Force India yet to choose drivers

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Force India boss Vijay Mallya says he has yet to finalise his driver line-up for the 2009 Formula One season.

He stated in October that Italian Giancarlo Fisichella and German Adrian Sutil would "continue through 2009".

But he told BBC Sport that his team's newly signed technical link-up with McLaren had changed things.

"We haven't finalised anything on the race seat," he said. "I will discuss this issue with McLaren and take this decision at an appropriate time."

Mallya has rubberstamped a deal to use the same engines, gearbox and hydraulics as McLaren-Mercedes.

Force India will also share their kinetic energy recovery system (Kers) - a system that converts energy generated under braking into power that can be used for acceleration and which is new to F1 for 2009.

Following the link-up, there has been speculation that one of McLaren's test drivers would be given a race seat at Force India.

Long-time McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa, who has raced for Arrows, Jaguar and McLaren in F1, tested the car in November and Englishmen Gary Paffett and Paul di Resta have also been linked with a drive.

Mallya would not be drawn on the subject but added: "One McLaren test driver has already tested our car. They bring the McLaren experience with them."

Mallya, a billionaire businessman who runs an airline and also has a franchise in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament, said he expected his F1 team to progress from their back of the grid slot in 2009.

"I certainly hope to be in the upper midfield in 2009, given all that we are doing, and I'd be disappointed if we are not - so that is a major step forward to begin with," he said.

Mallya has also launched a driver search programme to try to find an Indian F1 driver.

He revealed: "I was joking with my friends and I said with a population of 1.2bn there must be a Lewis Hamilton somewhere.

"Clearly it is at least a five-year programme but we are launching it from 2009 and hopefully we will find the driver we are looking for."