Exclusive Q&A with Force India’s Vijay Mallya

Force India left Monaco with a haul of 12 points, equalling their best result of the year, as the team continue to enjoy their strongest ever start to a world championship campaign. And that was despite one car starting 17th on the grid.

With the VJM06 proving competitive on all types of circuit, and both their drivers seemingly at the top of their games, it’s no surprise team principal and managing director Vijay Mallya is upbeat on their prospects for the remainder of 2013 - and beyond…

Q: Vijay, three teams managed to get both of their cars into the points in Monaco: Mercedes, Red Bull Racing and Force India. How do you feel about that?
Vijay Mallya: I feel absolutely delighted. The fact that we’ve finished in front of Ferrari, McLaren and Lotus is indeed a memorable afternoon. (laughs)

Q: Force India are probably not frontrunners yet, but arguably a cut above the typical midfield squad. Where do you see your team in the pecking order?
VM: We are fifth in the championship standings in terms of points. We are a small team and we are very much punching above our weight. This is the commitment and dedication that we have. It is a fact that with every year we get better. Forty-four points from six races - that is the best start into the season in the history of the team. One can’t ask for more. We will keep up our development speed and we will keep on improving the car to get even more competitive. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to have a few podiums - at least that’s the plan for 2013. Next year with the new engine and our new Mercedes partnership we hopefully will run even higher.

Q: How satisfied are you with your two drivers?
VM: Very satisfied. Both of them drove brilliantly. We are where we are today despite the fact that Adrian (Sutil) has been very unlucky in three of the six races and sometimes we’ve had only one car in the points. Had we had a little better luck we always would have had both cars in the points and would have been higher up in the standings. But that’s racing and we accept that there is some degree of uncertainty that goes with the sport. But all in all our results are there for everybody to see. From the time I have taken over this team we are getting better every year.

Q: What was your feeling before the start of the race? Monaco is one of Adrian’s favourite tracks - he has always done well here - but he has also been very unlucky there, like the race when he was a sure-fire fourth until Kimi Raikkonen took him out…
VM: Yes, Adrian loves that track and we knew that if he would finish it would be a great result. He did some great manoeuvres at the hairpin - one to overtake (Fernando) Alonso and one to overtake (Jenson) Button. He tried that on the first lap and damaged his front wing, which of course wore on our nerves, but he then pulled it off brilliantly. He simply drove brilliantly. I am obviously a very happy man. (laughs)

Q: Your second man Paul di Resta didn’t progress beyond Q1 on Saturday, but still made it into the points despite having to start from P17…
VM: That shows how competitive our car is. Paul is a great driver and he should never have qualified 17th and got stuck in Q1 - this was clearly a mistake by us on the pit wall where we did not give him a fresh set of tyres - so starting from where he had to was clearly unrepresentative as far as I am concerned. But from that position, finishing ninth is brilliant.

Q: Why is the VJM06 so competitive?
VM: Because we get better with every year. We review our performance and implement higher and higher standards - the team works towards that and we achieve it. We deliver on the objectives that we set ourselves.

Q: Now that Force India have such good momentum under the current regulations, how difficult will 2014 be?
VM: 2014 will be a new challenge for everybody because it is a brand new engine. We have a new partnership with Mercedes for the entire powertrain, so as much as it challenging and to a little degree uncertain, we are quite confident that we will put together a good package.

Q: How important is delivering a good result this season to making the 2014 transition smoother?
VM: I think we have demonstrated to everybody - even to our worst critics - that we are capable of competing with the big boys and that we are capable of improving every year. And that is what matters.

Q: Is there any concern about the financial situation in 2014? Toro Rosso’s Franz Tost estimates that the powertrain will cost double what it is now…
VM: Well, I fear that is for sure. On one hand the FIA and FOTA - when it existed in full strength - had resolved that we need to reduce the costs of Formula One. But rather than reducing costs, one or two teams have decided winning at any cost is more important than the sustainability of the sport, so there is no resource restriction that is implemented, quite contrary to the fact that costs are going up. Whether it is the commercial rights holder, the FIA, or the teams themselves, I think it is very necessary that all the important stakeholders sit across the table and find a viable solution. If you only want three or four teams in Formula One running three cars each you should proceed in the way it is now. But I think Formula One also needs the smaller independent teams as well, so everybody must also look at the common interests - not only the individual interests.

