'Second chance' for Sutil at Force India as he joins di Resta in 2013 line-up
February 28, 2013 -- Updated 1824 GMT (0224 HKT)
Adrian Sutil has been given a second chance at Force India for the 2013 season.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Adrian Sutil confirmed as Force India's second driver
- The German will join Paul di Resta for the 2013 season
- Sutil is rejoining the team after a one-year's absence
- He was convicted of assault in 2011
(CNN) -- Adrian Sutil was confirmed Thursday as Force India's second driver for the 2013 Formula One season, pledging to make the most of his "second chance" after being sacked by the British-based team following a conviction for assault.
The German will join Scot Paul di Resta at Force India, who finished seventh in the constructors' championship last season.
The 30-year-old Sutil is returning to the team he drove in from 2007 - 2011, originally Spyker, until Force India took over.
Sutil sat out last season after being replaced by compatriot Nico Hulkenberg, who has subsequently moved to Sauber.
He had been involved in an altercation in a Shanghai bar after the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix with Lotus co-owner Eric Lux.
I want to thank Force India for giving me a second chance, having been away from the sport, I'm even more determined to achieve my goals in Formula One
Adrian Sutil
He was later given an 18-month suspended sentence by a Munich court after Lux filed assault charges.
Read: Sutil confident he will return to F1 after assault conviction
"I want to thank Sahara Force India for giving me a second chance," he told the official F1 website.
"Having been away from the sport, I'm even more determined to achieve my goals in Formula One.
The decision to rehire Sutil in favor of the team's 2012 reserve driver Jules Bianchi of France was not an easy one said team principal Vijay Mallya.
"It was a close call, but ultimately we felt that Adrian's experience and historic links to the team gave him the edge, and will provide us with the best possible chance of realizing our ambitions for the coming season.
"If he can rediscover the exceptional form he showed in the second half of 2011, I'm confident that we can pick up where we left off at the end of 2012."
Sutil, who has made 90 Grand Prix starts, has a best finish of fourth at the 2009 Italian GP.
All the F1 teams are in Barcelona this week for the final round of testing ahead of the start of the season in Australia in a fortnight's time.
Thursday's rain-hit session at the Catalunya circuit saw Australia's Mark Webber record the fastest time after conditions dried out in the afternoon.
The Red Bull star was timed at one minute 22.693 seconds, nearly two seconds quicker than Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes.
Hamilton was fastest in the morning in the wet and completed 113 laps as he fine tunes his new car ahead of the opening race.
Part of complete coverage on
Track the new Formula One season as it progresses, circuit by circuit, race by race.
Kimi Raikkonen has long been box office gold, even before he re-signed with Ferrari for 2014, says CNN's Sarah Holt.
September 6, 2013 -- Updated 1627 GMT (0027 HKT)
Monza may be a long way from his birthplace in West Lothian, Scotland but Italy is unquestionably a home from home for Paul di Resta.
September 3, 2013 -- Updated 0957 GMT (1757 HKT)
Ferrari star Fernando Alonso has decided to buy the cash-strapped Spanish Euskaltel Euskadi cycling team.
September 2, 2013 -- Updated 1514 GMT (2314 HKT)
McLaren follow founder Bruce McLaren's mantra by measuring life in "achievement not in years alone."
September 2, 2013 -- Updated 2145 GMT (0545 HKT)
Australian Daniel Ricciardo will join Sebastian Vettel at all-conquering Red Bull for the 2014 season, the F1 team confirms.
August 25, 2013 -- Updated 1624 GMT (0024 HKT)
Activists protesting against Arctic oil drilling infiltrate an F1 race in Belgium, but the off-track incident does not stop Sebastian Vettel's title march.
August 23, 2013 -- Updated 2018 GMT (0418 HKT)
Bernie Ecclestone reveals the inaugural Grand Prix of America will not take place as planned next year due to a lack of funding.
August 9, 2013 -- Updated 1125 GMT (1925 HKT)
Christina MacFarlane explores the role aerodynamics play in boosting a Formula One car's performance.
June 27, 2013 -- Updated 1557 GMT (2357 HKT)
Mark Webber has announced his intention to leave Formula One at the end of the season after signing a deal to race at Le Mans with Porsche.
March 14, 2013 -- Updated 1324 GMT (2124 HKT)
Can the new F1 season live up to last year's standards? Find out the need-to-know stories for 2013.
March 14, 2013 -- Updated 1148 GMT (1948 HKT)
CNN looks ahead to the Australian Grand Prix, the first F1 race of the 2013 season.
February 28, 2013 -- Updated 1824 GMT (0224 HKT)
Adrian Sutil will be Force India's second driver for the 2013 Formula One season, pledging to make the most of his "second chance".
March 2, 2013 -- Updated 0152 GMT (0952 HKT)
Christmas Abbott, 5'3 and 115 pounds, is the first woman to join a NASCAR pit crew team.
February 12, 2013 -- Updated 0035 GMT (0835 HKT)
The first race in Melbourne is just around the corner and Formula 1 teams are gearing up for a season which promises to be as technical as it is tactical.
March 1, 2013 -- Updated 1219 GMT (2019 HKT)
When the new Formula 1 season gets underway in March, for the first time there will be a woman running a team's entire operations from track to boardroom.
January 21, 2013 -- Updated 1222 GMT (2022 HKT)
The Dakar Rally is one of the world's most dangerous motorsport races, and this year's edition has already been marred by tragic deaths.
January 31, 2013 -- Updated 1920 GMT (0320 HKT)
The famous circuit of Nurburgring is confirmed Thursday as the venue for the 2013 German Grand Prix after reaching a deal with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone.
Today's five most popular stories
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|