Paul finished the European Grand Prix in Valencia today 14th. Afterwards he gave his thoughts on a tough weekend:

“I’m not sure that we got the strategy quite right today. There were a couple of laps in the first stint where my tyres had gone off and we didn’t stop early enough. We made up for that during the second stop, when I jumped (Nick) Heidfeld and (Rubens) Barrichello, but I lost out again at my final stop.
"It’s tough when the tyres go off because it costs you around two and a half seconds per lap, which is a lot when the fight in the middle of the pack is so close.
"Even without those issues it would have been tough to score points today because overtaking was more difficult that I thought it would be, even with the DRS zone. So it hasn’t been the best of weekends, but I’ll put that behind me and look forward to my home race at Silverstone.”
But Paul's performance was praised by Force India chairman and team principal, Dr Vijay Mallya.
“Paul once again delivered a fighting drive, but was unlucky with the way the strategy unfolded. It was a reminder that even stopping one lap too late can be very costly in terms of track position.
"So we leave Valencia pleased to be back in the points and determined to carry our good form into Silverstone, a local circuit for our factory and a race that everybody enjoys.”

Source: pauldiresta.com

Grand Prix of Europe ForceIndia Race Report

Adrian Sutil converted his strong qualifying  position into points today as he raced to a  well-earned ninth place in the European  Grand Prix. Teammate Paul Di Resta finished  the race in P14.

P9 Adrian Sutil, VJM04/04 Tyre strategy: Used option, new option, used option, new prime     Adrian:  “To finish ninth feels great and I’m pleased that we’ve  managed to get the maximum from the car through the whole weekend.  I made a good start: jumping ahead of Heidfeld and was then  able to keep up with Schumacher in the first stint. I pushed  hard but there was no opportunity to get by him. In the middle  of the race I had some clear track, good race pace and we were up  to P8. After the final stop, I came out behind Alguersuari, who was  doing a two-stop race. I tried all I could to overtake him, but the DRS  zone did not make overtaking very easy and I had to settle for P9.  The car felt really nice to drive today and I’m really happy for the  whole team with this result.”     P14 Paul Di Resta, VJM04/02 Tyre strategy: Used option, used option, used option, new prime     Paul: “I’m not sure that we got the strategy quite right today.  There were a couple of laps in the first stint where my tyres  had gone off and we didn’t stop early enough. We made up for  that during the second stop, when I jumped Heidfeld and Barrichello,  but I lost out again at my final stop. It’s tough when the tyres go off  because it costs you around two and a half seconds per lap, which is a  lot when the fight in the middle of the pack is so close. Even  without those issues it would have been tough to score points today  because overtaking was more difficult that I thought it would be,  even with the DRS zone. So it hasn’t been the best of weekends,  but I’ll put that behind me and look forward to my home race at Silverstone.”     Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and Team Principal “The two points scored by Adrian are a welcome reward after  a very strong weekend for us. The car has worked well from the  start of practice and Adrian has not put a foot wrong. The only  frustration is that we were unable to contain the Toro Rosso of  Alguersuari, who managed to jump ahead of Adrian with a  two-stop strategy. Paul once again delivered a fighting drive,  but was unlucky with the way the strategy unfolded. It was a  reminder that even stopping one lap too late can be very costly  in terms of track position. So we leave Valencia pleased to  be back in the points and determined to carry our good  form into Silverstone, a local circuit for our factory and a race  that everybody enjoys.”

I can score points from here

Valencia, Spain: Saturday, June 25, 2011

Paul starts tomorrow's European Grand Prix from 12th on the grid after a difficult weekend. The 25-year-old Scot sat out all but 10 minutes of Friday's two 90-minute Free Practice sessions after Force India reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg crashed his race car in the morning session.

Despite the limited track time, Paul narrowly missed out on a top 10 position today after lapping the Valencia harbourside track in a best time of 1min 39.422 secs.

"It was difficult," Paul admitted. "I think after Friday I was always going to be on the back foot having only done three timed laps. There was an unfortunate situation where Nico had an off in FP1 in my car which caused a lot of damage and took the guys quite a long time to repair yesterday.

"We went into this morning having changed something after three laps that didn't quite work, and we then had to revert back to our original set-up; we are where we are.
"I was up a little bit on my final lap in Q2 but I just seemed to make little mistake at Turn 17; I triggered something in the car and lost a downshift which lost me the advantage I'd gained on the rest of the lap.

"But I suppose it is what it is; you have to stay positive from it. We're in a position where I believe I can fight for points. The only thing which is uncertain is that I haven't done a long run with any high fuel, so I'm going into the race with an open mind of where to start he aero balance and stuff simply to get the maximum performance from the car.

"The biggest unknown is knowing how the car will perform under its high fuel load; at what point should you conserve the tyres a bit in the stint? But the biggest concern is what aero balance I'm going to start with, simply because I haven't driven the car with the fuel load.

