Paul di Resta Q&Aposted in F124 | 03 | 2011
BATHGATE'S PAUL DI RESTA faced the world's motorsport media in Melbourne for the first time as a fully-fledged Force India Formula One racer. As he prepares for this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, he spoke to Jim McGill about why Albert Park is a tough place to make his racing debut, what he expects from his Mercedes-powered Force India VJM04, and why he thinks he is as well prepared as any of the other rookies on this year's F1 grid.
Q. You did the Friday test sessions at numerous grands prix with Force India last year, but how much of a change is it to be back racing in single-seaters after four years in the DTM?
Paul di Resta: It's going to be a big step. When you get around traffic it's going to be a bit different because the DTM is touring cars and you can rub a bit. But I have got experience and I've just got to go in and do my absolute best out there.
Q. It's been well documented that you beat current world champ Sebastian Vettel in the 2006 Euro F3 Championship: is the ultimate ambition in F1 to do that again?
PdR: Definitely, but you have to be very realistic about the challenge ahead. Force India is not where it needs to be in terms of racing against those guys but hopefully we can build on that for the future. Force India is going upwards and the aim is for that progression to continue and I hope to be in that position in a few years to race against those guys competitively and have some good battles.
Q. What would you be satisfied with at the end of this season?
PdR: I just want to enjoy the experience of doing what I've always dreamed of doing. Hopefully the results will show and give me the natural progression to continue on in F1.
Q. I imagine one of your primary aims is to finish the season as rookie of the year?
PdR: Yes. It's difficult to think of yourself as a rookie coming into F1. I'm 24, yes I'm a new person here and I just want to be respected and be part of this F1 grid and race these guys that I've watched on TV for a long time.
Q. Other rookies like Sergio Perez and Pastor Maldonado have GP2 experience. Is that an advantage for them?
PdR: I don't see why it's an advantage. I've had four great years in the DTM in a very competitive environment racing for a factory team and been part of the biggest car manufacturer in the world, Mercedes-Benz. That has given me some great experience and I come into F1 with Force India, a good team that has given me the chance and will give me all of the valuable information I need to hopefully become a good F1 driver.
Q. You should have made your F1 racing debut at Bahrain, but of course that was cancelled. Is this Albert Park track a difficult circuit to start your F1 race career at?
PdR: I wouldn't say it's the easiest. It is a street track and quite a high-speed one, but I don't have a favourite track for the reason that I have to perform 19 times during the grand prix season. The approach won't be any different here as it would be for another one. We just need to see how it pans out, how it builds up over the weekend and hopefully I can step up my performance when I need to.
Q. What's tricky about Albert Park?
PdR: If you looked at Bahrain, it's a bit more forgiving. Here there is not much run-off, but I'm not going into it thinking about that. I'm very positive about it. It's bumpy, it's tight, it's got some fast sections, it has got some cambers on the road and some white lines.
Q. Do you feel fully prepared for Friday with the testing you have had?
PdR: You would always want more, but at the same time I feel ready enough.
Q. Given that pre-season testing hasn't gone as well as the team might have hoped, what are your expectations for this weekend?
PdR: It's true the team's not where it wants to be in terms of performance, but I'm not going in with any expectations. I'm open-minded and positive and will judge it after the weekend. It's difficult to judge where you are in testing, there are a lot of unknowns and things that can influence the lap time.
Q. Has much changed on the car aero-wise since the last test?
PdR: Yes, we have brought some bits. Again, we're not clear how much it's going to give us, but it should be positive and we should see some influence from the new parts that have arrived.
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Jim McGill