Sutil: “Everyone deserves a second chance”

2013 F1 season

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Adrian Sutil said he was always positive he’d get another opportunity to race in Formula One and was grateful to get a second chance with Force India.

Sutil said it was a “very happy moment” when he received the news, adding he didn’t know why it had taken so long. “All the last days I have a very good feeling that it’s going to go through and today I got the message at 12 o’clock or 12:30,” he said.

“It just shows that you should never give up,” he added. “If you work hard in it, if you believe in it you get a second chance. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

Sutil said there would be “no problems” arising from his conviction for injuring Eric Lux in a nightclub in Shanghai two years ago.

“Everyone can do mistakes in life”, he said when asked about the incident. “If you never do mistakes you will never grow.”

“I don’t think there’s a single person here who’s never done a mistake. My one was maybe a different one and it was very public but other ones are probably even worse but no one is even talking about it.

“I think whenever someone is doing something wrong to me I always give them the opportunity to show that he’s still a good person. I’ll give him a second chance.

“I see very similar here. Of course it’s a tough business but we’re not perfect, no one is perfect, that’s why life is an adventure.”

Sutil added Force India had clearly moved on during his year our of the team: “I could see some good progress here already in the first test”.

“Some new people in the team, new structures. Everywhere a little bit. And it’s nice to see that: It’s still a small team but I’m sure we can have a very good season.

“My targets are very high – I’m not here to race for fifth, sixth position, I want to go podium. I rise my goal. I want to win for the future, I want to go and be one of the best drivers in the world in Formula One.”

2013 F1 season


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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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66 comments on “Sutil: “Everyone deserves a second chance””

  1. Bianchi: “Everyone deserves a first chance”

    1. good point.

    2. Sad but true.

    3. 100% right. Sutil had 5 seasons worth of chances.

    4. Let’s not forget Bianchi is free to go to any team he wants.

    5. Bianchi deserves his first chance too. But who says it should be only with Force India?

    6. In that case, I’d like to point out that I haven’t had mine yet! *eyes Marussia seat*

    7. Sutil and Bianchi in FI for 2014. That’s my guess.

    8. I realise that I’m going against the tide on this one, but in my opinion Sutil is a quality driver that is a welcome addition to the grid for 2013, especially due to the already large amount of F1 inexperience already there.

      Bianchi will get his chance at some point I’m sure, probably at a team with Ferrari engines in 2014.

    9. I still don’t understand the choice … even if Bianchi is not faster than Sutil right now, at least there is hope he can develop himself during the season, which is far from the case of Sutil.

  2. I certainly hope he shows us the improved Sutil and goes on where he left off in 2011 and hopefully surprise. I think its right to give give second chances, but this choice still was as much for money as for competitive reasons, although it might be that the team rate Sutil higher than Bianchi.

    1. Sutil did confirm, of course he could be lying, that he doesn’t bring in any team sponsors this year (after all, only a few would want to sponsor someone with such a background as his).

      So perhaps this is mostly a skill/feedback thing?

      1. He said he does not bring team sponsors, just personal sponsors (I guess that mean he fields the means for his pay himself), but the rumour is about Mercedes easing on the 2014 engine deal for choosing him, while Ferrari offered something alike for having Bianchi

    2. I just hope he doesn’t have a comeback like Heidfeld’s :/

  3. Everyone deserves a second chance.

    Depends how you define “chance.” Adrian’s had multiple seasons in F1 and, to my mind, hasn’t been all that impressive. If I’d been Force India I’d certainly have gone for the younger driver, with a decent pedigree in the junior formulae, and who – crucially, in my opinion – has never stabbed anybody in the neck.

    1. +1 I totally agree, he is not a bad driver, no-one in formula 1 is “bad” but did not have that special thing imo. And I cant see how people say it is not important that he stabbed someone, it is his job and he is in the public light

    2. +1 I agree 100%

  4. Can we assume that di Resta and Sutil will be fighting this season for place next year? As Bianchi would/should definetly be in team next year. Dont thin kthat di Resta is exactly delivering, but maybe thats just me.

