Di Resta 'satisfied'posted in F112 | 02 | 2011
BATHGATE'S PAUL DI RESTA got his first run in the all-new Force India VJM04 at Jerez in Spain today. After racking up 64 laps on the 2.75-mile circuit, he gave Jim McGill his views on the day.
"My first time out in the new car today, so everything was really about me getting used to the new car and getting acclimatised to various set-up options, plus getting as much information about the new tyres and set-up options as possible," Di Resta explained.
"There's still a bit of work to do to get everything the way I'd like it, but today was about determining the right way to go ... and we certainly achieved that, so that was satisfying.
"We did find that there were a couple of issues with getting temperature in the brakes on some set-ups, and on the final run of the day I locked up into turn nine and went off into the gravel. Thankfully there wasn't any damage but because there was another red flag almost immediately afterwards there wasn't time to continue so I missed a few laps.
"Overall though I think we can be fairly positive with the progress we've made over the past couple of days and have a good idea of where we can go tomorrow.
"The programme we have planned will give me the opportunity to try the DRS (drag reduction system) rear wing in simulated race mode during the morning and further set-up work planned for the afternoon."
Di Resta clocked a best time of 1min 22.945secs, but clearly the youngster — and the team — wasn't targeting quick times as the crew concentrated on other aspects of the car.
While local hero, Spanish double world champ Fernando Alonso, had to content himself with second quickest, it was the Renault of Nick Heidfeld who topped the timesheets.
The German, expected to be confirmed as the replacement for the injured Robert Kubica, impressed his prospective employers with a best time of 1:20.361s, 0.132s faster than Alonso. Michael Schumacher was third quickest in his Mercedes, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton's McLaren.
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Jim McGill