India's Parthiva Sureshwaren has become the latest driver to commit to a further season in the FIA Formula Two Championship.
Sureshwaren is hoping to take advantage of racing in the championship at a time when excitement for motorsport is growing in his home country. The first ever Indian Grand Prix will be held at New Dehli later this year.
Sureshwaren is the second Indian driver to be confirmed for the coming F2 season, following Armaan Ebrahim.
A former driver for India in A1 Grand Prix, Sureshwaren raced in F2 for the first time in 2010. He scored a point by finishing tenth in the second race at Monza. He missed the final three rounds of the season.
“I'm majorly motivated and feeling very confident,” said Sureshwaren. “This is the first time in my career that I will be returning to a championship in consecutive years, so I know what to expect and that is a major advantage.
“As a driver you need to be in the right place at the right time, and with more awareness and money coming into Indian motorsport now due to the Grand Prix, it's an important time to gain recognition. F2 is definitely the right platform not just for me but for any driver looking for that recognition.
“Importantly, it's also a great championship – it's run very well, cost-effective and the cars are very good, so there are a lot of positives. There are some great circuits this year which I'm really looking forward to, and while I'm keeping my aims inside me for now I learned a lot last year and I'll be looking to make the most of that in 2011.”
Formula Two Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer commented: “The popularity of motorsport in India is growing rapidly, particularly with India set to host its first ever Formula One Grand Prix, and F2 offers Parthiva the perfect platform to showcase his ability. He already has experience of racing at this level from last year, and I'm sure he will put that to good use and be a top ten regular in 2011.”