IT'S OFFICIAL: I HAVE MY FIRST F1 POINT

Silverstone, England: Tuesday, March 29, 2011

It's official: Paul became has become the 59th driver to score a Formula One World Championship point on his debut. Confirmation came today when Sauber announced it will not go ahead with its appeal against the decision to be excluded from the Australian Grand Prix.
The decision means both Force India drivers Adrian Sutil and Paul are promoted to ninth and 10th in the official results.

"It's fantastic now to be confirmed as a world championship points-scorer on my Formula One debut. I was satisfied to originally finish 12th in my first race, but to be told on Sunday I'd been promoted to 10th was great.
"Obviously then there were doubts, and I wasn't able to really celebrate because Sauber said they were going to appeal the stewards' decision.
"But today's announcement that they have decided not to appeal means I'm now officially in the record books as an F1 points scorer. Now I have to focus on building on this platform for the rest of the year.
"Of course, it's not just great for me, but it's a super start to the season for the Force India team having both drivers score points in the first race.
"As I've said before, we know the car needs a little more speed, but we also know that it's coming due to the developments we're carrying out.
"But scoring points in my first race: that's pretty mega."

Source : pauldiresta.com

Interview - Adrian Sutil Q&A

“In general it was a good weekend for us” - Adrian

After a winter of speculation about the new rules – and how the teams  would stack up – the action finally got underway in Melbourne. Adrian  Sutil and Paul di Resta demonstrated the reliability of the VJM04 by  bringing the cars home in 11th and 12th on the road, before the  exclusion of both Saubers for a technical infringement moved the pair  into the points in ninth and 10th. Given that the drivers know there is a strong update package in the pipeline, it as a solid start to 2011.  We asked Adrian for his thoughts on a fascinating weekend for Formula One. Q: There has been a lot to talk about this weekend. What’s your overall verdict? It was quite an interesting weekend, I think! Everybody thought it was going  to be challenging with new tyres, the wing, all the buttons, and everything that you had to  do. But it turned out to be a normal race as usual. Q: What did you think of the Pirelli tyres? The tyres worked very well, and you could even do a one-stop strategy and it  really worked! I had a similar feeling when I was on the soft or hard, the tyre was just lasting and lasting. It was really good. It was surprising, but I think it was a  good job from Pirelli. Let’s see how it is in the next race in Malaysia. That’s going to be a little bit different on tyres, with extreme heat and high speed corners it is  always challenging. Q: What was your own tyre strategy? I did option/prime/prime. I felt very comfortable on the prime all weekend, I could  switch them on really well, so I decided on that strategy. Q: How would you sum up the team’s weekend? In general it was a good weekend for us. The car was not so bad. We expected  the worst as the pace wasn’t there in Barcelona during testing. But here it was  much better in qualifying, and in the race both cars finished, so it was a good result in the end. Q: How did things go from the start? I lost a little in the first corner. It looked like I was going to gain a little bit, but in the  end there was a bit of a mess! The fight for position got a little too close for me and I did not want to lose my front wing, so I had to back off, and I lost three or four places.  Then I thought, ‘OK, wait a few corners, they’re going to eliminate themselves anyway,’  and that’s how it happened. There were three or four cars out of the race and I was there  where I wanted to be. So from that point of view it was quite good. I’ve had quite a few shunts in the first corner here, and I know if you just try to stay in the race you’re going to  be well placed in the end. Q: How did your race unfold after that? It was OK, but I think I missed a position. I was fighting against Buemi at the beginning,  once I fought past other cars. I was right behind him, and I went into the pits a lap later  to have the extra lap advantage on new tyres. But the pit stop wasn’t so good, as we  lost around four seconds with a problem with the left rear. I went out of pits still in front  of him, but with new tyres you’re so slow in the first sector, and he passed me by going  completely off track. Then Paul passed me, and I had to get past Paul again, and Buemi  was gone.    Source : forceindiaf1.com

Di Resta: Worth the wait

BATHGATE'S PAUL DI RESTA not only made his Formula One racing debut in the Australian Grand Prix, but the 24-year-old scored his first world championship point. And the F1 rookie admitted the waiting had 'definitely been worth it'.

Di Resta, who started his first F1 race with Force India from 14th on the grid, two places ahead of his more experienced team-mate Adrian Sutil, delivered a strong and mature performance throughout the 58 laps round the tight and demanding Albert Park street circuit in downtown Melbourne.

