Di Resta Offered 2011 F1 Drive by Force India

Paul di Resta will apparently make his official debut as a race driver in Formula One next year. According to British publications Autosport and The Sun, it seems that the Scottish driver, currently running in the DTM while also having a reserve driver role with Force India F1 Team, will be promoted by the Indian squad to a full-time race driving position next year.

Earlier this week, Mercedes-Benz motorsport director Norbert Haug told the media that his company will support Di Resta in his quest for a 2011 F1 seat. Apparently, Vijay Mallya seems to think the same way, as he plans to offer the 24-year old Scot a contract for at least one year in the Great Circus.

Di Resta joined the team as official test and reserve driver prior to the 2010 season, and was offered the opportunity to even drive the VJM03 throughout some Friday practice sessions of the ongoing campaign.

Although Mallya is yet to finalize his drivers' lineup for the 2011 season, the sole certitude so far seems Paul di Resta. Adrian Sutil is currently in his last year of contract, while Vitantonio Liuzzi's deal is stretched through the 2011 season as well. However, that should bring him little comfort – see the Pedro de la Rosa case – as deals in F1 can be easily tweaked in a way that a driver will either be ousted or relegated to a reserve driving role pretty easy.

Liuzzi's only hope should not revolve around Adrian Sutil's chances of making a Renault switch in the off-season, as the German has been constantly linked with a move to the French team alongside Robert Kubica. However, both Renault and Force India are keeping their mouths shut on their 2011 lineups for the moment, especially since there are 5 more races to go in the championship.