Di Resta "well pleased"posted in F126 | 03 | 2011
BATHGATE'S PAUL DI RESTA, Formula One's newest kid on the block, safely — and successfully — negotiated his first qualifying session, then stated "there's more to come" as he prepared for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old qualified a competitive 14th on the grid, two places ahead of his Force India team-mate Adrian Sutil who somehow survived a nightmare high-speed spin on the start-finish line. Di Resta though was more focused on his own performance than that of his significantly more experienced colleague.
"Yeh, I'm satisfied to be starting my first F1 grand prix from 14th on the grid," admitted the Scot, whose best time of 1min 26.739secs round the daunting Albert Park circuit in Melboure sandwiches him between fellow rookies Sergio Perez's Sauber and the Williams of Pastor Maldonado.
"Given our performances through pre-season testing, if someone had offered me 14th on the grid in Australia, I'd have gladly taken it; so yes, I'm well pleased with where we are.
"And the encouraging thing is, I know there's more speed to come both from the car, and from me. I made a mistake on my run in Q2, which cost me around three- or four-tenths, but I got away with it. We've also go new stuff coming which should give us big performance gains on the car, so it's all looking positive."
Di Resta missed out on qualifying for the top 10 shootout by around eight-tenths of a second, but the Scot is quietly confident the gap is actually quite a bit smaller.
"If you factor in the fact I dropped, say four-tenths, with my mistake on my flying lap, then I'd suggest the gap to the top 10 today was actually nearer to four-tenths, so we're very competitive; and its a bridgeable gap."
Without doubt, Di Resta looked completely at ease and at home in his new F1 environment, and he laughed when he was asked whether he felt nervous ahead of qualifying.
"Sure I was nervous, because that's what gets your adrenalin going," he explained with the quiet, restrained self-confidence which has helped ease him into F1. "But I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be.
"You've got to be nervous to perform or else you're not in the right job. Everybody gets nervous, but it was all under control and I think I probably made mistakes on each run, but that's just experience of trying to get that last bit out of the car."
And he gave a rare insight into his mindset ahead of the high-pressure start to his maiden grand prix.
"Definitely there will be a lot is going through my head at that point, and you need to be under control, that's for sure," he continued. "But at the same time it's a new experience. I've done a race sim, but not around other cars.
"I think it is just a case of keeping your nose clean and then see how our performance is. Up to this point, I'm quite satisfied with how I have done so far. So hopefully that continues."
As for the race; does he have any predictions?
"The Red Bulls haven't surprised anyone, given what they've been like this weekend," he explained. "The biggest surprise for me, and for everyone, is what McLaren and Lewis Hamilton achieved. They have done a damn good job and Lewis has got it on the front row.
"As for my race, I've got to treat it as another race. Yes, I'm a Formula 1 driver but I'm here to race for myself and for Force India. It's just about getting it off the line and going forward if you can. After that; well we'll just have to wait and see."
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Jim McGill