Klien: Force India should appoint Bianchi as a starter in 2013

The Sahara Force India team is one of three teams, along with Caterham and Marussia, that has not yet officially announced the names of its two main drivers for the 2013 season. While Paul di Resta was confirmed fairly quickly in 2012, the name of his teammate is slow to be revealed.

If this seat seemed to be contested recently between Bruno Senna, Sébastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari, Jules Bianchi, and Adrian Sutil, it is now reduced to a duel between Bianchi and Sutil. Christian Klien, a former F1 driver, states in a column published yesterday on the Pitpass website that the Indian team should give the Frenchman a chance: Paul di Resta is now quite experienced and can be the team leader, so they can take a risk by bringing in a new driver. Adrian Sutil seems to be the favorite, but it appears to be a step backward. I would like Jules Bianchi to be given a chance. Ferrari is trying to help him find a seat in Formula 1, and I think it would be a shame if it doesn’t happen because he is a young man with a lot of potential.

The Austrian driver also commented on the situation of Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock. He believes that these two men are the best drivers still available on the transfer market and that Caterham and Marussia should hurry to sign one of them, despite the financial difficulties faced by the teams – although for Timo Glock, this won’t happen since he has signed with BMW in DTM.

It’s a bit of a mess at Caterham, but I think it’s because everyone is struggling financially. Marussia showed it recently with Timo Glock, who is very talented, and who lost his seat due to money. I think Heikki Kovalainen is the best driver available on the market, followed by Glock, but neither of them has financial backing like others. […] A team decision on these drivers should be based on results, and Kovalainen and Glock have a good track record. If I were in charge (of a team), I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to keep them for an additional season, explained Klien.

On the Marussia side, no information has leaked about the name of Max Chilton’s future teammate, but at Caterham, negotiations still seem to focus on a trio of drivers: Bruno Senna, Giedo Van der Garde, and Vitaly Petrov – all three benefiting from significant financial backing.