Paul Di Resta Sport
Onwards and Upwards Britains latest prodigy says consistency and scoring regular points is the key to a second successful season in Formula 1 Words by Alex Hocking Last year Paul di Resta was amongst a new wave of young guns to debut in Formula 1 with the 26-year-old Sahara Force India driver faring best of the rookies to finish 13th in the drivers’ standings. His strong performances in 2011 led former grand prix winner and fellow Scot David Coulthard to suggest Di Resta is the next big thing in Formula 1. "Fortunately for me, it was a positive first season with Force India," says Di Resta. "We had the best finish in the constructors’ championship – sixth – and it was good to play a part in it." I guess that’s one of the reasons the team retained me for the 2012 season. It will be great to be part of this team as it grows. The investment by Sahara has given us a lift and now we can look forward to challenge the top teams in the future." The sport never stops and the rate of development by the teams to prepare their new cars is relentless. The same goes for the drivers physical and mental approach to a new season, more so for Di Resta as he aims to prove that last year’s strong showing wasn’t a one-off. He says: "I think all we can say is that we got through all our objectives in winter and we are going into the season well-prepared. Any season is important. This is obviously the bigger one to make an impression. I’m not going to put any added pressure on myself. My focus will be to do things the best way I can. The target is to be consistent and score points regularly."
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Although there are 24 drivers on the grid in 2012, the one man Di Resta must beat first and foremost is his new-for-2012 team mate Nico Hulenberg. "There is no No 1 or No 2 status as such, but I’m the most experienced driver in the team," Di Resta adds. "Nico and I have worked well together. We are good friends. We understand each other well and we look forward to the season. We have a young driver line-up that everybody will keep an eye on. We are certainly up for the challenge of representing Force India and the team is providing us the much-needed assistance to keep going." And keep going they must if the Silverstonebased Indian team is to close the gap to the leading pack of teams. Championships are won over the course of a season and the off-track race to develop the car is just as important as the ontrack racing. "Come four-five races into the season you will see some interesting stuff coming into the car. Whether other teams are doing it at the same time, I can’t tell. But yes they will be up to something because I’m sure they won’t be sleeping." "It’s a big ask to beat the likes of Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari as they are world championship winning teams. It will take a mammoth task for us to reach that level. We punched above our weight last season and it will be a big ask to maintain that position this season as well."
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This Season is the bigger one to make an impression
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