Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg confirmed to drive for Sahara Force India in 2012

Sahara Force India F1 team have confirmed that Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will be their drivers in 2012. Nico Hulkenberg’s promotion from his role in 2011 as a test driver leaves Sutil, who has spent six seasons with the team, without a seat in the upcoming season. The 28-year-old German still remains favourite to land a seat at Williams.

Sahara Force India team chief Vijay Mallya seems to be pretty confident on the two young drivers that he has recruited for 2012. He praised their ability and said,

“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.”

Adrian Sutil: Williams beckons?

He also showed gratitude towards outgoing German Adrian Sutil, who has been an integral part of his team since he started it back in 2007. On his departure, Mallya said,

“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”

Paul di Resta, who hails from the UK, had an impressive outing in his debut season, last year. He consistently matched the performance of his experienced teammate Adrian Sutil and even outclassed him on more than one occasion. This might have probably been the factor which led to the ouster of Sutil from the team.

On his new contract with Force India, Di Resta said, “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.”

On the other hand, Nico Hulkenberg, who had an impressive 2010 which included a pole at the Brazilian Grand Prix, joined Force India as a test driver for 2011 season. It seems that he was promised a seat for 2012 while joining the team. Now that he has got his opportunity, it is upto him to prove that he is worth it.

Excited on being promoted from being a test driver, Nico Hulkenberg said, “I’m obviously delighted to be staying with Sahara Force India and to be given the chance to race next year. 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 am 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”

Paul di Resta has reaped the benefits of a successful debut season in Formula 1. Now it is upto him to prove to the world that he is not a one hit wonder. On the other hand, Nico Hulkenberg gets a wonderful opportunity to showcase his talent and prove his worth. Will these two young drivers raise the status of Force India in 2012? Only time will tell..

di Resta comes out unscathed; Sutil Loses out!

Meanwhile speculations are rife that former Ferrari test driver Jules Bianchi would be the test driver for Sahara Force India in 2012. However, the team have neither confirmed nor denied this.