"There's many things it leads to, even brake temperatures. People have been in this situation before and we'll just try and make the best we can from where we are, but hopefully I can still come through and score some good points."
And Paul's performance was praised by Force India owner Vijay Mallya.

"Paul has done an excellent job after losing nearly all his track time yesterday," the Indian billionaire said. "To qualify in P12 shows how well the entire team has worked to recover from a difficult situation.

"For tomorrow, we will fight hard and hopefully bring home some points.”

Source : Pauldiresta.com

Di Resta satisfied with recovery to P12 in Valencia qualifying

Paul di Resta says he is satisfied with his recovery in qualifying after losing nearly all of his practice time on Friday when Force India's test driver Nico Hulkenberg crashed his car.


The Scot will start 12th on the grid for the European Grand Prix, two places behind his team-mate Adrian Sutil, and di Resta said afterwards that he might have gone even quicker but for a mistake on his final flying lap in Q2.

"After the problems we had in free practice, I knew that I would be on the back foot today having only completed three timed laps yesterday," said di Resta. "But we tried our best this morning to get up to speed with the car before qualifying.

"On my final flying lap in Q2 I was on the edge and simply made a small mistake at turn 17 - I missed a downshift and ran wide. That meant I lost the advantage I'd made at the start of the lap. So I will start from P12, which is not too bad considering all that has happened this weekend.

"I'm staying positive and think that we can fight for points from there. The only unknowns are that I haven't done a long run on high fuel and it's difficult to know where to start with the aero balance or when to conserve the tyres. So we will try and make the most of what we know."

Sutil was delighted to have made it in to Q3 for the first time in 2011.

"The car has been working pretty well all weekend and I felt that we had a good chance to make it through to Q3 today," said the German. "But I knew that we would have to get the lap just right. That's why this result feels great because I got the maximum from the car. We didn't go out in Q3 because we felt it was better to save another set of soft tyres for the race.

"Also, we saw in Q2 that Heidfeld was three tenths away and that it would be difficult to improve on P10. So it's a good grid position, but the race is what counts so hopefully we can convert this into points tomorrow."

Source:Autosport.com

Qualifying - ForceIndia driver quotes

Adrian Sutil (10th, Q1 - no time)
“The car has been working pretty well all weekend and I felt that we had a good chance to make it through to Q3 today. But I knew that we would have to get the lap just right. That’s why this result feels great because I got the maximum from the car. We didn’t go out in Q3 because we felt it was better to save another set of soft tyres for the race. Also, we saw in Q2 that Heidfeld was three tenths away and that it would be difficult to improve on P10. So it’s a good grid position, but the race is what counts so hopefully we can convert this into points tomorrow.”

Paul di Resta (12th, Q2 - 1m 39.422s)
“After the problems we had in free practice, I knew that I would be on the back foot today having only completed three timed laps yesterday. But we tried our best this morning to get up to speed with the car before qualifying. On my final flying lap in Q2 I was on the edge and simply made a small mistake at Turn 17 - I missed a downshift and ran wide. That meant I lost the advantage I’d made at the start of the lap. So I will start from P12, which is not too bad considering all that has happened this weekend. I’m staying positive and think that we can fight for points from there. The only unknowns are that I haven’t done a long run on high fuel and it’s difficult to know where to start with the aero balance or when to conserve the tyres. So we will try and make the most of what we know.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India chairman & team principal
“Today’s qualifying performance confirms the progress we have made recently with the development of the VJM04. To see Adrian qualify in the top ten, ahead of one of the Renaults, is a tremendous effort and probably the most that we could have expected today. The car has been competitive right from the start of practice and it is satisfying to see that pace translated into a strong starting position. Paul has also done an excellent job after losing nearly all his track time yesterday. To qualify in P12 shows how well the entire team has worked to recover from a difficult situation. For tomorrow, we will fight hard and hopefully bring home some points.”


Source : formula1.com

Hulkenberg sorry for FP1 crash

Nico Hulkenberg limited both his own and
Paul di Resta's running © Sutton Images

Nico Hulkenberg says he apologised to Paul di Restafor crashing his car during first practice for the European Grand Prix.

Reserve driver Hulkenberg had replaced di Resta during FP1 in Valencia and had only completed seven laps when he lost control of the Force India under braking for turn 12 and hit the wall. The damage left the mechanics working throughout the afternoon to fix damage to the left hand side of the car, and meant di Resta was only able to take to the track with 10 minutes of the 90 minute second session remaining.

Hulkenberg said he had apologised to di Resta for limiting his time in the car, and that the incident was due to the lack of grip on the dusty track early on in the race weekend.

