Jules Bianchi joins Force India F1 team as reserve driver

Jules Bianchi has been named as the reserve driver for Force India for the 2012 season.

Bianchi is part of the Ferrari Academy and has participated in a number of young driver tests for the team while competing in GP2 in recent seasons. The role at Force India will allow him more track time than Ferrari could offer, with the team announcing that he will take part in a minimum of nine Friday practice sessions throughout the season. Bianchi said that the regular appearances will help him develop as a driver.

"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," Bianchi said. "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."

Bianchi will get an opportunity to drive during pre-season testing too, and team principal Vijay Mallya said he expected him to make "a valuable contribution".

"I am delighted to welcome Jules into the Sahara Force India family," Mallya said. "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. We are proud of our track record in this regard and I have no doubt that Jules will quickly settle into the team and make a valuable contribution to our efforts on track this season."

Source:en.espnf1.com

Force India reveals 2012 car launch date

The Force India team will unveil its 2012 challenger on February 3, the team announced on Tuesday.

The launch, which coincides with the unveiling of the new Ferrari, will take place at the Silverstone circuit from 9am.

Testing at Jerez gets under way on February 7.

Source: autosport.com

Hulkenberg to 'spark' Force India

Paul di Resta thinks Force India will be an even stronger team in 2012 with the addition of Nico Hulkenberg to partner him.

Hulkenberg was confirmed as Adrian Sutil's replacement shortly before Christmas, the German stepping up from reserve driver to first team driver for the new season. 

"It's a young team in terms of the driver line-up [both drivers are under 25] but it should give the team a spark," said Di Resta at the Autosport International Show. "We need to be good team-mates, work well together but also have a competitive nature on track so we can bounce off each other. I don't see any reason why we can't do that and support each other.

"We're both on equal territory, as we have the same experience, so it should be good. We're already working together, pushing ideas to the team to try and improve from last year and that is being taken on board."

"My second year is going to be where experience plays in as well: I can arrive at grands prix this year and know what is going to change, what to look for and how to get the perfect balance. Getting that little extra edge is so difficult against these guys because they know it inside out." 

Source: en.espnf1.com