    1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
      28th February 2013, 17:07

      You have a point. Di Resta is hardly delivering – though the FIM isn’t super-fast, it ain’t that slow. And by the way Hulkenberg raced last year, one would definitely say Di Resta is not delivering. Also, Bianchi, in my opinion, should have been Force India’s driver this year.

      1. @shreyasf1fan – I think it is unfair to cite Di Resta’s late season form against Hulkenberg – who looks to be a very, very good driver – as evidence he is under performing. Remember that Di Resta too was in only his second season of Formula 1, yet he put up a good challenge (namely his performance in Singapore). For sure, he is not as good as Hulkenberg, but I severely doubt Sutil would be a match for him either, despite his extra three years experience.

        I will feel more inclined to agree with you though if Di Resta comes off second best in the battle with Sutil next year. I will be expecting Paul to convincingly beat him.

  5. I know it’s not quite the point he’s making here, but I think there are quite a few people I could name who don’t deserve a second chance.

    Harold Shipman, Joseph Fritzel… and so on.

    What he means is that he deserves another chance in spite of his conviction for a violent offence. Well, that’s a matter of opinion I guess. It also implies that his conviction was the only reason he lost his seat. Which is also debatable.

    1. @mazdachris As F1 goes, rarely do people get as good an opportunity as Sutil has had. Yet he failed to deliver sufficiently to progress any higher than the midfield. That speaks volumes for me: does he deserve a second chance in F1 over a promising young driver? I think not.

  6. The leaders of some of the countries where F1 races deserve much harsher punishments for the crimes they’ve committed to their own people. Yet they have never had to bear the consequences of those crimes. Sutil has been convicted, he has admitted his crime and thus deserves the second chance much more than all those sheikhs deserve to host GPs and trink champagne with Bernie, Jean and Luca.

    1. One injustice does not excuse another, even if it is a lesser one

      1. I’m with @mazdachris on this one: although I don’t think criminal convictions should influence getting a drive (unless of course the act was a very severe one), his crimes cannot simply be excused because the sheiks are the modern equivelant of the Russian communist leaders. That’s as ridiculous as saying “I bombed a tube station, but Al Queda took down the World Trade Center so think nothing of it”.

        Appologies if any of the examples I have used cause distress to anyone.

      2. Sutil exibited poor judgement, but he has paid his debt to society. IMHO here should be no sanction against him for this matter whatsoever. The justice system has been served, and the case is closed.

        I doubt any of us would like our livelihood stripped for a mistake after that debt is repaid. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

  7. I don’t think there’s a single person here who’s never done a mistake. My one was maybe a different one and it was very public but other ones are probably even worse but no one is even talking about it.

    am i forgetting something major?
    What “mistakes” worse than assault have other drivers made?

    1. I thought the same. Maybe Gachot assaulted a taxi driver, but in the last 20 years, what have others done worse than assaulting another guy in a bar?

      1. We may not know because “no one is even talking about it.”

      2. IIRC, Verstappen fractured some bloke’s skull, and more recently drove into his girlfriend o.O

    2. @Seanus
      Here is one…
      Before entry into F1, Pastore Maldonado drove so poorly, and so unsafely in Monaco that he was banned from the track for life. Some strings were pulled, money exchanged hands, and PRESTO!!!!, he is allowed to race at Monaco again…

      This is an example of a driver doing very bad behavior AS A DRIVER; not in private life, but real, relevant, driving malfesance. Even upon his entry into F1, Maldonado has not kept his nose clean, and seems to continue his tendancy to use his car as a weapon.

      If one wants to ride the high horse and deride Sutil for something that happened OFF-TRACK, one should also have the courage to be consistant and demand a ban on Maldonado as well.

      1. I wasnt deriding Sutil. I just can’t believe that there are drivers making worse mistakes than assault,without anyone knowing/talking about them.
        I agree Maldonado has not been punished as much as maybe he should of but the majority of the incidents he has been involved in have been down to poor driving standards and not an intention to hurt anyone.

  8. I’m glad he’s been given a 2nd chance, my ideal pairing would have been Sutil and Hulkenberg, and I shouldn’t really say that as I’m British, but Paul, although pretty good, Sutil and others are better in my opinion. I expect Sutil will have the better of Paul after a few races. If Sutil’s place in the team has been helped by a Mercedes engine deal, will Force India take on Bianchi next year, as Mercedes probably quite like having two Mercedes related drive at FI, and Bianchi is clearly Ferrari’s boy.

