Di Resta seals Force India seat
Scottish driver Paul di Resta will race for Force India next season alongisde Adrian Sutil.
The 2010 DTM Champion has long been rumoured as a contender for the position, but the decision was only confirmed on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Glasgow, di Resta expressed his delight at his promotion.
'Naturally I am thrilled to be making my race debut this season. Becoming an F1 driver has been a long-held ambition of mine, something I've wanted to do since I first stepped into a kart, and to finally realise it feels amazing," he said.
"I've worked really hard for this opportunity throughout my career and to get it with Force India, a young team that's got ambitions as big as mine, is genuinely exciting. I can't wait to be on the grid in Bahrain, it can't come soon enough."
"Last year I became third driver here and good things happened, so here's hoping we get more good things."
As expected Adrian Sutil remains with the Silverstone-based team.
"I made my F1 debut with the team back in 2007 and we've worked together since then, so to stay for another year here feels very right," explained the German.
"I've always said that I feel good in this team, it feels like family and when you feel good, you are confident and can push to your maximum. We've made some good progress together over the past four years and I'm excited to be part of the the team when it takes the next step, which is hopefully to become a front running team. We have the same ambitions so it makes a lot of sense to achieve them together," he added.
The move sees Tonio Liuzzi leave the team after one season in a race-seat.
Former Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg will serve as the team's third driver, and despite moving down the F1 pecking order, the German refused to be too downcast about his situation.
"I'm happy to be in an F1 team and Force India have shown some good progress for a young team," the youngster explained.
Force India owner Vijay Mallya was understandably delighted with the line-up at his team's disposal.
"I am genuinely excited by the drivers we will be fielding in 2011," he explained.
"I believe that the combination of talent we've assembled gives us one of the strongest line-ups on the grid: Adrian has matured into one of F1's most consistent and highly-rated young drivers, while Paul is, I believe, a real star of the future. He has won in every category in his career and this base speed was in evidence when he got in the car on Fridays last year.
With Nico, signing him was too good an opportunity to let by. He showed a good racing head and talent and I was amazed by his control in Brazil last year. Together I think they are a formidable partnership and will help take us to the next level of performance," he added.
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
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