Sutil Admitted Force India Extension Was a Close Call

German driver Adrian Sutil admitted that signing an extension to his Force India deal was a “sensible choice” for him at the end of the 2009 season, and that he ultimately decided to stay at Silverstone for an additional season thanks to his team's obvious improvements last year.

During the 2009 season of Formula One, Force India scored their first pole position and podium in the series (both through Giancarlo Fisichella), while also being a regular points contender in the second part of the season. With the VJM03 being a logical progression of last year's car, the team believes the 2010 performances could only improve.

“It was the most sensible (choice). There were teams we had contact with, but ultimately no one knew what their futures would be. With the other teams, the so-called top teams, it was clear that there would not be quick decisions. It would have been a risk to wait,” Sutil told Germany's sport1.de during the Barcelona test this week.

“You can see it with other drivers. Many of them had an anxious time, and Nick Heidfeld didn't get a (race) contract at all – also because he waited too long. (...) I saw the improvement (at Force India) last year so I decided to sign the contract and have a safe place,” added the German racer.

Sutil will drive alongside Vitantonio Liuzzi for Force India through the 2010 season of Formula One, this being his 4th straight season initially setting foot at the Silverstone base. The German driver made his debut in F1 with the team back in its Spyker days (2007), one year before Vijay Mallya's purchasing the majority stake in the team.