"I was one of the first drivers to start a proper run this morning when the track was quite green," Hulkenberg said. "Unfortunately I locked the rears under braking for turn 12 quite early in my run, the car turned left into the wall and caused quite a bit of damage. It all happened so quickly at 300 km/h and there was no chance to react and catch the car. I'm really sorry for the team and I've also apologised to Paul because it limited his time in the car this afternoon."

Di Resta praised the Force India mechanics for getting the car repaired, and said he would have to make up for lost time in the final hour-long session on Saturday.

"The way things unfolded today has been quite unfortunate," di Resta said. "Nico's accident this morning meant that my car wasn't ready for the start of second practice and I had to sit and wait. The guys did a great job to get everything repaired in time for me to get out for the final few minutes of the session, but I only managed three timed laps. It means there is plenty of work to do in final practice tomorrow morning to make up for the lost track time."

Source: en.espnf1.com

Di Resta's Spain aim

BATHGATE'S F1 ACE Paul di Resta is back in Formula One action this weekend when he fires up his Force India racer in Valencia for the European Grand Prix. Before heading to Spain, he spoke with Scotcars' Jim McGill about the aftermath of Montreal, his clash with Nick Heidfeld, coping with jetlag, talking with Radio 2's Chris Evans, and the Valencia street circuit:



JM: You've had time now to reflect on what happened in Montreal: what are your thoughts?
PdR: Obviously it's been quite a tough week. Having looked at everything, I was on for a very good finish and a lot of points for both me and the team. If I was in the same position again, I would still do what I did. I had made the move on Heidfeld, and what he was trying to achieve by trying to outbreak me on the outside and go round the outside of me was a bit unfair.
I still feel the penalty I got wasn't right, and yes, I would definitely make the same move again if I was in the same position. I definitely believe the move was on.There's a lot to learn from it. But people have to remember I'm a racing driver and I always want to get the best result possible.

Watching it on-screen, it was hard to take; it must have been difficult for you?
It was, but at the same time not everybody saw the onboard footage of what happened. I was just about passed Nick; I must have been about three-quarters alongside him, so it wasn't a move which wasn't going to happen.I'd got a good run on him off the Hairpin, I'd chosen the lap before not to make the move because I felt it wasn't quite on, but that lap it was definitely on. He knew I was there.Y'know, it is what it is. You can't reflect too much on it.


That said, how frustrating have the last two races been, seeing good points and very good finishes disappear?

I definitely wouldn't say frustrating. They've both been very good races and there's been a lot of very positive things which I've taken away from both Monaco and Montreal. You've got to take the good with the bad, I've always said there were going to be tougher times ahead in Formula One, and hopefully this is the toughest it's going to get.At the same point it drives you more and I just want to get back into the car and produce the goods again. and that's ultimately what I'll be doing this weekend.


What have you been up to since Canada?
Back home really trying to recover from the jetlag. I really seem to struggle with it. We got back on the Tuesday. So once over the jetlag, it was back into the training and really just doing the day-to-day work and getting stuff done in the office. Generally just regrouping before we go into Valencia.


The Chris Evans Show on Radio 2 must have been good fun?
Yeh, it was a good thing to do. When Jake (Humphrey) had asked me to do it I immediately said yes. Chris is a massive F1 fan and just a car enthusiast in general. I think it's important to do these shows.


You're clearly very at ease in a media environment?
Yes, again, Formula One is a massive business. Y'know, I understand the media attention is crucial to go forward, crucial for the team and important in making me the person I am; it comes with the job. It's a big business, so doing all these things is important. It's important to promote the team and I know how important the sport is for the UK; plus it's crucial to promote the British Grand Prix which is coming up in a fortnight.


Is the media build-up to the British Grand Prix already starting to affect you?
It is. Things are already being put in place and really it's going to be on me before I know it, but there is a grand prix before it which I need to be fully focused on. There's a lot of things to do, and I'm looking forward to it.


Valencia; you drove there last year in testing. What are your thoughts on the track?
It's quite a tough track. Tyre wear was a big issue last year, certainly early on in the weekend before it rubbered in; it is, of course, a street track. With extremely high track temps, and the hot weather we've got forecast this weekend, tyre wear is likely to be important again.


Expectations for the weekend?
Difficult to gauge. Hopefully we've got some small tweaks coming up which will help improve, well certainly influence our pace on the track. We'll definitely have a good programme on Friday to get through and hopefully we can take-off from where we were in Montreal. In Canada we definitely saw benefits from the flow we introduced in Monaco.


One final point: during a race does it ever enter your mind who you're competing against now?
A lot of these guys have got vast amounts of experience; they're going to fight for anything and everything they have. I'm certainly not fazed by them. If I think I can race them wheel-to-wheel I'll definitely race them, and I'll do it the fairest way possible; and I would hope to get the same treatment from them.They are just competitors. They may be people who I've looked up to as I've come through the junior formulae, but now I'm part of F1 and I want to make as big an impact as I can, especially coming in as a rookie.