Q: So many fingers were crossed in Monaco on Sunday for Force India - to see a small team taking on the big boys…
VM: I so much appreciated all the congratulations and the support that we got from our fans. I hope we gave back with the good start into the season and let me tell them, I plan to continue in that way!

Q: Doing well in Monaco is always that extra bit satisfying - and brings that extra bit of publicity…
VM: Ha, Monaco is my favourite race of the season. Probably it’s many people’s favourite race. It is very unique: the glamour, the atmosphere, and the track itself. There is something so legendary about the Monaco Grand Prix for any team - including Sahara Force India - so if we do well on this track we feel extra proud.

Q: Sunday was a memorable day for Force India. When will the next memorable occasion come? A podium finish?
VM: Last year I would say that we were unlucky not to get at least a podium, but now I feel that it is very much within sight. We finish fourth or fifth - and that’s close enough to be optimistic. We remain optimistic and as it is still a long way to go in the season hopefully we will get that podium. Of course it would be nice to have it sooner rather than later as we’ve been patient enough! (laughs)

Source : Formula1.com
 

Race - ForceIndia driver quotes

Adrian Sutil (5th)
“Fifth place feels fantastic. It’s just the result we needed and I’m very happy right now. The car felt very good and we made the most of the chances that came our way. It was difficult to move forward in the first half of the race when I was stuck in the train of cars, but the red flag opened up some more opportunities. It meant that everybody was on the same sprint strategy until the end of the race. I noticed that the hairpin was an area where there was a chance to overtake so I tried it with Jenson and it worked. Then I did the same with Fernando and it worked once again. So I think I showed that overtaking is possible in Monaco. The team did an excellent job all weekend and we definitely deserved this result today.”
Paul di Resta (9th)
“Given where we started we went with an aggressive strategy and it probably would have paid off without the safety cars. The pace was strong, but I was stuck behind lots of traffic in the early part of the race. I managed to pass a few cars going into turn one, but towards the end of the race the cars were more bunched up and it was not so easy. I was stuck behind Vergne after the restart and I had one good chance to overtake, but he defended very well. Fortunately with the cars ahead battling and making contact I made up some positions and scored a couple of points. So after the disappointment of yesterday, the boys did a great job and it’s good to continue my run of finishes in the points.”
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal and managing director
“A very eventful Monaco Grand Prix and I am delighted to see both Sahara Force Indias come home safely in the points. With Adrian’s fifth place and ninth place for Paul, we have added 12 points to our tally and strengthened our hold on fifth position in the championship. Adrian’s drive was superb as he showed great speed and patience all afternoon. He waited for the right opportunities and made the most of them. I think everybody enjoyed his two overtaking moves at the hairpin on two former world champions. It’s our best result in Monaco and very well deserved by the entire team. Paul was also superb, showing his overtaking skills into turn one, and recovering from P17 on the grid to score two points. I congratulate the whole team on another strong weekend and hope that we can deliver more of the same in Canada in a couple of weeks’ time.”

Source: Formula1.com

Qualifying - ForceIndia driver quotes

Adrian Sutil (8th, Q3 - 1m 15.383s)
“Very tricky conditions today with the track half wet and half dry. We never knew if it was really drying out or if more rain was coming, so it was important to be on the right tyres at the right time. The team did an excellent job of choosing the tyres and making the correct decisions. I also need to thank my crew who worked so hard to fix the car in time for the session after the incident this morning. Tomorrow I will be pushing hard to move forward. A podium is my target and there are seven cars ahead of me, so with a good strategy anything is possible. I just have to concentrate and make the most of this opportunity.”

Paul di Resta (17th, Q1 - 1m 26.322s)
“We failed to deliver today, which is a real shame because we were very strong in the wet and this is the most crucial qualifying session of the year. The intermediate tyres were working fine for me, but we didn’t read the conditions well enough from the pit wall. I needed a set of fresh intermediates towards the end of the session, but by the time we realised it was too late and there was no time to pit. The only option was to stay out, but my tyres were finished and I didn’t have a chance to progress any further. It’s a painful position to be starting from tomorrow given the speed we had in the car today.”
Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal and managing director
“A very frantic qualifying session in Monaco. After Adrian’s crash this morning the mechanics did a magnificent job to repair the car for the start of Q1 – and Adrian made the most of it. In the tricky damp conditions he delivered when it mattered to qualify eighth. As for Paul, I would like to apologise to him because we did not get the tyre strategy right during Q1. He was incredibly quick on the intermediate tyres, but we missed the chance to pit him for a fresh set towards the end of the session. As a result he lines up in P17. For the race we know that anything can happen in Monaco so we will think hard about the strategy to try and secure a good result for both cars.”