    1. Why shouldn’t you say that because you’re British? The police aren’t going to knock down your door for being insufficiently supportive of a scotsman, you know.

  9. Nelson Piquet Jr didn’t get a second chance…

    1. Whereas Pat Symonds, of course, did, and Flavio Briatore almost certainly will. In F1, if you’re good enough at what you do, there’s not much you could do that would prevent you from getting a second chance. I imagine Fernando Alonso could do a lot worse than what Sutil was convicted of and never even miss a race!

      1. @aka_robyn, and your mind wouldn’t have to wander very far to imagine a crime for FA.

  10. For me, Sutil really deserved the second chance.If Force India was to take Bianchi, the pressure on his shoulders would have been much higher.Knowing what Sutil could do,the expectations on Bianchi could
    have gone unrealistically high.For a rookie to excel in his first year could be a big ask, unless you do a Lewis Hamilton.In Force India’s case they neither have a front running car nor a pretty good lead driver like KiMI in the case of Lotus.Like FI officially said, signing Bianchi at this point might harm his career.

  11. Everyone can do mistakes in life”, he said when asked about the incident. “If you never do mistakes you will never grow.”

    I’m going to take his words to heart. If I glass 3 people, do I grow 3 times as much? Asking for a friend.

  12. hm.. I should try to say this to my ex-girlfriend..

  13. Speaking of second chances, Kovalainen is apparently negotiating with Marussia about their 2nd seat

    1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
      28th February 2013, 17:12

      Kovalainen, I think, deserves way more than a Marussia.

      1. I think so too @shreyasf1fan but unfortunately it’s the only team left with a possible seat left if Razia can’t get his sponsorship situation sorted out. At least Marussia is better than being out of F1 for a year

    2. I don’t: I think Glock was fairly comparable to Kovalinen, if not better. So if Marussia dropped Glock, why would they take Kovalinen? I think it is evident from his McLaren days that he isn’t all he is hyped up to be…

      1. @vettel1, maybe they dropped Glock because they were expecting big bucks from a pay driver but now have to decide whether to go for a small (or non-existent) sponsorship package or gamble on scoring points.

        1. @hohum – I think that the decision on the second driver will still be money driven. I don’t see why they would have a change of heart: there are other pay drivers out there who are as good (or bad, depending on your stance) as Razia I’m sure who will have secure sponsorship!

          We simply don’t know if he is out of a drive yet though, so it’s much too early to call on possible replacements.

          1. All very true, it’s all speculation at the moment but do keep in mind that even with CVC taking 50% any improvement in team placings is worth big bucks.

          2. @hohum – absolutely, the question is whether or not the gains made form sponsorship outweigh those from dependability now. One would be led to think Marussia seem to be favouring the speed brought by development money currently…

          3. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
            1st March 2013, 11:42

            I agree, the second driver decision is purely on the basis of money. The lower teams are in “survival mode”, if I may say so. There are runours of a financial reform in 2014, but as for the 2013 season, I think Kovalainen does have a chance of getting the Marussia. On another note – Pay drivers, I had hoped they would never enter F1, but they have.

  14. I wonder what Lewis’ reaction was when he found out about Sutil coming back, they will be relatively close on the track as well which is interesting!

    1. they will be relatively close on the track

      Is this a prediction that the Merc will suck, or that Force India will find speed this year ;-)

      1. @javlinsharp – perhaps a mixture of both! I would think Merc will win a race though, whereas I’m not even sure Force India will find the podium.

    2. I found the whole coward and not a man thing odd at the time, i guess sutil was just not in a good place.

      I mean, i’m guessing that actually lewis did see what happened and presumably saw sutil stab the guy with the champagne flute, this wasn’t a visit to the school principals office it was a court of law and given lewis’ previous w/regards to ‘misspeaking the truth’ i dont think there was a lot of chance of mclaren letting him testify.

      Maybe they can get over it and be friends again, sutil seems to be a fan of second chances after all

  15. Michael Brown (@)
    28th February 2013, 17:16

    Should have been Sutil and Bianchi. Everybody wins.

