Sutil drove an immaculate race, jumping from his 11th place in the starting grid to the eighth, which he defended with all his might and guile to stave off the consistent challenge from Renault’s Robert Kubica.

Towards the fag end, Sutil benefited from pal and McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton’s tyre failure to bring home six valuable points for the Vijay Mallya-owned outfit, which occupies the sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship with 24 points in kitty.

The British driver, now a Formula One pundit, said he, like most others, did not expect the Silverstone-based outfit to raise their performance and it was not just because they were lucky.

“Force India is doing a great job. Look at their performance in Belgium and Italian Grand Prix. It was excellent and awesome,” said Coulthard. “Their performance was both surprising and unpredictable. Seriously, they were the ones to watch out for this season and you cannot say luck had anything to do,” said the former driver who is in India to drive Red Bull’s Formula One car on Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli Sea-Link on Sunday.

Force India broke their point duck in the Belgian Grand Prix with Giancarlo Fisichella, who switched to Ferrari after the race, winning the team’s first pole position and then coming second to record the outfit’s first podium finish.

In the next race at Monza, Adrian Sutil came fourth to win five invaluable points for Force India. Coulthard said it was an incredible show by the F1 minnows and India should be proud of their achievement.

“In first part of the season, they didn’t score and took a while to rise. But after the mid-season break, they raised their standard and were at their best. You should be proud of them and it’s a great thing for your country,” said DC, as Coulthard is affectionately known as. Winner of 13 F1 races, Coulthard said F1 was changing and it would suit small budget teams like Force India.

“Formula One has changed a lot. There are stricter guidelines and a host of new rules. They have massively reduced the budget also. Earlier, there were different kind of engines for different teams. The top-end teams used to get more powerful engines, while the smaller teams got those of less power. Now, it’s not the case. Now McLaren and Force India have the same engine,” he said.

“Following extensive discussions over the past 24 hours, the Force India Formula One Team has agreed to release Giancarlo Fisichella from his contract to join the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team for the remainder of the 2009 season, starting with immediate effect,” Force India said in a statment on Thursday.

Force India team boss Vijay Mallya said that he would not have stood in the way of the Italian taking a race seat with Ferrari. “Giancarlo and his management team approached me yesterday (Wednesday) with the proposal from Ferrari,” Mallya said. “For any Italian driver, a Ferrari race seat is a long-held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception. No one should stand in the way of this. Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlo’s long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this, particularly when Giancarlo has made such a vital contribution to Force India.”

Mallya said there had been no financial settlement with Ferrari over the switch of Fisichella, who caused a minor sensation when running Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen close in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix for Force India’s first ever championship points.

“This agreement has been made in good faith and for the good of Giancarlo and the sport in general,” Mallya insisted. “A competitive Italian driver in a Ferrari for Monza is a positive story for Formula One, which can only help raise the sport’s profile in these difficult times.”

Fisichella would now be expected to make his Ferrari debut at the next Formula One Grand Prix at the Italian circuit of Monza on September 13, most likely taking over from Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer, who has stood in for the injured Felipe Massa at the last two Grands Prix. Force India have yet to confirm who will replace Fisichella alongside Adrian Sutil.

Sutil initially finished 10th and Fisichella 12th in the roller-coaster season opener but Toyota’s Jarno Trulli, who had finished third, subsequently lost his podium place after the stewards slapped a 25-second penalty on him for passing under the safety car in the closing laps.

It turned out to be Force India’s best result since its 2008 debut and things in fact could have been even better for the Silverstone-based outfit.

Running fourth when the first safety car was deployed, Fisichella looked set to score Force India’s first F1 points in the season opener before a pit-stop blunder. Sutil, meanwhile, found himself tangled in the first lap, losing part of his front wing and limping into the pit. Having dropped to the rear of the field, the German nevertheless drove a measured, consistent race to claim his best result in over a year.

Mallya was recently said that Karthikeyan, who became the first Indian to drive in Formula One when he turned out for Jordan in 2005, and rising star Karun Chandhok were not good enough to drive for Force India, something Karthikeyan claims he wouldn’t even want to do.

“I spent a frustrating time with Jordan, where I had a car that just could not perform. I have no desire to be with another pedestrian team that’s low on performance and loud on talk,” Karthikeyan told the Hindustan Times. “I never even approached Mallya. The vibes from the camp have been extremely negative and I want to make it clear that I am not interested in driving for Force India,” he added.

After his stint with Jordan, the 31-year-old served as a test driver for Williams in 2006 and 2007.

“Spyker offered me a drive in August 2007. I declined as the team was going nowhere,” he said. “Except in F1, where machine matters more than man, I have won races in every championship that I have participated in.”