Source : Formula1.com
 

Thursday practice - Force India driver quotes

Paul di Resta, P1 - 1:17.548, 12th; P2 - 1:16.046, 10th
“A good day’s work, although there’s always lots to talk about after two sessions around Monaco. There are some improvements we can make to improve the balance, especially with the race in mind, and that’s something we will work on tonight and tomorrow. The tyre programme went well and we got as much data as we could, which is always the main focus for a Friday so I think we’re in good shape. My general feeling with the car is good and the work we’ve done today has taken us in the right direction.”
Adrian Sutil, P1 - 1:17.625, 13th; P2 - 1:16.349, 11th
“It’s always a pleasure to come back to Monaco and drive a Formula One car at the limit – and for me it is two years since I last drove here. It did not take me long to find my rhythm again and things went pretty well. We made some progress between the two sessions and I’m feeling comfortable with the car. We know what the plan is for tomorrow and where we can improve to be ready for Saturday.”
Jakob Andreasen, Force India chief engineer
“A fairly typical day of Monaco practice as we focussed on getting a good feel for the softest tyres in Pirelli’s range and letting the drivers build up their speed. In terms of tyres we feel comfortable with the amount of data we have on both compounds and it’s now a case of optimising the car for the weekend. It’s a rare luxury to have an extra day to analyse the data and we will make the most of the opportunity. Performance-wise, I would say we are in our usual position and the target for Saturday is to see both cars inside the top ten.”

Source : Formula1.com
 

Force India resolves wheel nut issue

Adrian Sutil has confirmed Force India has resolved the wheel nut problem which ruined his Spanish Grand Prix.

One of Sutil's pit stops in Barcelona cost him 55 seconds due to a cross-threaded wheel nut, leaving him scoreless since the first race of the season in Australia. However, Sutil said it was not a repeat of the problem that Force India suffered in Malaysia earlier this season and that he felt something could be learned from all of the problems he has suffered in recent races.

"There's no good luck and no bad luck for me, it's just certain things happen and you just have to get behind it and see where the problem is," Sutil said. 

"Many problems we've had - small - but they turned out to be absolutely important for the race.

"It was a little wheel nut in Barcelona which was a problem and caused a pit stop which was almost a minute long and the race is over, no question. It was very impressive how quick the car was again, the race speed was very good and the pace, so it's good to know the car is fast and the package is fast.

"It's like the little pieces of the puzzle that we have to put together. The most important thing was the problem that we had, we solved it. It was a different problem to Malaysia and it's just a question of time that I will have my results. I will not give up, I will fight hard for it and try to also be clever and make a good result very soon." 

Source : En.espnf1.com

Monaco preview quotes - Force India

Paul di Resta, Force India
2012 Qualifying - 15th, 2012 Race - 7th
“Monaco was a rewarding race for us last year and we will try to go there and continue our run of points finishes. It’s really interesting to see how busy the place gets when the race is in town and the atmosphere builds up throughout the week. Racing close to home is really nice because I can go back to my place every night. I sleep in my bed and enjoy my own space. It’s also a chance for my family and friends to come and stay with me, and when the weather is nice, there’s nowhere better.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
“Wherever we have gone so far the car has looked competitive - and that includes some very different tracks. It’s a good sign for the rest of the season. Of course, Monaco will be the first real street circuit, but I think we will be quick there. The car is very strong in the front with a very neutral balance so it’s very driveable. [Monaco is] a special place for sure. I’ve always liked street races and Monaco is the best street circuit of them all. There’s no room for even the smallest mistake and that’s why it’s different to other tracks. You have to give the walls so much respect and build up your speed. More than anything it’s a test of your mental strength because you keep your concentration for nearly two hours during the race.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“Monaco holds a special place in the heart of every Formula One fan. Its history, the unforgiving circuit and the unique atmosphere of the place make it a highlight of the season. As a venue, it’s one of my favourites and a track where our car has always worked well. We’ve scored points there for the last three seasons and will be aiming to do the same this year.”

Source : Formula1.com

Fernley: We’ll fight hard for fifth!