"To score a world championship point in my first grand prix is a great achievement, both for me and the team. Hopefully this will be the first of many, but it's fantastic to know the records show I've already scored a world championship point." — Paul di Resta

Immediately all five red lights straddling the start line been flicked off to signal the start of the 2011 F1 season, the Scot displayed his race craft, pace and skill.

Searing past a number of cars immediately ahead of him, and avoiding a collision which ultimately forced the retirement of seven-times world champ Michael Schumacher's Mercedes, Di Resta quickly found himself up to 10th.

"Hopefully the first point of many"

Settling quickly into the pace and rhythm of F1, the 2010 DTM champ swapped places with Sutil throughout the race before different fuel strategies meant the German eased ahead.

But hours after the Force India duo took the chequered flag in 11th and 12th places respectively, the Saubers of Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi, who had originally finished seventh and eight, were disqualified for technical infringements. That decision elevated Di Resta to 10th, and his first world championship point.

"To score a world championship point in my first grand prix is a great achievement, both for me and the team," Di Resta said afterwards. "Hopefully this will be the first of many, but it's fantastic to know the records show I've already scored a world championship point."

And the quietly-spoken and ambitious Scot, while acknowledging he was satisfied with his performance over the weekend, also admitted he'd made a few mistakes in the race but knows he has already learned from the.

"Yes, I did make a few mistakes, especially on in-laps with the procedures that you have to go through, but this is still a learning experience for me and so much of it is new," he explained afterwards.

"Physically I wasn't too bad"

"So long as I don't make the same mistake twice, I can move on from that and I know I'll be faster in the next race in Malaysia. The mistakes didn't look so much from the outside but I know I lost enough time to make a difference to me being able to challenge other people.

"Physically I wasn't too bad. To be honest, I would have said I had more problems with the race simulation at Barcelona, but I think this Australia is well-known for not being too hard.

"I think the concentration level — with everything that is going on in the cockpit, knowing and remembering when you can use the rear wing, the KERS and just managing it all — is one of the toughest aspects of racing a modern F1 car."

And Di Resta also acknowledged he felt the overall performance was better than the team had expected after the pre-season tests in Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona.

"It was definitely quite productive for a first race," he continued. "I made a reasonable start and really had just had a reasonable battle with Kamui Kobayashi. But I didn't come off the best from that battle and I think our speed showed where we finished.

"Relatively, looking at it our performance was better than we expected this weekend. Coming into this we knew it was going to be hard for the first three grands prix until some new upgrades come in and a new philosophy from our design department."

"I need to work on my performance"

The Scot too is keen to work at staying ahead of team-mate Sutil, recognised in the pitlane as one of the grittiest and quickest drivers in F1.

"I sat out Friday morning free practice to allow our test driver Nico (Hulkenberg) time in the race car," Di Resta explained, "so given the fact I missed one complete session, it's been quite a big job to stay in front.

"I managed to qualify in front of Adrian, and I was in front of him — and stayed in front — at the start of the race as well. I think what I need to work on is my own performance in qualifying, learning how the track improves and how it is at low fuel and stay in front of him.

"It's just about being on the top all the time and using your engineer to predict what the car is going to be like going into a qualifying session, what the track is going to be like and how it evolves."

Now though, Di Resta will have a few days well-deserved rest and reflection before heading to Malaysia and the second grand prix at Sepang on April 10.

FANTASTIC TO SCORE MY FIRST POINT

Melbourne, Australia: Sunday, March 27, 2011

Paul made his point today with an impressive and solid Formula One race debut in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The 24-year-old, who started 14th on the grid, took the chequered flag in his Mercedes-powered Force India in 12th position, one place behind his team-mate Adrian Sutil.

But following the disqualification of the two Sauber-Ferraris a few hours later, both Force India cars were promoted to ninth and 10th, meaning Paul had scored his first Formula One World Championship point on his debut.

"Scoring a world championship point on my race debut is fantastic. We had quite a good start and fight with Kobayashi, but that allowed one of the Toro Rosso's by and from there we lost a bit of momentum," Paul, who had eased himself up to 10th by the need of the opening lap, explained.
"Our pace was just a little bit behind today, but hopefully by Malaysia we will be able to understand why and, when the upgrades come, perform at bit better.
"Adrian and I were on different strategies and we had to fuel conserve toward the end that's why the gap opened up. I am going into Malaysia to try to do a better job than I did here today, but overall I am relatively happy."

