Di Resta eyes boostposted in F119 | 05 | 2011
BATHGATE'S PAUL DI RESTA returns to Formula One duty this weekend in Spain and the 25-year-old is hoping the combination of a track he knows, plus some significant upgrades to his Force India will provide him with a meaningful boost.
"I love coming to Barcelona," Di Resta said today. "It's a track I know very well, having tested here for four days earlier this season, and it's generally always sunny.
"But this weekend we're coming here with a number of significant upgrades to the car which we believe will deliver the goods. I wouldn't put any numbers on it, but we are hoping it's going to be a fairly big margin here.
"I suppose the degree of improvement depends on what the rest of the grid have done, but we've not been too far away from making it to Q3 in the last race.
"We were only three-and-a-half/four tenths away. In China we were pretty strong too. We're hopeful our upgrade is bigger than what they have."
Di Resta though admitted his team has yet to decide whether it will introduce all the new parts — which include a new aero package with new wings as well as a blown floor — this weekend.
"I'm fairly reserved in that matter because at the end of the day we won't know until we get on track," he said. "We are going into it with an open mind. Obviously the team has done the best job possible, but until you get it in the car...
"We've seen many teams trying many different things and not racing them. We are fairly reserved but I'm sure the team will do a professional job and make sure that the right approach is needed and be sure that we put what we think is the best race car on track on Saturday morning."
While Di Resta will be aiming to get back into the points since the second grand prix of the year in Malaysia, current world champ Sebastian Vettel is hoping to further increase his lead in the championship.
The Red Bull ace, who has won three of the opening grands prix and already leads the McLaren of his nearest rival Lewis Hamilton by 34 points, finished third at the Circuit de Catalunya behind his team-mate Mark Webber 12 months ago.
Sandwiched between the two Red Bulls was the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso and yesterday the double world champ committed his future to the Maranello team until 2016.
"I am very happy to have reached this agreement," he smiled. "I immediately felt comfortable within Ferrari and now it feels to me like a second family.
"I have the utmost faith in the men and women who work in Maranello and in those who lead them: it is therefore natural for me to decide to extend my relationship in the long term like this, with a team at which I will no doubt end my Formula 1 career one day."
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Jim McGill