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley insists that Sahara Force India will push hard to try and retain a top five championship position through the rest of the F1 season.

A solid start to the campaign has seen the Silverstone-based score points in four of the opening five races to sit ahead of McLaren going into next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

While it remains to be seen if Force India can stay ahead of the multiple title winners as the development race kicks in over the course of the season, Fernley insisted that his team would do all it could to keep its advantage.

“Fifth is something we'll fight for, but being realistic, you can't easily fight with the might of McLaren,” he told SPEED.com. “It's nice to come out of the first five races in fifth place, but can we hold it? It will be tough. But we'll give it a good go! We've got competitive drivers giving everything they can.

“I think the weakness for the team at the moment is getting both cars in the points. That's what we've got to try and overcome. In Bahrain, effectively we beat two Mercedes, two Ferraris, two McLarens and a Red Bull. We're not quite there yet to be able to take on the pace that some of them have, but I think we can race Mercedes at the moment.

“In the last two years we've got better through the season, and I think the same thing will apply. But I'm not sure that you're going to see the same big steps that we've seen in the past. We're coming to the end of evolution of development. Of course there will be some things, but I don't think there's a big upgrade left in anyone's cars. And soon people will have to start looking at 2014.”

Fernley added the he felt confident about Force India's chances next weekend in Monaco given the fact that the team has already secured results this season at circuits where it hasn't gone well in the past.

Monaco, by contrast, is a venue where the team has previously gone well.

“We've never had a bad car in Monaco, we've always done quite well there,” he said, “and it's encouraging for us that we could go to places like Shanghai and Barcelona, historically not our better tracks, and at both qualify and race in the top ten.”

Source : Crash.net 

Double points finish key for Force India

Force India's hopes of keeping McLaren behind it hinge on achieving double points finishes, according to deputy team principal Bob Fernley.
The Silverstone-based team holds fifth in the constructors' championship, three points clear of McLaren.

But it has managed only one double top 10 finish this year in Australia, with a combination of bad luck, on-track incidents and pit-stop problems preventing Adrian Sutil from matching team-mate Paul di Resta's haul of four points finishes.

Fernley insists that this must improve to have any chance of beating McLaren over a season.

"In order for us to have an opportunity to keep ahead of McLaren, not only do we have to work hard from a maintaining the pace point of view but we have to make sure that we get two cars in the points," Fernley told AUTOSPORT.

"At the moment, that is our weakness - we are not delivering both cars in the points when we have got the opportunity.

"It is recoverable, we just have to try and make sure we can deliver."
Fernley is satisfied with the progress the team made with its Spanish GP upgrades, which allowed di Resta to finish seventh.
He suspects that while the frontrunners have taken a step forward, Force India has consolidated its position at the front of the midfield.

"Some worked OK, for some it's back to the drawing board but that's the same for everybody," said Fernley of the Spain upgrades.

"Looking at it logically, possibly the top four have inched away from us a little and we've moved a tiny bit away from the midfield.

"McLaren are around us and we could either hold them or they will get ahead of us.

"To keep them behind will be very hard."

FORCE INDIA'S SEASON
AUSTRALIA
Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta finish seventh and eighth, with the former leading the race in his first grand prix start since Brazil 2011.
MALAYSIA
Both cars are odds on for points, but a retained wheelnut problem caused by a combination of the high ambient temperature and the heat generated by the heavy braking into the hairpin before the pit entry forces the retirement of both cars.
CHINA
After Sutil and Sutil clash on the opening lap, the German is taken out of the race by Esteban Gutierrez, who locks up and hits him at the hairpin. Di Resta finishes eight.
BAHRAIN
Both cars start from the fifth row, but Sutil's hopes of points are ruined when he suffers a puncture after contact with Felipe Massa on the first lap. Di Resta narrowly misses out on a podium in fourth.
SPAIN
Di Resta has a strong run to seventh place, but after a great first lap to climb to eight, Sutil drops out of points contention thanks to a crossthreaded wheelnut at his first stop. 



Source: Autosport.com

Di Resta sure there's more to come from Force India

Paul di Resta says there is more to come from Force India after finishing seventh in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Starting from 10th place, di Resta climbed through in to seventh and was challenging Nico Rosberg for sixth place in the closing laps but ultimately could not find a way past the Mercedes. Di Resta said the lack of running after a puncture on Friday had cost Force India and as a result there was more potential in its new parts.

