Force India: Hülkenberg, Sutil, Buemi or Bianchi for 2013?

As the 2013 lineup gradually takes shape, the departure of Nico Hülkenberg, currently with Sahara Force India, was a topic of discussion in the paddock this weekend in India: “I know there is a lot of talk about my future, but for now I don’t want to comment on the rumors,” the young German stated in response to the curiosity of journalists present in India.

In an interview with the Reuters agency, Vijay Mallya reiterates today his desire to keep his two drivers even though he admits to knowing nothing about Nico Hülkenberg’s intentions: « I have offered an extension to both drivers. I heard in the media that Nico had signed with Sauber. If that’s the case, good luck to him [but] Nico hasn’t announced anything official to me. He hasn’t sat down with me to discuss it. I expect him to do so if he is indeed leaving… I have an excellent relationship with him, he’s a great guy. He worked well with us. »

This does not prevent the Indian businessman from considering all possibilities, including a return of Adrian Sutil to replace the one who succeeded him at the wheel of Force India: « Why not? Don’t forget that I still have the option to consider Sutil again. He’s always fast, so there are several options. I would undoubtedly take him into consideration. Even though I didn’t renew his contract in 2012, he is still welcome. »

The German driver, involved in a murky case of assault on a Lotus team member during a party in Shanghai in 2011, still maintains good relations with his former team, where he has often been seen this season. Vijay Mallya also states that it will be the same in the event of Hülkenberg’s departure: « It’s the kind of culture I like to have in this team: very friendly, informal. So Nico will always be a part of us. I wouldn’t close the door on him. »

But Sutil would not be the only contender, with Helmut Marko mentioning Force India as a potential destination for Sébastien Buemi, in a statement to Blick: « If Buemi doesn’t go to Force India, then we want to keep him [as the third Red Bull driver]. He could also participate in the endurance championship with Toyota. »

But naturally, the first candidate would be none other than Jules Bianchi, the current third driver, a position that has always led to a main driving spot within the Silverstone team, during the Force India era: “I believe I’ve never had as many opportunities as next year, so we’ll see. We’re working on it. We have good opportunities, especially with Force India if one of the two drivers leaves, so we need to keep working and have a good session on Friday morning in Abu Dhabi,” the Frenchman shares on the show *Dimanche F1* on Eurosport, before adding that he expects a quick response.

The Nice native is, however, aware of potentially being in competition with drivers who have more than just their talent to offer Force India: « The problem today is that there are many drivers who come with a significant budget and […] if a driver comes with a lot of money, it will be difficult to compete. »

Indeed, Vijay Mallya is facing certain financial difficulties, which have proven fatal to his airline, Kingfisher Airlines. The Indian assured before the Grand Prix that this would not affect Force India in any way, of which 42.5% of the capital is held by the Sahara group, which invested one hundred million euros in October 2011 in the team based in Silverstone. In India, Vijay Mallya also met Bernie Ecclestone to assure him of his commitment to Formula 1: « Don’t listen to what the media says. We are here and we are staying. »

Vijay Mallya even intends to take advantage of the financial windfall brought by Sahara to enable his team to reach a new milestone: « We need to make a decision on how we are going to spend this money because if I want to compete with Lotus and Mercedes, and find my place in the top 5, we need better tools and better equipment. »

In the meantime, Vijay Mallya assures that he will make a decision regarding the drivers in November. Jules Bianchi should therefore not have to wait much longer before knowing if he is part of the Indian team’s plans for the future.