Sutil seeks Mallya meeting

[Dare]

That always gets me how Mallya make his drivers wait to the last minute
while he holds their future in his hands




Adrian Sutil is planning to hold discussions with Force India boss Vijay Mallya as soon as possible to seek answers over his future with the team.
 
Mallya has previously called for an end to speculation over his 2012 line-up, insisting he will only announce his driver pairing for next season in mid-December.
 
The latest rumour coming from the paddock suggests Nico Hulkenberg has already signed a one-year deal to replace Sutil at Force India next year.
 
Sutil, though, remains in the dark about his 2012 seat and is keen to hold a meeting with Mallya at the earliest opportunity.
 
"I can't wait till December," Sutil is quoted as saying by Reuters.

"I will speak to him (Mallya) very soon and see what his ideas are. I don't need to wait so long for a seat.
 
"I think I know what I can do, so I don't feel insecure."

[Scott]

That's true.  Sutil could move elsewhere, and even if he couldn't, waiting until December wouldn't give him much hope in getting a ride in a different series.  If Hulkenberg has already signed, why not just announce it and let Sutil get on with his life?   

[John S]

If you ask me this a deliberate ploy by Mallya to get Sutil to either; up his backing sponsorship so it's a no brainer, or have him walk away.    Much easier than having to fire him. 

Question is what other seats are there, - HRT? - Lotus??? - or maybe Williams?????? 

 

[lkjohnson1950]

If he keeps Sutil hanging around, he won't be driving for someone else with a chip on his shoulder to beat FIF1.

[Alianora La Canta]

Why, exactly, does Vijay need to hurry the decision? He's always waited until December (or January) to make his decisions concerning drivers because that gives him the best range of choices. Face it, if he waits long enough he might even be able to get Robert Kubica off Renault, and that's a prize worth waiting for (even if he is only a third driver in 2012 due to his curent injury). Obviously, the possibility to get or not get Robert would make a considerable difference to where Adrian, Paul and Nico end up in the final arrangement of the team.

I'd be surprised if Nico has a race contract already, even if one year makes sense for its length. It would be more likely for it to be a contract to provide a car - somewhere. More of a "we will look after you" contract than a "we will put you in our race car" or even necessarily "we will put you in a race car". How else do you explain Tonio Liuzzi not making a formal settlement with Force India or filing a lawsuit?

It means Vijay can prepare for any eventuality concerning drivers and encourage both loyalty and constant skill development. Paul di Resta's never suggested he would be anywhere other than Force India in 2012, apart from a brief period when it looked like Schumacher might retire early, and he's constantly improved his driving, so he will naturally be rewarded with a drive next season. Given that Adrian Sutil has been treading water for the last 12 months, I suspect he'll end up implicit team leader too. Nico's been improving too, so unless Adrian starts improving he should pretty much expect to need to make arrangements elsewhere. I don't think Vijay has much interest in standing still.

It's not a warm or cuddly way of doing things but so far it's proven very effective. It takes a particular mindset to thrive at Force India. This has so far been a reliable way of ensuring that drivers either have that mindset and constantly improve their abilities or are removed from the equation. Therefore, do not expect Vijay to abandon the technique any time soon.

For my predictions regarding Force India's status in 2012:

If Robert becomes available: di Resta-Hulkenburg-Kubica (whether Sutil has made other arrangements or not)
If Robert is not available and both current race drivers stay: di Resta-Sutil-Hulkenburg
If Robert is not available and Sutil bails: di Resta-Hulkenburg-some rookie (I won't even attempt to predict who)

[cosworth151]

It would be a shame for a driver of Sutil's caliber to be without a ride because of such shenanigans. Tactics like this surely won't endear Mallya to the drivers. FIF1 will become the "team of last resort,' i.e. any where but there if at all possible.

[Scott]

Looks like Sutil got his way...unfortunately for him I suspect he won't be with FI next year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95779