"Having spoken to the engineering team we can pick the positives from the race, we can go to the next one with these developments and make them better," di Resta said. "It's all about points at the end of the day, we've come here and got another six which is a big result for us here in Barcelona which is a track that doesn't normally suit us."

Di Resta also said he was pleased with the strategic calls made by the team throughout the race.

"We said coming in to the race that if we could get seventh we would be happy, even to be fighting towards sixth at the end of the race. We converged; I didn't really know what was going on. The team were making the calls and they did a good job of that. But we were far from optimised this weekend with the limited running we had on Friday and then the new parts on the car, but they've done a good job, the team." 

Source : En.espnf1.com

Race - Force India driver quotes

Paul di Resta (7th)
“We said before the race that seventh would be a good result and towards the end I was even fighting for sixth. So we can take a lot of positives from the weekend because this is a track that has traditionally not suited our car. It was a great effort by the team to get through to Q3 yesterday and come away with a seventh place today. The result shows the consistency that we have had since the start of the year and that we can perform each weekend. There’s more to come too, because there is more we can do to optimise the car with the new parts we introduced here, but this is definitely a big result for us.”

Adrian Sutil (13th)
“It’s extremely disappointing to come away empty handed from this race because we were so quick today. My start was very good and I went around the outside of the first corner, which worked well because I was up in eighth by the end of the first lap. It was all going to plan until the first pit stop when there was an issue and I lost so much time. The team told me to switch the engine off while they sorted the problem, but it cost me the chance of points. For the rest of the race it was a case of pushing as much as possible because you never know what can happen. It’s frustrating, but you have to accept these things. Hopefully it will not happen again.”
Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“It’s rewarding to come away with another seventh place for Paul and maintain our fifth place in the championship. Paul drove a very strong race and the calls from the pit wall kept him in the battle for sixth with Rosberg right until the last lap. On the other side of the garage there was bad luck for Adrian, who lost a considerable amount of time during his first pit stop when the right rear wheel nut cross-threaded. It was very unfortunate because he had an amazing start, moving up five places on the opening lap. His race pace was very impressive once again and he would surely have scored well today. As a team we will focus on the positives and head to Monaco confident that we can deliver a similar level of performance and get both cars in the points.”

Qualifying - Force India driver quotes

Paul di Resta (10th, Q3 -1m 22.233s)
“I think we can feel pretty pleased with tenth because we achieved our target of reaching Q3. I did not quite get the maximum from Q3, because it was difficult to optimise the final sector on my out lap, but we are still in a good position for the race. Tyre wear will play a big role tomorrow because this place is one of the hardest tracks for the tyres. Hopefully that will work to our advantage and we can make some progress with a good strategy and not spend too much time in the pit lane. There will obviously be a lot of cars behind me with new tyres, so the race to the first corner will be crucial.”

Adrian Sutil (13th, Q2 - 1m 22.346s)
“Q1 went well and my run on the hard tyres gave me some good information before I fitted the mediums. Then Q2 was a bit disappointing because my position on the track for the final run was not ideal. Vergne pulled out of the pits just as I was leaving and I had Nico (Hulkenberg) pushing from behind. Also Webber was on a flying lap and it was difficult to find a gap. I think that’s the main reason why I missed out on Q3 because we had the pace to be in the top ten. I’m sure my car is going to work well tomorrow, but it’s so tough to overtake here and qualifying position is very important.”
Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“It’s good to see Paul make it through to Q3 - the first time the team has done so in Barcelona - and it means we’re in a good position to go and fight for points. Adrian has been matching Paul’s pace in all the sessions but his Q2 lap was compromised by track position - he couldn’t get a clean lap and that cost him a few rows on the grid. I expect us to be strong tomorrow and hopefully we can demonstrate the sort of race pace we’ve shown in the previous four races. The car is nicely balanced, we are working the tyres well, and there’s every reason to believe we can come away with two cars inside the points.”

