A YEAR out of Formula One has increased Adrian Sutil’s desire to be a world champion and made him mentally stronger, the Force India driver said on Friday (March 8).
Sutil sealed his Formula One comeback last week with the Silverstone-based team giving the German racer a second chance as team mate to Britain’s Paul Di Resta this season.
Last year, the 30-year-old’s hopes of getting back into the sport looked remote after he was given an 18-month suspended jail sentence and fined 200,000 euros ($262,200/£175,584) for grievous bodily harm following a Shanghai nightclub brawl in 2011.
Sutil, whose best result was fourth place in the 2009 Italian Grand Prix, said he was relieved to finally have a racing seat but at the same time the break had helped him to reflect on his career.
“I was watching it on TV. I tried to take a step back from the sport,” he told a small group of reporters. “By the middle of the season I felt so much stronger and found my, let’s say, new goal in life to be a world champion.
“I am not in Formula One to just race. I would rather stay at home. The car is very important but you have to set your mind.
“I am here to race against the world’s best and if anyone is there not to win then it is not the right place for him.”
The break also allowed him to lead a normal life and do things he would not normally have found time for.
“I had time to think about my career. We will see if I am a better driver but mentally, I would say yes,” he said. “I have seen a life without Formula One and a life with it. In this professional sport you never actually have the time to learn.
“I wouldn’t have chosen a year off but it was probably for the good. Once I was back in the car, the engineers were very impressed.
“It showed I didn’t lose any speed but probably I gained a bit mentally.”
