OFICIAL: DI RESTA Y HULKENBERG TITULARES EN FORCE INDIA

Ya es oficial, Nico Hulkenberg y Di Resta será la pareja titular de Force India para la temporada 2012.De esta manera, el secreto peor guardado de la parrilla para el año que viene queda por fin confirmado.La idea de sustituir a Sutil por Hulkenberg viene desde el inicio de la temporada 2011, pero los resultados de Sutil este año, volviendo casi a doblar a su compañero de equipo en puntos, no facilitó que la decisión fuera automatica.Resultado: se ha ido demorandi indefinidamente hasta el día de hoy.Hoy ya por fin podemos decir que el piloto alemán, antaño llevado por el manager de Michael Schumacher, ha vuelto a la parrilla de salida.Si merecidamente o no es cuestión de la que cada uno puede opinar, pero eso no cambia el hecho de que el 2º asiento de Force India ya es para él.Sutil, que había hecho otra gran temporada, se vio opacado por el gran campeonato de Paul di Resta, que en su primer año en la F1 como titular ha hecho un gran campeonato, dirigiéndos  los focos de la atención hacia su persona.

Sí, el primo de Dario Franchitti ha sabido dar los pasos aecuados, evolucionando de probador del equipo McLaren a piloto titular en Force India.La trayectoria de Hulkenberg ha sido más directa, pero también no exenta de dificultades.Ahora que ambos son compañeros, saben que la lucha será feroz y que lo mismo que Sutil sale este año tras ser el primer piloto de los equipos "no grandes", ahora saben que el máximo puede ser incluso insuficiente para conservar el puesto, como bien le ha pasado a Alguersuari este año.

Lo curioso del anuncio en todo caso es que se menciona a los dos pilotos titulares y no al 3er piloto, que era algo que se esperaba teniendo en cuenta que se daba por hecho el fichaje de Jules Bianchi por el equipo de Vijai Mallya.El que tenga o no que ver con la salida de Alguersuari no lo sabemos a ciencia cierta, pues apenas tiene 24h. de diferencia un anuncio y otro, pero mientras ese asiento no se confirme, sigue siendo una opción muy atractiva para Jaime, pues pasaría a tener la posibilidad de correr los viernes y denderse de cara a 2012.

Os dejo la noticia publicada en Autosport y a lo largo del día veremos si hay alguna noticia más que valorar, pues Sutil ya tiene via libre para fichar por quien le apetezca.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96780

Force India has confirmed Nico Hulkenberg will join Paul di Resta in its racing driver line-up for the 2012 season.Hulkenberg was the team's reserve driver during the 2011 season and will return to racing next year, having made his grand prix debut with the Williams team in 2010.

He replaces Adrian Sutil, the German having been expected to leave Force India for some months.

"I'm obviously delighted to be staying with Sahara Force India and to be given the chance to race next year," said Hulkenberg. "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'm 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."

Di Resta, who enjoyed an impressive rookie season with the Silverstone-based squad this year, will compete with Force India for a second consecutive campaign."I'm really looking forward to my second season of Formula 1 and continuing to grow and develop with Sahara Force India," he 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. I'd also like to thank the team for all their hard work this year and for all the support they've given me. I'll take some time out over the next few weeks to recharge my batteries and hopefully come back even stronger in 2012."

Team boss Vijay Mallya said both drivers had more than earned their opportunities with their performances in their 2011 roles.

"I think Paul caught the eye of everybody in the pitlane during his rookie season," said Mallya. "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."

Mallya also thanked the departing Sutil for his contribution. Sutil had been at the team since 2007, when it was still known as Spyker.

"Our new line-up means we say 'goodbye' to Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team since we entered the sport," said Mallya. "He has been an integral part of our success over the past four seasons and we wish him well for the future."