Karthikeyan currently represents the Indian team on the A1 circuit.

Honda put its Formula One team on the block earlier this month as it decided to move out of the racing activities due to the economic slowdown saying that it was looking to sell the team by the end of the year.

In a report, automotive industry website Motor Authority said that Carlos Slim, Force India’s Mallya and UK-based motorsport and auto engineering group Prodrive’s David Richards have emerged as the potential buyers. The other interested parties include a Swiss hedge fund and Greek shipping tycoon Achilleas Kallakis, it added.

Force India F1 motor racing team was formed last year after a consortium led by Mallya bought the Spyker F1 team for 88 million pounds. Noting that Prodrive’s Richards has “has travelled to the Middle East for talks with investors”, the report said that “another serious candidate is Carlos Slim, a Mexican billionaire, who is the second richest man in the world.”

Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi was also retained as the official test and reserve driver for the Formula One outfit.

Following the outfit’s technical partnership with McLaren-Mercedes, there was speculation that McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa might replace either Fisichella or Sutil.

Force India, however, said in a statement that both the 35-year-old Fisichella and the 25-year-old Sutil would continue their stint with the side.

“I firmly believe that next year will be a huge opportunity for this team,” Mallya said.

He said he did listen to the advice from the McLaren top brass but in the end, finalising the line-up was essentially his own decision.

Force India on Monday announced its new ‘ground-breaking partnership’ which would see the Silverstone-based outfit running on Mercedes engines and using gearbox and hydraulic systems provided by McLaren.

Subsequently, speculation was rife that McLaren might push for the appointment of Paul di Resta and Pedro de la Rosa in place of Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil for the next season.

Speaking to Autosport.com, McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh, however, made it clear that everything would be discussed with Force India but it was Mallya who would eventually be calling the shots.

Adam Carroll drove a faultless race to take A1 Team Ireland’s second series victory in the sprint race. On his A1 Team Netherlands debut, Robert Doornbos came home a comfortable second, while Danny Watts held off a fierce challenge from Switzerland’s Neel Jani to claim the final podium position for A1 Team Great Britain.

Filipe Albuquerque claimed A1 Team Portugal’s maiden victory in the A1GP when he won the feature race.

Portugal took the lead after the first round of pit stops and held off the charge from Carroll in the closing stages. Watts took the final podium position after starting on pole but dropping back after his two mandatory pit stops.

In a major management shake-up, after the team failed to score a point and finished 10th in the constructors’ championship this year, Force India paved the way for the arrival of Mercedes engines and closer links with McLaren.

“Force India’s senior management structure will be streamlined with immediate effect,” the team said. “Dr Vijay Mallya will assume the responsibilities of team principal in addition to his position as chairman.
As a result of the restructure, Colin Kolles, Mike Gascoyne and Patrick Missling, formerly corporate and business director, will no longer form a direct part of the team’s design, manufacture, race and test operations.”

Mallya, who bought the Spyker team last year and renamed it, said he had been forced to act.

“Force India is my most difficult project to date and it has become clear that it requires more direct input from my side and greater performance accountability. We have come a long way this season , but we need more and that requires some radical reorganisation of the management structure to ensure the maximum productivity.”

Mallya said the team would announce the new technical direction on Monday as well as the appointment of a new chief operating officer. Mark Smith, the design director, and technical director James Key will share responsibility for the design of next year’s VJM02.

The team, who said that the Ferrari deal had been terminated at their request, are also expected to announce a deal with Mercedes-McLaren. They gave no details about a new supplier but Mallya has been negotiating with McLaren for an entire drivetrain (engine and gearbox) package as well as the new kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) to be introduced next year.

“We have India and here I can say that the grand prix will be inserted into the calendar in 2011,” Ecclestone said when asked about future destinations for the sport.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi announced last year that 2010 was the target date but Ecclestone suggested two weeks ago that a delay was on the cards when he said in Singapore that “2011 is what I want”.

The Briton said there were also “two or three options” in Russia.

“The first regards Moscow of course. But it is not yet time to think about a date,” he added.

Abu Dhabi will be the only new venue on the 18-race calendar for 2009, after Singapore and Valencia were added this season, with North America left without a grand prix for the first time in 50 years after Canada was axed.

The 24-year-old iSport International driver ended the 20-race season in the top 10 in a year highlighted by victory at Hockenheim in Germany as well as podium finishes at classic Grand Prix venues in Monaco and Silverstone.

“Overall, it’s been a positive season. I am very pleased with the progress I have made this year,” said Karun.

