Di Resta ready for F1 returnposted in F107 | 05 | 2013
FOR MOST OF US, a three-week break between jobs would be the perfect excuse to head to the pool, slap on the suncream, put our feet up and just chill. And especially if you throw the sun-kissed Mediterranean haven of Monaco into the equation. But for Formula One ace Paul di Resta, nothing could be further from reality.
The 27-year-old from Bathgate, who only narrowly missed out on his debut podium a fortnight ago in Bahrain, has been working tirelessly to ensure he can maintain his early season form.
If he's not been pummelling away in the gym, or doing countless lengths in the pool, he's been on two wheels cycling hundreds of kilometres in the mountains behind the millionaires' principality.
Four races into the season, Di Resta has harvested 20 championship points, and it's worth remembering, both he and his Sahara Force India team-mate Adrian Sutil were forced to retire in Malaysia when the car suffered a wheelnut problem. The Scot had been on course for another impressive haul of points.
But as the F1 circus packs its bags this week before heading to Barcelona for the start of the European-based grands prix, he knows he can't afford to rest on his laurels.
"Fourth in Bahrain, which equalled my best-ever finish in F1, was fantastic: I'm not denying that, but I want better," he stated as he took a break from his gruelling fitness regime in Monaco.
"We came very close to getting that first podium, and I know some people have criticised me for not putting up a bigger fight against Romain (Grosjean) when he passed me with five laps to go.
Scot Paul di Resta fourth in Bahrain
"What people have to realise is he had much fresher tyres on his car and would have got passed me anyway.
"Bahrain's one of the easiest circuits to pass on, plus it has two DRS zones, so why would I put the car, and the team's championship points at risk?"
While he was naturally disappointed to have missed out on the podium, it's a sign of Di Resta's ever-maturing approach to F1 that he instead focused on the positives.
"As a team we're punching way, way above our weight," he continued. "When you look at the budgets of some of the other teams we're battling with, we could almost be labelled as minnows.
"But that's not a negative. It highlights the depths of talent and commitment there is at Sahara Force India. We're all in this together, and we're making it work."
And when it isn't working, Di Resta isn't slow to tell the team. The Scot, who has always been known as a straight-talker, never mincing his words, gave TV viewers a perfect illustration during qualifying in Bahrain.
"I can't hear anything on the radio; it's just not good enough," Di Resta's calm, but cutting West Lothian tones stated over the car-to-pit radio.
Again, a section of onlookers were quick to see the negative and brand the Scot as moaning about the lack of information. The reality was somewhat different.
"The team had been brilliant on the radio right through the weekend until then," Di Resta, a global ambassador for Whyte & Mackay Whisky, explained. "But then it stopped working in qualifying.
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"Sorry, but if you want to be an F1 team you can't let a stupid thing like that lead to a penalty: I could easily have inadvertently impeded a rival's fast lap.
"For me it was a case of, 'Come on, wake up. I'm not asking for a new front wing, I'm asking for a radio that works!'
"The good thing is, we are very much a team. My comments were accepted well, we bashed some heads together and we had everything working in time for the race, which was the most important part of the weekend."
Heading into this season, opinions on Di Resta were split into two camps: those who saw him as a driver with 'top team' potential, and others who saw him as little more than a 'decent performer'.
There's no denying he has impressed this year, and the reality is that had he been in, let's say a Lotus, he'd have finished second in Bahrain.
The Scot started 2013 licking the wounds inflicted by both McLaren and Ferrari who snubbed him for this season, despite both having seriously considered him.
Armed with a topflight car, there is no denying Di Resta would deliver. It's no secret the decisions at McLaren and Ferrari were influenced by reasons outwith pure driving talent.
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It's also no secret a number of the top four teams — there are vacancies next year at Red Bull, Ferrari and Lotus — are closely monitoring his development through this year, a fact which has undoubtedly upped the pressure on the Scot.
"Pressure's good," Di Resta smiled. "I like pressure: it's what makes me perform. The tail-end of last season didn't work for me, but we know the technical reasons for that: they've been well documented. The problems were all out of my hands, out of my control.
"But this year we've bounced back very well, and it was definitely good to stand out consistently at the front of the field in Bahrain on merit."
And as he looks ahead to Spain next weekend, the Scot is quietly confident there's even more to come from his Silverstone-based team.
"I know the guys have been working away quietly behind the scenes to improve the car even further," he explained.
"Hopefully Bahrain wasn't the only time this season when we'll be fighting at the front of the grid. And hopefully we've a podium or two to come throughout the rest of the season."
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Jim McGill