Why was Adrian Sutil’s contract not renewed?
In 2011, Adrian Sutil had his best Formula One season to date: a 9th place finish with 42 points, while helping Force India secure 6th place. However, the man who was touted in 2007 as the next German prodigy when he was driving for Spyker will not appear on the grid this year.
Some commentators have speculated that Adrian Sutil’s ousting by Force India was linked to his recent 18-month suspended prison sentence, which the German received following his altercation with Éric Lux in a Shanghai nightclub (this was last April).
Nevertheless, Bob Fernley, current number 2 at Force India, wanted to explain that the driver’s departure had no connection with this episode: « It was a very difficult decision to make. Adrian is an exceptional and talented driver. He also has an extremely pleasant personality, which matched well with the team members.
However, we turned towards the future with the choice of Paul and Nico. Adrian had already completed several seasons with the team and it is essential for him to gain other experiences. Additionally, to ensure his future in Formula 1, Force India wants to work on the future. We thought long and hard with Vijay, and the lineup that was necessary included Paul and Nico.
Adrian Sutil has indeed been replaced by his compatriot Nico Hülkenberg, who remained in the shadow of the team throughout the 2011 season as a test driver, while his 2010 results promised him a bright future in the discipline. Fernley also wanted to explain this choice: « For the choice of our drivers, we examined all possible skills: raw speed, knowledge, and analysis. Nico had the edge on this last point. »
The Indian team does not abandon its protégé and will continue to support him since he will probably not have a drive this year: « With the other staff members, it never occurred to us to harm him. I am disappointed for Adrian and I don’t think he deserves it. There is nothing bad in him and this behavior does not resemble him. This will undoubtedly have an impact on his career, as sponsors and teams do not see things the same way. They will indeed have to worry about the legal consequences of Adrian’s sentence and that could discourage them », concluded Bob Fernley.
