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'Everyone deserves a second chance' - Sutil

Adrian Sutil: "For me a year away was actually the right thing to happen" © Getty Images

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Adrian Sutil says he deserves his second chance in Formula One and that his year on the fringes of the sport only deepened his resolve to succeed.

Sutil will race for Force India this year, returning to the team just one season after his career appeared to be unravelling. At the end of 2011 he was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg and faced a conviction for grievous bodily harm, but has now been given a second chance after Hulkenberg left the team for Sauber over the winter.

Despite spending a year as a spectator, Sutil says he is more motivated than ever ahead of the new season.

"For me it was actually the right thing to happen," he said of his year away from the sport. "I needed a little bit of time to myself to make the next big step. I was ninth in the championship [in 2011] and it was a very good season so I can't complain, but now I see things with different eyes and I saw how I could improve. This is good for my future, to know how to do it even better. I want to go to the top, I have clear goals in my life and I'm here to win races and championships so that's my goal."

Sutil drove for the team between 2007 and 2011 under both Spyker and Force India guises and believes he deserves a second chance to show what he can achieve.

"Today is a special day and it just shows that you should never give up," he said. "If you work hard at it and you believe in it then you will get a second chance - everyone deserves a second chance."

And he does not think his conviction, relating to an incident involving Lotus co-owner Eric Lux, should stand against him.

"Everyone can do mistakes in life, I think," he added. "If you never do mistakes, you never grow. I don't think there is a single person here who has never done a mistake. My one was maybe a different one and was very public, but other ones are probably even worse but no one is even talking about it. Whenever someone has done something wrong to me, I've always given him the opportunity to show that he's still a good person and I give him a second chance. I see it very similar here, and of course it's a tough business, but it's not perfect. No one is perfect and that is why life is an adventure."

Sutil said his goals are now higher on his return to the sport.

"I had a good season in 2011 and I want to compete with the best this year and reach my goals. They are much higher with this second chance. I saw what I could do better, I analysed everything and now I want to win races and championships. It's still the same target but probably even more now that I know I need to do it."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.