Di Resta delighted with GP debut

British rookie Paul di Resta says his Formula 1 debut was 'definitely worth the wait' after a strong showing in his maiden grand prix for Force India.

The 24-year-old Scot outqualified his more experienced team-mate Adrian Sutil, and then ran ahead of the German in the race before moving over twice to allow for varying strategies.

Di Resta finished in 12th bu was elevated to 10th after the Sauber drivers were disqualified.

Afterwards the DTM champion declared himself satisfied with his performance over the weekend.

"It was quite productive for a first race," said di Resta on the BBC's red button review programme. "I made a reasonable start and really had just had a reasonable battle with Kamui Kobayashi. But I didn't come off the best from that battle and I think our speed showed where we finished.

"Relatively looking at it our performance was better than we expected this weekend. Coming into this we knew it was going to be hard for the first three grands prix until some new upgrades come in and a new philosophy from our design department."

Di Resta added that he made a few errors in his first race, but said that he intended to learn from his experiences moving forward to Malaysia.

"Physically I wasn't too bad, I would have said that I had more problems with the race simulation at Barcelona, but I think this one is well-known for not being too hard," he said. "I think the concentration level, and everything that is going on in the cockpit, and when you can use the rear wing, the KERS and just managing it all.

"I did make a few mistakes, especially on in-laps with the procedures that you have to go through. It didn't look so much from the outside but I lost enough time to make a difference of me challenging other people.

"But it's new and so long as I don't make the same mistake twice, I can move on from that."

Asked what it would take to establish himself over Sutil, di Resta replied: "I think this weekend given that I missed the first free practice, it's been quite a big job to stay in front.

"I managed to qualify in front of Adrian and I was in front of him at the start of the race as well. I think my own performance is what needs to be worked on and certainly in qualifying, learning how the track improves and how it is at low fuel and stay in front of him.

"It's just about being on the top all the time and using your engineer to predict what the car is going to be like going into a qualifying session, what the track is going to be like and how it evolves."

Source : Autosport.com

Force India Scores point after Sauber disqualification

Both the Forceindia scored points today after Sauber disqualification of Saubers. Paul di resta scores point on his debut.... 

Australian Grand Prix - Force India Drivers Quotes

Adrian Sutil (11th)
“Generally it was not a bad race. Coming from 16th was not easy; the start itself was good and as usual there were a lot of cars at the first corner, but I made up several places by the end of lap one. We had good performance on the track and in the end it was a good race for the first one of the season. It is a shame that we were just outside the top ten, but we hope to have improved our pace and be in the points in Malaysia.”

Paul di Resta (12th)
“We had quite a good start and fight with Kobayashi, but that allowed one of the Toro Rosso's by and from there we lost a bit of momentum. Our pace was just a little bit behind today, but hopefully by Malaysia we will be able to understand why and, when the upgrades come, perform at bit better. Adrian and I were on different strategies and we had to fuel conserve toward the end that's why the gap opened up. I am going into Malaysia to try to do a better job than I did here today, but overall I am relatively happy.”

Otmar Szafnauer, chief operating officer
“It was good to see both Force India cars run a consistent race today. It is, of course, disappointing to finish just outside the points, but we have to look at the positives and what we have learned this weekend. Paul drove an impressive first race, looking after his tyres and showing that he has made a comfortable transition into F1. Adrian made up five places from the start and gave a good performance today. Moreover, the team's results confirm that our reliability is there, what we need to work on now is our race pace to be genuinely in the hunt for points.”

Q & A: Di Resta on his F1 debut

Paul di Resta got his first season in a Formula 1 race seat off to a strong start with 14th on the grid in Melbourne - two places ahead of his Force India team-mate Adrian Sutil after the German's wild spin.

AUTOSPORT heard di Resta's thoughts afterwards as he built up to the biggest race of his life so far.

Q. How did your first qualifying session as an F1 driver feel?

Paul di Resta: I think I would have been pretty satisfied with 14th given our relative performance over the winter. This weekend we've gone in a good direction, almost better than predicted, and I managed to get 14th.

It surprised me a bit how much the track developed. It's the first time that you get onto low fuel and with the track improving all the time, so you're a little bit behind where you need to be. But given more runs, that came and there was just a bit of a mistake on my last run in Q2 - we only used one set to save a set for the race. Luckily enough it didn't hamper the position because I don't think we would have been close enough to beat a Sauber but we can take some positives from it.

