FORCE INDIA CONFIRMS DRIVER LINE UP FOR 2008 SEASON
Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil to lead Force India
in its debut season, Vitantonio Liuzzi confirmed for test
and reserve driver role
The Force India Formula One Team is delighted to announce
that Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil will lead the team
for its debut 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship campaign.
To further strengthen resources, Vitantonio Liuzzi will fulfil
a test and reserve driver role for Force India.
Thirty-four-year-old Giancarlo, from Rome, Italy, impressed
the team with his strong contribution during Force India's
four-day test in Jerez, Spain, at the end of 2007, while Tonio
Liuzzi's solid feedback and insight stood out over the two
days of testing he completed in November and December. Adrian
is retained for a second season with the team on the back
of his solid 2007 form.
New recruit Giancarlo will bring 12 years of F1 experience
to the team following stints at Minardi, Force India's predecessors
Jordan, Benetton, Sauber and most recently Renault. With three
wins, three pole positions and 267 points to his credit, he
is one of the most successful drivers on the current F1 grid.
Adrian will contest his second year of the FIA Formula One
World Championship. In the latter half of 2007 he was regularly
pushing more established drivers, which culminated in his,
and the team's, first championship point in the Japanese Grand
Prix. Adrian joined the team as the 2006 Japanese F3 champion,
and runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in the 2005 F3 EuroSeries.
Tonio joins the Force India Formula One Team with three years
F1 experience following campaigns with Red Bull and Toro Rosso.
The 27-year-old Italian also has a strong background in the
junior formulae, with a dominant victory in 2004 FIA Formula
3000 championship and the CIK Karting title to his name.
Giancarlo said, "I am looking forward
to joining Force India for the coming season. At the test
in Jerez, I was very impressed with the team's professionalism
and commitment to move forward and I hope that my experience
will help them achieve these goals. Contrary to what people
may think, this was not my only opportunity, it was the best
one: with new owners and a competitive budget, I really think
we can shake things up next year. I feel motivated and ready
to help Force India get points on a regular basis."
Adrian commented, "I am very happy
to stay with Force India for another season. There was interest
from other teams, but the opportunity to stay with a growing
team that has strong ambitions is very positive for me at
this stage in my career. I am also very excited about the
opportunity to work with Giancarlo. He is very experienced
and has driven for a World Championship winning team, which
can only help both myself and Force India learn and move forward."
Tonio added, "I am very pleased to
be able to help Force India in their testing and development
programme this year. With increased resources there will be
much more input and emphasis into the team's testing, and
the test driver's role will be crucial to helping progress.
I know I can play a big part in the team as it grows, which
is a good opportunity for me going forward."
Dr. Vijay Mallya, chairman and managing director of
Force India F1 Team commented, "The Force India
Formula One Team is a serious project and we wanted to make
a statement to this effect with our driver line-up. Money
is not the issue now: we need drivers who will push the team
and give us direction. The race line-up of Giancarlo Fisichella
and Adrian Sutil is a very good one, balancing both speed
and experience, and Tonio will provide the team with solid
support in his testing programme. I think we have a very strong
driver line-up for 2008."
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