Formula One Q&A: Adrian Sutil

Adrian Sutil, the Force India driver, tells Gary Meenaghan about his expectations for the season as Formula One prepares to head back to Europe.

How is the season shaping up for you so far?

The car is much better in the race than in qualifying - it is not far from the top 10, so better than expected. I have to be quite happy considering where we were in Barcelona [for testing]. We have really recovered and [I am] looking forward to the updates for the European Grand Prix when we should be much better.

You followed up your fourth-placed finish at Monza in 2009 with strong results in the first half of last year, but then things seemed to trail off. This season has not started great either. Is it tough for you to keep enduring these ups and downs?

It's like the stock market at the moment. You want to continue and make the next step up - either with a new team or with the same team, you still want the next step. In a way we did that last year - 2010 was a good season for me. The problem was the last few races, and that is where you want to impress.

Your teammate, Paul di Resta, scored points in his first two Formula One races. Does that put more pressure on you because he is a rookie?

I always want to compete against the best - I am not here to compete against drivers who can't drive in a straight line. You need the best competitors and I am happy to have a new teammate because it's a new challenge. He is not like a typical rookie. He had four years in DTM [Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters] with a factory team. It is not like he is someone to come out of Formula 3 or GP2 and doing mistakes.