Long-run wise we've looked closer to our competitors with the extra fuel on board, conserving the tyres doesn't seem to be too bad. We're in a reasonable position for tomorrow.

Q. Was it nerve-wracking?

PDR: I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be, but I was definitely nervous because that's what gets your adrenalin going. You've got to be nervous to perform or else you're not in the right job. Everybody gets nervous, but it was all under control and I think I probably made mistakes on each run, but that's just experience of trying to get that last bit out of the car.

Q. What's it going to feel like waiting for the start?

PDR: You need to be under control, that's for sure. Definitely a lot is going to go through my head up to that point but at the same time it's a new experience. I've done a race sim, but not around other cars.

I think it is just a case of keeping your nose clean and then see how our performance is. Up to this point, I'm quite satisfied with how I have done so far. So hopefully that continues.

Q. You outqualified Adrian Sutil – is that a good way to start?

PDR: Yes, it is. I've been relatively competitive against him. He obviously spun, but at the same time you have got to finish the lap. I made a mistake as well, but got away with it and lost three tenths or something. It would have been quite close between us, and it shows that we are both working and going in the same direction. You've got to stay focused because I've got more guys than just Adrian to beat.

Q. Were you surprised at the outright pace of the Red Bulls at the front?

PDR: Probably not, given what they've been like this weekend. The biggest surprise for me, and for everyone, is what McLaren and Lewis Hamilton achieved. They have done a damn good job and Lewis has got it on the front row.

Q. You were about eight tenths off making Q3. Are you confident that with some car improvements you can be within striking distance of the top 10 in a few races?

PDR: We are a bit closer than eight tenths. If you take everything into account it's about four or five tenths, so it's reachable. Certainly there is new stuff coming that should give us big performance gains.

Q. Melbourne has high attrition. If you keep your nose clean do you have a chance of points?

PDR: I don't know. It's in the future. It's just about getting it off the line and going forward if you can.

Q. Is this just another race to you, or is it a big thing to be starting an F1 race?

PDR: You've got to treat it as another race. Yes, I'm a Formula 1 driver but I'm here to race for myself and for Force India.

Q. Is a two-stop race possible?

PDR: There are different variations. The degradation doesn't seem quite so high so it depends what risks people want to take and how it pans out.

Di Resta: Result above expectations

Paul di Resta said his 14th place in Melbourne qualifying was better than he had expected for his first grand prix, and believes a return to the top 10 is not far away for Force India.

The team's testing form had been disappointing, with di Resta's team-mate Adrian Sutil openly admitting that Force India had not made the progress it had hoped for over the winter.

But di Resta felt the outcome of qualifying in Australia was very encouraging.

"I think I would have been pretty satisfied with 14th given our relative performance over the winter," he said. "This weekend we've gone in a good direction, almost better than predicted, and I managed to get 14th."

He also believes the 0.8-second gap from his time to a top-10 spot would have been smaller had he got the maximum out of the car.

"If you take everything into account it's about four or five tenths, so it's reachable," di Resta said. "Certainly there is new stuff coming that should give us big performance gains."

He also expects the team to be more competitive in race trim than it was in qualifying.

"Long-run wise we've looked closer to our competitors with the extra fuel on board, conserving the tyres doesn't seem to be too bad. We're in a reasonable position for tomorrow," said the Scot.

Di Resta was pleased to outqualify Sutil, who was 16th after a dramatic spin, but played down the relevance of the achievement.

"I've been relatively competitive against him. He obviously spun, but at the same time you have got to finish the lap," said di Resta.

"I made a mistake as well, but got away with it and lost three tenths or something. It would have been quite close between us, and it shows that we are both working and going in the same direction.

"You've got to stay focused because I've got more guys than just Adrian to beat."

Qualifying - Force India drivers quotes

Paul di Resta (14th, Q2 - 1m 26.739s)
“I think if you'd have said that we would be starting the race from P14 going in to qualifying, we'd have been pretty happy. So for my first qualifying session I think we have to be happy with our result today and it gives me a place to build on for the future. I'd like to thank everyone in the team for their efforts and I'm really looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

Adrian Sutil (16th, Q2 - 1m 31.407s)
“During qualifying itself our speed was ok and better than expected. On my flying lap in Q2 I was only a few hundred metres from the finish line when I ran wide on the kerb, lost the rear and had a spin. It is a shame because I was on for a 1:26.1 so I could have been in the region of P12. It's looking quite good for the race tomorrow; for sure we have opportunities to pass people with the rear wing and KERS, so let’s see how it goes.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Force India chief operating officer
“Today's standings built on our free practice results and gave us some additional information on the Pirelli tyres. Australia is a race renowned for its high rate of attrition and we feel confident that our tried and tested KERS hybrid system and overall reliability will hold us in good stead. We have paid close attention to our tyre strategy today as we believe that tyre choice and management will impact significantly on performance throughout the grid tomorrow. Whilst it would have been preferable to qualify higher up the grid, we are targeting race points and look forward to getting the season underway.”




