Three seasons into Formula One, Paul di Resta hasn’t yet a podium-finish to flaunt, but the 26-year-old already has the affirmative nod of the bigwigs. Speculations are already rife about a prospective switch from Sahara Force India to a better car, one which can fully boot his potential. The circles have linked him with Ferrari and Mercedes, but he has no star in his eyes, and gently defuses the sting of the queries.
In any case, Di Resta is a man of few words, but he gets his talking done where it counts, on the track. Which means that by his understated standards he’s been doing a fair bit of talking this year, as he is currently 13th overall with 44 points.
But more than the bigger picture, the Scot is focused on the imminent Indian Grand Prix, and he is candid enough to confide of pressure ahead of the home race. “It’s obviously our home Grand Prix and a special weekend. There’s pressure on us to perform and clearly we need to go there ready to keep the momentum going. It’s a busy week for everyone involved with the team and there’s a lot going on in terms of media work and extra events, but it won’t distract from our focus to come away with the best result we can,” he said.
He has proved as adept at handling quick team-mates - he has more than held his own against Adrian Sutil last year and Nico Hulkenberg this season. His calm and confident manner, allied to the on-track results, prompted Sir Jackie Stewart to suggest earlier this season that he is ready for the opportunity at Ferrari alongside Fernando Alonso in 2013, should it arise.
But at least on the apparent, he has alluded more to “we” than “I”. He understands the team’s requirement to finish as advanced as possible to challenge Mercedes for a fifth. “We’ve got to go there and qualify in the top ten. That will get us in contention and allow us to concentrate on the race. All year we’ve shown that we have a car capable of reaching Q3, but the grid is very close and we don’t have any margin so we need everything to come together perfectly. Also, based on our performance last year, we looked quite competitive at this track so you’ve got to hope that will carry over for this year,” he said.
His intelligent analysis of the car and situations combines with a cool, calm approach to the task, a trait that could fetch him a better result than the 13th spot he achieved here last year. “It’s one of those new-style Herman Tilke circuits so there’s a good mixture of corners, plenty of run-off and a few areas where overtaking is possible. We found the track was exciting to drive,” he signed off.