“I think it will be a great help and a big step. Maybe we can really go into the top 10 and finish a few races in the points. That would be a good step for next year. I'm confident,” said Sutil in a short interview for Force India's site.
Sutil revealed that part of his disappointing season last year was caused by his lack of experience in terms of driving without traction control, which he has now improved for 2009. Getting the hang of his car has boosted his confidence for the new season, especially since he has learnt a lot from more experienced teammate Giancarlo Fisichella.
“I think with the new regulations I had to adapt my driving style. Last year I was doing really well in qualifying, my laps were always quite strong. This year it was a new situation, without traction control, and it took a little while. But now I'm on the same level as last year, or a little bit stronger.”
“I'm more experienced now, and I had a very good teammate in Giancarlo, and I could learn quite a lot from him, with all the data. This was good, and also mentally I'm much better now. After two years of F1 you feel better, your self confidence is higher,” added Sutil.
He also reckoned that, just as he got to understand driving without traction control, he will face some new challenges with the new KERS unit and slick tires, as well as a dramatic change in the car's aerodynamics that will surely affect the car's behavior on track.
“The KERS system will be very interesting. For sure it’s heavy and driving will be a little bit different, but I think it’s a good idea. We can also adjust the front wing while driving, which is also another challenge, and slick tyres is going back to the roots. I think it will be good. There will be even more work to do while driving, which makes everything more interesting,” concluded Sutil.
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