“Winning my second GP2 race was a big highlight, and having been a regular front runner this year has put me in a good position in the queue of drivers trying to break into Formula 1.”

On the award, the Chennai youngster said, “To win the award for the ‘best driving style’ is a fantastic way to end the season, and one I feel really proud of. It was the only award that was voted for by the fans of the championship on the GP2 website which makes it more special.”

There has been talk of a rift between his senior staff but he said that the whole issue had been blown out of proportion and that he was in the sport for the long haul. “Unfortunately in the Formula One paddock there is a lot of rumour-mongering that goes on,” he said at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

“Yes, there may be differences of opinion but these differences started even before I took over the team,” continued Mallya. “You know, disagreements are healthy also. They are not necessarily all negative. If there are disagreements between two members of a team, it cannot be blown out of proportion. Everybody knows I am the boss and I make the decisions.”

Force India, the first Indian-owned Formula One team, have yet to score a point this season and are unlikely to do so at Monza on Sunday in the Italian Grand Prix.

Fisichella continued the evaluation of set-ups and wing levels specifically for his home Grand Prix, and the Belgian grand prix before that, as he worked to optimise balance and braking over the kerbs.
The VJM01 ran faultlessly, allowing the Italian to complete 114 laps, more than 600km, and bring the total test mileage to over 1,700km.

“Today we made some positive steps forward for the Italian Grand Prix, particularly with the balance and set-up,” Fisichella said.

“I could push, particularly in the afternoon and the pace over the longer runs was also good. You never know what the other teams are doing with their own programmes, but I think the race will be very close between us and Honda. I think we’ve made good progress here.”

Given the new technical regulations being introduced next season, Mallya is confident that his outfit will thrive when the playing field is leveled just that little bit, considering that they have lagged behind throughout this season.

“Force India have clearly demonstrated that we have caught up and improved. One realises how tough Formula One really is and it reinforces the challenge that I have before me for 2009 to be really competitive,” he told the official F1 website.

“I’m not only catching up from last season, but from the last three seasons. And we have caught up, even though F1 has become so competitive, which is good. I am quite optimistic, however, that my experience so far has pointed us in the right direction. I now know precisely what I’m up against, so I can plan better. Maybe I learned the hard way, but it’s good to learn. So 2009 will be much more competitive for the Force India team.”

Mallya also hinted that he could retain both Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil despite neither scoring a single point so far this season.

“I have two good drivers. The experience of Giancarlo is invaluable and Adrian has lots of talent – I think he is improving race by race, becoming more consistent,” he said. “I am quite happy with them and, more importantly, they have a great attitude that will help me to face the challenges of tomorrow. I think they will be very satisfied driving the 2009 car, which I am sure will be a significant improvement and a big surprise.”

The ace driver, who is leading the drivers’ standings presently, also drove seven laps in kart around a truncated track to the joy of hundreds of fans, mostly teenagers, and flagged off a race as well. “This is my first time in India and I don’t know when I would have found the time to come here,” Hamilton said.

The British driver said he rated his victory at his home circuit of Silverstone, in which he started fourth on the starting grid but made the most of wet weather to win the race, as “one of the best victories so far”.

“It was special for winning at home,” he said.

The 23-year-old Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver will be driving a go kart for a lap at the Hakone track in Powai.

“Hamilton will be giving Formula One enthusiasts a rare opportunity to meet him and race against the fastest time set by him. He will also be interacting with Vodafone customers and media persons,” a statement from the organizers said.

Hamilton (58 points), who finished second overall behind Finnish ace Kimi Raikkonen in his debut Formula One season last year, is currently leading this year from second-placed Brazilian Felipe Massa (Ferrari) by four points.

Continuing from where he had left it on a rain-marred day one, Sutil went on to complete 97 laps and his best, 1min 15.945, was once again just one second from Lewis Hamilton’s fastest lap.

Sutil worked through a programme of suspension, set-up and tyre comparison work and despite a late morning glitch, Force India finished the day according to its scheduled plan.

Giancarlo Fisichella will take over for the final day of the test.

In a tough 70 lap race from which only one car retired, Fisichella started from 17th on the grid and immediately gained one position on the first lap before finishing at 18th with a time of 1:32:37.032.

Sutil too had a good start and was on the tail of the Honda of Barrichello in 17th until his first stop on lap 20. In the middle stint on medium tyres, Adrian drove some strong laps and closed the gap, but his second stop dropped him back to the rear of the field, to finish 19th with 1:32:57.001.

The team will now return to its UK base to regroup ahead of a three-day test at Silverstone next week where a new aero and mechanical package will be tested for the first time.