Di Resta: Target No 1posted in F125 | 07 | 2012
BATHGATE'S PAUL DI RESTA returns to action this weekend when he tackles the Hungarian Grand Prix, 12 months after he finished seventh in the corresponding race in 2011.
And just days after the disappointment of Germany, when a misunderstanding during his first pitstop forced the 26-year-old Scot to change from the optimum three-top to a two-stop strategy, Di Resta is hoping to get back to scoring points for Sahara Force India.
"There's no denying Germany was disappointing, because I genuinely feel we had a car which was fast enough to finish in the points," he said.
"I flew straight back to Monaco after the race, so I've had two or three days back at home to recharge the batteries and get ready for Hungary.
"Fortunately, in many ways, we have a back-to-back race at the Hungaroring this weekend, so I can target world championship points for the team.
"It's one of the slowest circuits on the calendar. It’s a short track, but it’s very demanding on you physically and mentally.
"I suppose it’s like a street track in terms of the layout and all the corners seem to flow into each other so you need to find a good rhythm.
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"Because of the tight nature of the lap, there has never been much overtaking, so it's always a good test of the effectiveness of the DRS."
And Di Resta, who continues to be on the radar to fill potentially vacant seats at Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes for 2013, is eager to repeat his seventh-place finish of 12 months ago.
"I had a great race there last year when I finished seventh just before the summer break," the Whyte & Mackay whisky global ambassador continued.
"It was the best way to end the first part of the season because there had been a few races up to that point where things hadn’t gone our way.
"Getting the result in Hungary helped make up for some of the bad luck earlier in the season.
"We seem to have one of the more consistent cars in terms of performance and I think traditionally we’ve been a team that gets stronger as the year progresses.
"With 10 races still to go there are a lot of points on offer and a long way to go in the championship.
"We head into this weekend just one points behind Williams in seventh place in the Constructors' Championship, and it would be great to head into the summer break having got ahead of them.
"That's our primary objective for this weekend, and I know we have the car, and the pace to do it."
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Jim McGill
Watch Paul's video preview of the Hungarian Grand Prix