Valencia, Feb 3 :  Force India driver Adrian Sutil is aiming to be among the leading 10 drivers in the upcoming Formula One season.

"My target is eighth place or thereabouts. In the top 10 in any case," he told German Press Agency dpa.

Sutil, who finished 11th in the drivers' championships last year, is confident of an improved performance by the team who have signed up Scotland's Paul di Resta to partner the German.

"Both the team and I are ready for the next big step," he said.

Sutil said he did not want to talk yet about winning races.

"It is difficult. We have to hold our own against the big teams and then cross the line. But there are always a couple of special races when you have an especially strong car and it will suddenly be possible," he said.

Sutil believes racing will be a challenge this season with the re-introduction of KERS - Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems - and adjustable rear wings, with all controls on the steering wheel.

The steering-wheel controls call for a great deal of concentration and it was possible that a driver could be distracted for "a hundredth of a second" while operating one of the systems, he said.

"On the one hand I found it quite good when I tested with the simulator. On the other hand you are looking the whole time at the steering wheel. It's difficult to concentrate," he added.

Force India's KERS - which converts waste energy generated under braking into additional power - is being supplied by Mercedes, which Sutil said could benefit the team.

"The Mercedes system is known as the best KERS at the moment in the drivers' camp. I am hoping that we will have a slight advantage at the beginning over other teams even if they will be catching up with their own developments," he said.(DPA)