Di Resta's passage to Indiaposted in F124 | 10 | 2011
BATHGATE'S PAUL DI RESTA returns to Formula One action this weekend when he fires his Sahara Force India car up for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.
And before boarding his flight to Delhi, the 25-year-old Scot gave his views on the new 3.2-mile Buddh International Circuit — predicted to be the second-fastest on the calendar — and what it means to be racing for an India-owned team in India.
"It's definitely going to be something special this weekend," Di Resta (pictured), who finished 10th last time out at Korea, admitted. "India is a massive country with a growing following for Formula One, so I think we're in for a big weekend.
Watch our video interview of Paul di Resta
"Of course, F1 isn't as big as cricket is in India — at least not yet — but the sport, and especially Sahara Force India, has a big, big following."
That support will unquestionably have increased following the recent $100 million investment ploughed into the team by Sahara's Subrata Roy.
"Yes, it's a very exciting development for the team, and the timing couldn't have been better coming just days before the first Indian Grand Prix," Di Resta continued.
"But for me and everyone in the Sahara Force India team, we'll be preparing for the weekend exactly the same we way do for any other race.
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"Of course I have a few extra media events to attend and take part in, but the structure of the actual weekend is exactly the same as any other F1 weekend.
"Is there any additional pressure on us? Probably. Everyone in India will be expecting us to score points, but again that's no different to what our aims are at every grand prix.
"We've shown in the second-half of the season that the Sahara Force India car has a lot of pace, and the Mercedes engine is reliable. That combination should, hopefully, put us in the points again this weekend."
Since leaving Korea 10 days ago, Di Resta has been racking up the miles, managing just a couple of nights back at his Monaco flat.
Having flown back from Seoul, Di Resta headed to the UK for a simulator session to gain experience of the all-new Buddh circuit.
Then it was home for a night before travelling to Hockenheim for the final round of the DTM Championship.
"It was freezing," the Scot, who dominated last year's DTM Championship in his Mercedes, laughed. "We were scraping the windscreen of the car every morning we were there."
Paul di Resta scores more F1 points in Korea
But it was a working weekend for Di Resta. In addition to Mercedes celebrating the success of the C-Class, the Scot also drove the all-new 2012-season Mercedes DTM car for the first time in front of the 100,000-plus crowd.
Now though his attention is focused on this weekend and the new $215 million Buddh track, designed by Hermann Tilke, and which sits in Uttar Pradesh near Delhi.
"I haven't seen the track yet," Di Resta explained. "In fact none of the drivers have seen it, so it'll be a big learning curve for everyone.
"But from what I've seen on the simulator, it's an exciting track. There are a lot of undulations and blind corners, in fact there's a big variety of corners, plus three long straights.
"And it's going to be tough on the tyres; that's a definite. The combination of the hot temperatures — we're expecting track temps of 40-degrees — the new surface, and the hard and soft compounds Pirelli are bringing pretty much ensures that managing the tyres will be crucial.
"Having said all that, the whole Sahara Force India team is confident, given our recent performances, that we can maintain our point-scoring record and give our Indian fans something to cheer."
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Jim McGill