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.
No comments:
Post a Comment