian Sutil and reservist Jules Bianchi.
“We have traditionally waited until the end of the season to confirm our lineup and I expect we will stick to this schedule,” team owner and boss Vijay Mallya said.
“With the state of the driver market at the moment there is no rush to make an announcement.”
One more candidate for the 2013 seat is 23-year-old Brazilian Luiz Razia, who recently tested for Toro Rosso in the young drivers’ test in Abu Dhabi.
“The day after my test was announced, Toro Rosso confirmed its [current] race drivers!” Razia laughed to Jovem Pan radio.
“But there is still a vacancy at Force India and the smaller teams like Caterham. I think Sauber is already locked with Hulkenberg and probably Gutierrez,” he added.
As for Force India, Razia – who will be in Brazil next weekend for talks – said that he has done his “part and now it is up to them to decide”.
“Sutil is pushing for the vacancy, he has scored a lot of points with them and has sponsors who pay his salary, so he’s [a] strong [candidate],” he noted.
Editor: Last week we reported that a decision on the driver line-up by the Silverstone team was imminent, this proved to be off the mark.
Subbed by AJN.
Related posts:
- Several contenders lobby for Force India seat
- Szafnauer says Force India needs fast driver not pay driver
- Sauber 2013 driver line-up appears confirmed
- Alguersuari first in line if Force India drive becomes available in 2013
- Force India no rush to confirm 2012 drivers
