Nico Hulkenberg believes that he has a realistic chance of ousting compatriot Adrian Sutil for a race drive at the Force India team in 2012.

After losing his Williams race seat to Pastor Maldonado in 2011, Hulkenberg joined Force India as official test driver for the team. And with team boss Vijay Mallya keen to keep Scot Paul di Resta, the competition for the remaining race seat looks to be between Hulkenberg and Sutil.

"I have settled in well at Force India and I definitely have a realistic chance of racing again in 2012 and even some other teams are showing interest," Hulkenberg told Auto Bild Motorsport.

Sutil himself is well aware of the threat posed by Hulkenberg but insists he remains the best option for the team.

"He did very well at Williams last year and deserves another chance," said Sutil. "Of course I hear things about me (going) somewhere else, but I'm a loyal person and my first contact will be Force India. We are well on our way, we are currently the fifth best team and with an extremely small budget. Why should I go?"