Force India admits ‘seat available’ for 2011

Vitantonio Liuzzi has played down rumours Force India is planning to replace him at the end of the season.

Speculation swirled in the Singapore paddock two weeks ago that the Silverstone based team’s rookie ‘Friday’ driver Paul di Resta has secured a deal to move into a race cockpit in 2011.

On paper, Italian Liuzzi, 29, looks the most likely to make way for the Scot, having scored 34 fewer points so far in 2010 than his teammate Adrian Sutil.

But he wrote in his column for ESPNF1.com that if di Resta has in fact signed a deal to race in 2011, “that would mean that Adrian is out because I have a contract”.

“In a few weeks more information will come out, but I’m not worried by the speculation in the press in the meantime,” Liuzzi insisted.

German Sutil, 27, is highly regarded by Force India but has been linked with moves to Renault or Mercedes for 2011.

“We haven’t made any decisions yet on where we go,” the team’s operating officer Otmar Szafnauer, revealing that a decision is due in about a month, told the website of British magazine Autosport.

“I think we have got the luxury of being able to assess the situation and make a decision.  But there is a seat available,” he admitted.

 © RIF | GMM