Source: Formula1.com

FIA Friday press conference - Australia - Paul Di Resta

Q: Paul, you were also quicker than your team-mate as well. Your feelings about today?
PdiR: Again, it is quite difficult to come to your first grand prix. I obviously sat out FP1. Nico (Hulkenberg) was in the car and session two was quite tricky with the weather. Also the traffic, just trying to get some clear laps to give me a good idea going into tomorrow. I think it was quite positive. We ran through the programme we had to so we will certainly need to sit down and analyse it and try just to improve upon myself where I think most of the time will be.


Q: As you say, you sat out the morning session. That must have been quite difficult but on the other hand you had your morning session a year ago.
PdiR: Yeah, the morning session is a bit different. It gives you a bit more time. When you go out with all these guys and they are all up to speed a bit quicker, you obviously have to pace yourself a bit. But it is my first grand prix so I have to work from the bottom and try and work my way to the top. Every lap around Melbourne is key. You can quite easily make a mistake. I had to get through the programme going into tomorrow.


Q: How different for you is Formula One this year from last year?
PdiR: It is quite different. Thankfully I was able to go to all the grands prix last year and also take part in some of the testing in FP1 so it is not that new to me. But at the same time there is extra pressure, extra demands on you as a race driver. But you know what the case is when you take this job. I want to stay very focussed and put the effort in and keep a long-term relationship in Formula One and also with the team.


Q: A lot of people would say you were a touring car driver and now you are a single seater driver. That perhaps is over-extending it, but how different are the cars?
PdiR: They are quite different, there is no denying it. But Formula One has always been my dream to get here. It is the car I want to drive. You can’t really compare them. They are both at a different level. Equally I enjoyed racing DTM with Mercedes-Benz. I had four great years there. I think it has prepared me well but this step is also very big and only time will tell how the transition is. But relatively, up until now, I feel quite confident, quite comfortable. I need to put a lot of effort in and work up.


Source :Formula1.com

Australian Grand Prix Free Practice Report

FP1 objectives	Pirelli tyre evaluation, assessment of new rear wing, cooling of engine, KERSand brakes
FP2 objectives	Long run comparisons at race fuel, test of the DRS race mode and SC systems
Weather	Overcast with occasional light rain
Temperatures	Air: 16-17°C    Track: 20-23°C

Adrian Sutil (car 14, VJM04/04)

FP1	13th	1:29.314 (19 laps)
FP2	17th	1:28.583 (31 laps)

It was not a bad day. We had quite a few new components on the car to test and the rear wing made a good difference. In the second session we put it all together with a few more sets of tyres, but we had a small issue with the floor and lost a little bit of running. It takes a good three to four laps to get the tyres working for us, on a hard tyre maybe longer, and at the beginning we suffered from understeer and front locking. It is important to look at the other drivers’ lap times now to see what they achieved with the different tyre compounds. I am getting to grips with operating the KERS and the rear wing and am confident in the system. I am aiming to qualify mid-table tomorrow - I think that is possible, so let’s see what we can do.

Paul Di Resta (car 15, VJM04/02)

FP1		Did not participate
FP2	16th	1:28.376 (33 laps)

It was a good to have the opportunity to start my season today. We were able to complete our planned programme and the tyres performed better than I expected. Overall I felt quite comfortable with the new systems on the car, but until I get into a competitive situation it is still too early to say how we’ll do. We have another practice session in the morning, and so we’ll look at the data from today and work on the small issues we had and our programme for Qualifying. I am excited about tomorrow, but at the same time there is a job to be done and my focus is to achieve the best result I can for the team.

