Force India will retain Paul Di Resta for 2012, whilst Nico Hulkenberg will replace Adrian Sutil as the teams second driver, the outfit confirmed on Friday.
Di Resta enters his second season with the Silverstone based outfit after impressing during his rookie year, in which he managed to score 27 points, just 15 less than his far more experienced former teammate, Sutil.
“I’m really looking forward to my second season of Formula One and continuing to grow and develop with Sahara Force India,” said Di Resta. “I’ve said all along that I love being part of this team: they are ambitious, hungry for success and we work well together.
“I’m really excited about 2012 and there is a real sense of belief that we can continue to push the top teams and take another step forward. I’d also like to thank the team for all their hard work this year and for all the support they’ve given me. I’ll take some time out over the next few weeks to recharge my batteries and hopefully come back even stronger in 2012.”
Meanwhile Hulkenberg, who debuted with Williams in 2010 before losing his seat to Pastor Maldonado, will return to competitive racing in 2012 on the back of his Friday practice drives for the team.
“I’m obviously delighted to be staying with Sahara Force India and to be given the chance to race next year,” added Hulkenberg. “It wasn’t easy to watch from the sidelines this season, but I did my best to help the team and show what I was capable of.
“I’m extremely motivated for 2012 and would like to thank everyone for believing in me and giving me this chance. I’m keen to get down to work over the winter to develop our new car and help the team build on this year’s achievements. The first test in Jerez can’t come soon enough.”
Team principal Dr. Vijay Mallya, added: “I am delighted to present our line-up for the 2012 season. In Paul and Nico we have two extremely talented drivers with tremendous potential.
“I think Paul caught the eye of everybody in the pit lane during his rookie season. His speed, maturity and racecraft confirmed that we were right to believe in him and we look forward to working with him again next year.
“As for Nico, we identified him as a rising star at the end of 2010 and chose to evaluate him during the course of this season. Despite having only limited time in the car, he convinced us that he deserved a race seat for 2012.”
The Indian businessman then thanked Sutil for his four years with the team.
“Our new line-up means we say ‘goodbye’ to Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team since we entered the sport. He has been an integral part of our success over the past four seasons and we wish him well for the future.”
