Adrian Sutil will start Sunday European Grand Prix 13th on the grid, just ahead of team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi, as Force India witnessed a disappointing afternoon with none of them making to the third qualifying session (Q3) on Saturday.
Adrian Sutil's ninth place finish earned Force India a couple of precious points from the eventful Turkish Grand Prix while Hispania driver Karun Chandhok was classified 20th though he could not finish the race.
Adrian Sutil will start Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix 11th on the grid, seven places ahead of team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi, as none of the Force India drivers could make it to the third qualifying session (Q3)on Saturday.
Having an Indian driver in Force India just for the sake of it would have been counter-productive for the Silverstone-based outfit, said Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella is set to drive for the Force India Formula One team this season with compatriot Vitantonio Liuzzi taking the role of tester, sources said on Tuesday.
Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella will be among seven drivers testing for Force India.
The renamed team, formerly Spyker, said on Wednesday that the two would each have a full day of testing in Jerez from December 4-7, joining fellow-hopefuls Christian Klien of Austria, Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi and France's Franck Montagny.
The 14th lap brush with Heikki Kovalainen's McLaren compromised Adrian Sutil's race and the double finish was hardly a solace as Force India completed its Japanese Grand Prix campaign without a single point.
Chennai-based Indian driver Karun Chandhok is getting ready to try Force India's driver simulator and is confident of proving his mettle for a Formula One debut next year.
Force India should have chosen an Indian driver to replace Giancarlo Fisichella when the Italian switched to Ferrari to help boost the build up for the nation's inaugural grand prix in 2011, Bernie Ecclestone has said.
Adrian Sutil finished 13th while team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi retired after his car crashed with Michael Schumacher's Mercedes as Force India failed to collect a single point from the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and end the Formula One championships at seventh in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Force India's Adrian Sutil raced amazingly from 22nd on the grid to finish 12th at the Brazilian Grand Prix but Vitantonio Liuzzi crashed out after an accident in the penultimate race of the season, in Sao Paulo, on Sunday.
Adrian Sutil brought Force India back among points after finishing eighth in the action-packed Singapore Grand Prix, the only night race on the Formula One Calender, in Singapore on Sunday.
Force India returned empty handed for the fourth time this season with Vitantonio Liuzzi finishing 12th and Adrian Sutil 16th at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Sunday.
Force India's point-scoring streak came to an abrupt end in a chaotic Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday with Adrian Sutil finishing 11th while his team-mate Vitantonio Liuzzi retired after an opening lap brake problem.
Force India driver Adrian Sutil made it to the third qualifying session (Q3) once again and will start the Chinese Grand Prix 10th, while Karun Chandhok of Hispania will begin from the back of the grid.
Vijay Mallya remembers the raised eyebrows that greeted his decision to retain Vitantonio Liuzzi as the race driver for the 2010 season and the Force India chairman is now pleased as punch after the Italian lived up to expectations within the first two races this year.
Force India cars figured in top 10 in both the segments ahead of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix but India's lone F1 driver Karun Chandhok could complete only 20 laps before a gearbox problem ended his run in the free practice sessions in Melbourne on Friday.
Gushing winds upset Force India's second day of testing, with Adrian Sutil posting the slowest time of the 16 drivers at the Circuit de Jerez in Spain. Though he managed to cover 373 km on Wednesday, Sutil's best lap time of 1 min 22.244 was slowest of the lot.
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and German Adrian Sutil will race for Force India again next season, the Formula One team has said. The pair had been confirmed for 2009 in October but a new technical deal between Force India and McLaren Mercedes led to speculation of a change with McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa testing for Force India last month.
Minor mechanical problems hampered Force India's second three-day test's opening day as Vitantonio Liuzzi managed to complete only 64 laps at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
New engine rules should see four drivers who will not race on Sunday providing most of the early action on track in Melbourne.
Test driver Pedro de la Rosa put McLaren out in front on Friday after the first practice sessions for Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The 31-year-old German fell 30 points behind race-winner Hamilton after a collision with the Briton left him struggling to finish fourth in Monza last time out, one of several races where Vettel has frittered away a position of authority.
Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi analyses what went wrong for him at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone when he finished outside the points in 11th position.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday