Jules Bianchi has become the reserve driver of Force India for the 2012 Formula 1 season. The Frenchman is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) and last year held the reserve role for the Italian team, although his new position will allow for several Friday free practice sessions on race weekends this year.
Taking up the job held by Paul di Resta and Nico Hülkenberg in 2010 and 2011, respectively, 22-year-old Bianchi – F3 Euro Series Champion of 2009 and a 2011 GP2 race winner – will take part in at least nine Friday practices this season.
“I’m obviously excited to join Sahara Force India and the chance to get track time during race weekends is an important step for me,” he said on Friday afternoon. “Being regularly in a current car is the best way to learn quickly and I hope it will put me in a strong position to one day move into a race seat.
“The next few months will be really exciting as I get to know the team, see how they work and prepare for my time in the car. I would like to thank everyone for believing in me and especially Sahara Force India for giving me this great opportunity.”
Team Principal Vijay Mallya also shares his feelings:
“I am delighted to welcome Jules into the Sahara Force India family. We always keep an eye on young, talented drivers and his performance in GP2 certainly impressed us all. By giving Jules the opportunity to be part of our 2012 campaign, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to young drivers.”
For 2012, the aforementioned Hülkenberg steps up alongside di Resta and therefore returns to a Formula 1 race seat. This leaves Adrian Sutil on the sidelines.
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