    1. I agree. Especially since Mercedes seems to be linked to Sutil rather then to DIR.

      Nevertheless, as a Sutil fan Im very glad with this confirmation. I hope FI build a good car. Given the money trouble rumours Im not convinced of that, but we will see.

      1. @sutil2013, what’s so good about Sutil?

        1. Seems like you missed some of his spectulair performances in useless cars in his Spyker/early Force India days. He had a lot of bad luck then, for example getting crashed out by Raikkonen in 4th position in Monaco 2009. Also you must have missed the second half of 2011 when he had a lot of point finishes and gave Rosberg a hard time in his Mercedes works car.

          But dont worry, this season you will have another chance to see him crush DIR bigtime. Maybe under special circumstances (because im afraid this years FI is very competitive due to lack of funds) or on street circuits he will show his special skills by finishing on a position way above what the car is worth in relative terms.

          No hard feelings though. Just wait and see.

          1. this years FI is very competitive

            Should ofcourse be “is not very competitive”

    2. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
      1st March 2013, 11:44

      Why is everybody bidding for Sutil? He is making tall claims of finish podium. ********** The best pair for FIM would have been Bianchi and DIR.

  16. I would say Sutil is most definetly not on his second chance; he is on his 6th. He has had 5 seasons in F1 and has already shown what he is capable of, which is far from remarkable. I would have liked to see Force India having a more dynamic driver line-up, as they already have dependability and a benchmark in Di Resta, who by recent standards is an experienced driver. Force India can not afford to play the safe game if the rumours surrounding their financial situation bear fruit, so taking a risk with Bianchi could have potentially brought them into the limelight and who knows, maybe he is a world champion in the making.

    I just hope that this isn’t yet another sponsor driven driver selection, and that Force India have made the right choice. I am very skeptical they have though.

  17. Adrian Sutl, born again F1 driver?

    1. Argh, Sutil*

  18. To be honest I am not going to judge Sutil on what happened in China, I was not there and thats that. The courts handled the evidence and acted accordingly. As for Lewis Hamilton not appearing in court to defend Sutil, again, not for me to judge. We don’t know if it was Hamilton’s decision to stay away or McLaren ordering him not to. We simply can only assume, and debate, the reasons why. I said at the time that Sutil only had himself to blame for his predicament, he was the man on trial not Lewis Hamilton. He put himself in that dock and nobody else.
    With the passing of time, it appears that Sutil has had time to reflect back on life and his past decisions. He excepts what he did, excepts that he was wrong, and as far as I am concerned thats that. As for Bianchi I have to say that, despite the protestations of some, it appears as if the ‘teams’ deem him not ready for Formula One. There is obviously a quality in Sutil that Force India like otherwise we would not be having this debate, and Adrian would have had to go back to giving piano lessons like he did last year!

    1. COTD in my opinion – though I don’t quite get the piano lessons bit, lol. So many people are slating his performances – yes, he’s been there for a few years, but the spyker was a very slow car and he’s done very well with what he’s had in my opinion, just look at how he did in his last season with them, in 2011. But I do agree that Paul isn’t anywhere near as good as the media make out let alone himself implying that he should’ve had the McLaren drive!

      In my opinion, I think Marussia should sign someone like Bruno/Heikki/Kamui because if Chilton’s record is anything to go by, he won’t extract the full potential out of the Marussia (not that it’s going to have a lot of potential, but for their sake it is important to beat Caterham to 10th place in the constructors and then get more money).

  19. I think it’s hard to judge Sutil. After all, he did beat his teammates on a regular basis, with the possible exception of Di Resta, though Sutil finished 9th in the championship that year.

    Also, don’t forget that Force India recently invested a huge amount of money to get the team perform structurally at a higher level. Why prefer Bianchi over Sutil then? After all, when Sutil arrived at Spyker the team was rubbish, now it’s a solid midfielder. Of course the team knows more than we do, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the reason the team prefered Sutil over Bianchi.

  20. I think whenever someone is doing something wrong to me I always give them the opportunity to show that he’s still a good person. I’ll give him a second chance.

    Is that Sutil inviting an apology from Lewis Hamilton?

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