Points haul for Di Restaposted in F127 | 10 | 2013
BATHGATE'S PAUL DI RESTA fought off illness and a 3kg loss of weight to power his Sahara Force India home in eighth place in today's Indian Grand Prix.
Starting from 12th on the grid, Paul and his pitcrew immediately adopted an aggressive strategy pitting at the end of the opening 3.2-mile lap of the Buddh International Circuit to remove the soft compound Pirelli tyres, and fit the optimum mediums.
Splitting the 60-lap race into half, the 27-year-old Scot — who suffered from a tummy bug for most of the weekend — then pitted for the second time on lap 30, and completed the race on another set of medium tyres.
With Di Resta's team-mate Adrian Sutil finishing ninth, the result boosted Sahara Force India's chances of finishing sixth in the important Constructors' Championship.
"To get back in amongst the points in India was the perfect fillip for the team," Di Resta, backed by Whyte & Mackay Whisky, said afterwards. "To do it on home soil, in front of the packed grandstands, and in front of our directors and sponsors was brilliant.
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"After all the hard work the guys in the team — both in the pitlane garage, and back at the factory at Silverstone — have put in over the last few months, it was great to finally get back to scoring world championship points.
"We knew last time out in Japan that we'd turned a corner with the car: it handled better, was easier on the Pirelli tyres, and we were able to get higher all-round levels of performance out of the car.
"We've now opened the gap between us and Sauber in the race to finish sixth in the Constructors' Championship.
"For the team, the Constructors' Championship is crucial, as the higher you're placed, the more money the team gets for next year.
"Last year we finished seventh, which was disappointing, but now, with just three grands prix remaining, we've opened a 23-point lead over Sauber.
"Now I've a few day to rest and recuperate. I've lost about 3kgs in weight, so I think I'll manage to have a few extra puddings before we head to Abu Dhabi for this weekend's race.
"But everything feels good again. It makes such a difference to have the car back working the way we know it should, and hopefully now we can maintain this form through the final three grands prix."
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Jim McGill