Driving for the new Force India Formula 1 team Adrian Sutil at last has a chance to demonstrate his ability. Last year’s Spyker was not a competitive car but with Force India comes better funding and the burning ambition of owner Vijay Mallya.
Sutil is a German citizen but has Uruguayan roots, his father emigrating from there. Sutil was born on January 11th, 1983, in Gräfelfing, Germany. As a child he studied piano and developed into a gifted player but, at age 14, his attention turned to motor racing.
After an apprenticeship in karting Sutil had his first taste of cars in the Swiss Formula Ford championship. In a perfect season he won the 2002 title by taking pole and winning at every round. 2003 was spent competing in the German Formula BMW ADAC championship where he scored two poles but no wins. He ended the year sixth overall in the final standings.
Sutil managed another two pole positions in 2004, this time in the Formula 3 Euroseries, but again a win eluded him. Staying in the category for another year proved to be a good choice as he ended the season runner-up with two wins and 11 podium appearances. Sutil did not compete in all of the 2005 Formula 3 Euroseries rounds due to driving in A1GP for Team Germany at three events. He also managed an impressive second place at the Marlboro Masters event, held on the Zandvoort circuit.
In January, 2006 Sutil signed a contract with the Midland Formula 1 team, becoming an official test driver. In conjunction with his testing duties he also drove in the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship, ending the year as champion.
Sutil became a Formula 1 race driver in 2007, by which time the Midland team had been purchased by the Spyker company. Despite the shortcomings of the car Sutil comprehensively outperformed his highly rated team-mate Christijan Albers, who was eventually replaced. His best drive of the year came in Japan where he finished ninth, one place outside of the points.
Sutil’s team changed ownership again before the start of the 2008 season, becoming Force India. There were rumours that he may have been signed by McLaren but in the end the team opted for Heikki Kovalainen. Early indications suggest that Force India will offer a considerably greater challenge to other teams than its predecessors managed. Despite three retirements so far this season Sutil has shown that the car is quick and will be aiming for a first points finish.
