Jules Bianchi says he is ready to make his Grand Prix debut with Force India
If he is still in limbo regarding Force India, Jules Bianchi believes he proved during the last day of private testing in Jerez that he is ready to take on the role of a full-time driver with the Indian team. However, the Frenchman might be overtaken by Narain Karthikeyan, as Tata, his sponsor, reportedly increased its budget, thus convincing Force India to open discussions.
Author of the second-fastest time during the fourth day of the Jerez Private Tests and the third-fastest time over the four days, Jules Bianchi must now wait to find out if he will be selected by Force India to support Paul di Resta.
If last season, Vijay Mallya had indicated that Jules Bianchi could hope for a starting position like all the third drivers of the Force India team before him, it remains nevertheless that Nico Hülkenberg’s departure to Sauber caught the Indian team off guard and led them to wonder if Jules Bianchi was ready: “The idea that the duo formed by Nico [Hülkenberg] and Paul [di Resta] wouldn’t continue wasn’t part of our plans,” recently commented Bob Fernley, the deputy director of the Indian team. “In an ideal world, we would have liked to let Jules drive as a third driver for two years. Is he ready to be a starter? Yes, absolutely! But now we must ensure that all the boxes are checked.”
For that, the Niçois was able to benefit from half a day of testing in Jerez (56 laps) while the Indian team had initially planned to only call upon Paul di Resta and James Rossiter while waiting to make an announcement by Barcelona regarding its second and third drivers. “I think they know me now,” says Jules Bianchi to *Autosport*. “In the Friday mornings, during free practice, I wasn’t the best at the start, that’s true. After Magny-Cours, it was much better. At Magny-Cours, I showed the team that I was fast and I did it here [in Jerez]. So that’s positive but it’s no longer in my hands. I just tried to do my best when I drove the car and that’s it.”
The Frenchman is therefore optimistic about his chances of becoming the fourth French representative on the starting grids and feels ready to take on the challenge, should Force India decide to give him the seat: « I feel ready. I have quite a bit of experience in Formula 1 now and I feel ready to participate in the races. So, even if the initial plan was to remain the third driver for two years, the situation has changed and I am ready. I hope that by Barcelona it will be decided who will be the second driver. »
However, if for several weeks Adrian Sutil seems to be the main competitor of the Frenchman for the Force India seat, according to a source cited by the Deccan Chronicle, Narain Karthikeyan has recently entered the fray thanks to an increased budget: As soon as Narain’s sponsor, Tata, increased its budget, discussions began with Force India. Unlike in the past, negotiations have been much more positive. But according to this source, only the main driver position interests the Indian driver: Reserve drivers do not have a significant role in Formula 1 these days, Narain is only interested in the second seat. If discussions fail, he will probably go to America, to IndyCar, where a few teams have already expressed their interest.
While Force India has assured that a decision will be made before the next private tests, which will begin on February 19 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, the coming days may potentially be long for Jules Bianchi and his loyal supporters.
