Zoom Sutil to switch to the spare chassis for race day

Force India Mercedes had a dramatic and disappointing qualifying session today at Silverstone. Adrian Sutil's VJM02 developed a brake problem in the final minutes of Q1 going through the ultra-fast Becketts complex, pitching the German into a backwards spin off the track and into the tyre barriers.

As a precautionary measure Sutil was taken to the circuit's medical centre and was soon cleared for release with no injuries. The team's spare chassis will now be prepared for tomorrow's race.

“Fortunately Adrian is okay, and we take any potential car problem that could cause an accident like that very seriously,” stated chief race engineer Dominic Harlow. “We will fully understand what happened and ensure that it is addressed. The cars were clearly fast enough for top 15 and unfortunately both traffic and Adrian's shunt meant we were denied our deserved starting positions. We can however look forward to a competitive race were we will try to convert our improvement in pace to points. ”

Sutil himself was disappointed with his 18th position on the grid in the much revised Force India package but is now looking ahead to race day.

"I had a brake problem and then had no brakes going into the complex," he explained. "I pushed on the pedal but there wasn't anything. I tried to avoid a big accident but it was impossible so I crashed really hard. I was just taken to the medical centre for some checks as it was a big crash. We've now got a lot of work to do on the car."

Earl ALEXANDER
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