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ADRIAN SUTIL

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'Sutil is not under pressure'

Saturday 3rd May 2008

Vijay Mallya has denied rumours that Adrian Sutil is under pressure after failing to impress so far this season.

Although neither Force India driver has scored a point this season, Giancarlo Fisichella has the upper hand over his less experienced team-mate.

Not only does the Roman have a 4-0 advantage over Sutil in qualifying but he has also seen the chequered flag in three races compared to Sutil's one race finish.

This has led to some speculation that Sutil is under pressure to perform or risk being replaced by test driver Tonio Liuzzi.

However, team owner Mallya has refuted these suggestions.

"Adrian hasn't had too much luck. It's unfortunate, but I am sure that his luck will turn, as luck does. He's got a lot of talent, he's quick, and I think he can do a good job for us," he told Autosport.

What we have to remember is that Giancarlo is approaching his 200th grand prix, while Adrian has competed in just over 20. That's a 10th of the number of his team-mate.

"We cannot reasonably expect him to know everything Giancarlo does, but the benefit of having Giancarlo there is that Adrian can learn, grow, and develop into a very valuable asset in the future."

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