Nico Hülkenberg (car 15, VJM04/02)

FP1	18th	1:31.002 (20 laps)
FP2		Did not participate

It was an interesting FP1 and I learnt a lot again about the tyres and the car. Driving with just one set of tyres was pretty difficult because I picked up a flat spot early on which distracted my further running. The rubber wore quite quickly and caused a lot of vibrations, which made it tough to run. But I got some good laps in and collected some good data for the engineers to look at. I am happy to have driven here in Melbourne again and to pick up some more experience and information for the team.

Dominic Harlow, circuit engineering director

We had two objectives for the first practice session; for Nico to gather as much data on the prime tyre as possible and for Adrian to evaluate a new rear wing. Paul drove this circuit last year, so it’s not completely new for him. Over the course of the season Adrian and Paul will both share their car with Nico on a Friday, so we’re simply keeping things balanced. FP2 ran to programme, with long run comparisons at race fuel and a test of the DRS race mode and SC systems. It’s been a productive day and we are looking ahead to what will be a fascinating race weekend.

Di Resta undaunted

SCOT PAUL DI RESTA will lock horns with world champs Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel when he makes his Formula One race debut in Australia this Sunday; and the boy from Bathgate isn't daunted by the prospect.

"Why should I be daunted," the 24-year-old, who will follow in the footsteps of Scots world champs Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart, as well as grand prix winner David Coulthard when he lines up on the grid for his first F1 race, stated today.

"Obviously I want to win the world championship. As a racing driver you want to win every race you start, and every championship you enter; and I'm no different. But it will take time; it won't happen immediately" — Paul

"They may have more F1 experience than me, but I've proved I have the ability, skill and pace to be on the same track and go racing wheel-to-wheel with them. I know I can mix it with the best in Formula One."

And mixing it is exactly what Di Resta aims to do in his Mercedes-powered Force India car. The Scot, acknowledged as probably the most naturally gifted young driver in the world not to have raced in F1 until now, has already locked horns with the likes of Hamilton and Vettel.

"I also managed to beat Vettel"

"We all raced in the European Formula 3 Championship," Di Resta explained. "Lewis was always a couple of years ahead of me in experience, but I managed to finish ahead of him. I also managed to beat Vettel."

The German was Di Resta's team-mate in the ASM team which dominated the 2006 Euro F3 championship but it was the Scot, with five race wins in the season, who outpaced Vettel to clinch a notable major title.

But while his rival — who finished second in the championship — was bankrolled into F1, initially joining Sauber, Di Resta switched to the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) as part of the Mercedes Young Driver Development Programme.

Immediately the Scot shone and despite driving a two-year-old car finished fifth in the championship. After narrowly missing out on the title in 2008 and '09, he dominated the championship last year, winning three races in succession, to take the title.

Di Resta's achievement was all the more impressive in that while launching a full-out assault in DTM, he was also test and reserve driver with Force India. Not only did his responsibilities involve attending all 19 grands prix around the globe, but he took part in numerous Friday morning practice sessions.

"I was definitely ready for the next step"

"There's no denying that experience has certainly helped me so far this year," Di Resta, who stopped-off in Mumbai for a promotional appearance with his Force India team en route to Melbourne, contined.

"When I turned up for the first pre-season F test at Valencia in February, I certainly felt at home because I knew how the Force India team worked, I knew the personnel and I knew the car. So I was definitely ready for the next step."

That next step was to join team-mate Adrian Sutil as a fully-fledged F1 racing driver. Like his cousin, triple IndyCar champ and double Indy500 winner Dario Franchitti, Di Resta eschews the glamour and glitz preferring, instead, his close circle of family and friends. And the youngster is always quick to identify the person without whom he wouldn't have progressed to F1.

"It's all down to my dad Louis," he continued. "I owe it all to him; there's no question about it. He's the person who not only got me into karting, but worked in the cold garage to prepare the kart for me to race. He's the guy who got his hands dirty. All I had to do was race. This is all as much for dad as it is for me."

"I want to win every race I start"

Di Resta snr though will have to wait a while before seeing his boy in action. As someone who will not fly, he's expected to drive to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of May.

Before that though Di Resta — now a global ambassador for Whyte & Mackay whisky — is quietly confident he will have shown in the opening grands prix that he has what it takes to not only be competitive, but eventually to win races and ultimately the world championship.

"Obviously I want to win the world championship," he admitted. "As a racing driver you want to win every race you start, and every championship you enter; and I'm no different. But it will take time; it won't happen immemdiately.

"I'm with a super team at Force India and while I'm not going to make any predictions, I know the pace, reliability and performance we have. Hopefully we can spring a surprise or two this season."