Saturday 28th November 2009
Force India retain driving duo
Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi have been retained by Force India for the 2010 Formula One season.
The team have opted for continuity as Sutil has driven for Force India since they entered the sport at the start of last year.
The 26-year-old German faces his fourth season in F1 after starting out in 2007 with Force India's predecessors Spyker.
Italian Liuzzi, who stepped up from his role as third driver for the final five races of 2009 after Giancarlo Fisichella moved to Ferrari, has also been given another chance to prove himself.
Team principal Vijay Mallya said: "We have always maintained that consistency is key at this stage in the team's development.
"For the first time in many years we will have the continuity of not only the same drivers, but also the same engine and senior management.
"With this stability now in place I truly believe we have an excellent platform to build on and move forward on our strong 2009 performance.
"I am sure we have one of the most dynamic line-ups on the grid and I hope this will stand us in good stead in what we all hope will be a transitional year for the team."
Sutil, who finished a career-high fourth in the Italian Grand Prix in September after starting from the front row for the first time, believes further success is possible next year.
He said: "2010 will be my fourth consecutive year with the team.
"I feel good here, it feels like family, and when you feel at ease you can focus your energy 100% on getting it right on track.
"Next season I want to be in the points on a regular basis, maybe even challenging for the podium, and the team has exactly the same goals.
"We're going massively in the right direction, so with our combined energies I'm confident we can achieve even more than last season."
As for Liuzzi, the 28-year-old is ready to show what he can do in F1 after what was a two-year absence prior to finally being given his chance from September onwards.
"It was always my goal to be back racing in 2010 and I've finally achieved it," said Liuzzi.
"I feel the five races I did in 2009 were a bit of a warm-up, to get back racing, learn the car, get the feeling back.
"Now I've done that I feel ready to really push next season.
"We were pretty strong in the last part of the 2009 season so if we pick up where we stopped I think we could be in for a good year."
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