Source : Formula1.com

Friday practice - Force India driver quotes

Adrian Sutil, P1 - 1:26.212, 5th; P2 - 1:23.840, 8th
“An interesting day with a big variation in weather conditions. It was useful to have the wet running this morning because it’s an area where we need to be more competitive. The changes we made improved things with each run. The afternoon tyre work was normal, but we also ran on the prototype tyre, which was very hard and felt very different to drive. The normal hard and medium compounds are quite similar, but the difference between the two is bigger than I expected here. The long runs went well and the car felt pretty well balanced on the medium tyre.”
Paul di Resta, P1 - 1:26.755, 10th; P2 - 1:24.104, 10th
“It was difficult to learn a massive amount today with the wet conditions this morning and our limited running. We had some new parts and both cars were slightly different to allow us to evaluate as much as possible. We will decide tonight the best overall package to carry forward. The baseline of the car is very similar to how it was in February during testing so we seem to be in the right operating window. My day was cut short with the tyre issue, but at this stage we’re waiting for Pirelli to analyse exactly what happened.”
Jakob Andreasen, Force India chief engineer
“Not the easiest day with a mix of weather conditions and some lost track time for Paul. The wet weather this morning made it difficult to get a complete understanding of our new developments – both aero and mechanical – and we saw once again that our wet weather performance is an area where we need to improve. In the dry afternoon session our performance level was around about where we expected it to be and both drivers seem happy with their general car balance. Most of the teams around us have shown strong pace over long runs so it’s clear that we need to try and extract some more performance from our package and make the most of tomorrow morning. In terms of the tyre problem for Paul, it occurred during his long run on the medium tyres. We are awaiting further information from Pirelli about what happened.”

Source: Formula1.com
 

Spain preview quotes - Force India

Paul di Resta, Force India
2012 Qualifying - 13th, 2012 Race - 14th
“The car is performing well, especially in the heat, and we were also strong in the cooler conditions of China - so that’s a good sign. The key is making sure you find the right operating window whatever the conditions because that’s what makes the difference. We need to keep doing what we’re doing, but at the same time we know the return to Europe always sees every team bring more upgrades. Hopefully we can stay fighting with the big teams and keep picking up the points. I guess we have more data around Barcelona than anywhere else, but at the same time the temperatures will be much higher at this time of year. So I’d expect that to change things quite a lot and impact on the tyres. Also, it’s one of those tracks where you’re constantly chasing the right aero balance to cope with the long, high-speed corners, especially turn three. But when you come to the end of the lap you need the mechanical grip for the hairpins and chicanes.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India
2012 Qualifying - n/a, 2012 Race - n/a
“I know Barcelona really well from all the testing we’ve done there over the years. It is important, after three difficult races without points, to finish the race without any incidents. If I do that, I should have the pace to be among the front-runners. I have to do my job, avoid mistakes and hopefully my luck will change. Wherever we have gone so far, the car has been competitive, so the next few races should see us scoring points and close to the podium.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“The return to Europe after the first few flyaway races is an excellent moment to catch our breath and evaluate where we stand. Overall the balance is extremely positive for Sahara Force India with our best ever start to a season. In terms of points scored we are nine points up compared to last year and we’ve been up at the sharp end fighting with the big teams. After the pit stop problems in Malaysia, points finishes in China and Bahrain have set us back on the right path, but nobody in the team is taking it for granted and we will not rest on our laurels. At both the factory and at the track, everyone is working hard to ensure we can build on these good results. We intend to hold our ground and remain in the hunt for points and podiums. Looking at our drivers, the performances of Paul Di Resta confirm just how much he has matured as a driver. He’s delivering consistently every week and we are reaping the rewards of all his hard work. He suffered a difficult end to the 2012 season, but he’s shown great mental strength and determination to regroup over the winter and recapture his best form. He’s pushing the team on and demanding the best from everyone, which is what we need. Adrian Sutil has also shown his speed so far but the luck has not gone his way. The last two races have been very frustrating because he’s been the victim of other drivers’ mistakes. Without these incidents he would surely have scored well in both China and Bahrain. His race pace in Bahrain was remarkable because he was one of the fastest cars on track. Having come so tantalisingly close to the podium with Paul last time out, we head to Barcelona full of optimism. The hard work everyone is putting in is paying off and we hope to see the rewards this coming weekend.”


Source: Formula1.com

Allan McNish thinks Paul di Resta can fight for title – Formula 1 news

 

Former Formula 1 driver, Allan McNish has admired the performance of Force India’s Paul di Resta in the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix and believes he can fight for the title in the future.

Di Resta took a convincing start to this season and managed to secure 8^th place finish in the Australian GP after taking a start from 9^th grid position. Conversely, he failed to score even a single point in the Malaysian GP as he was retired, but delivered a reasonably good performance in the third race in China where he came 8^th after setting off from 11^th grid slot.

The British driver performed incredibly well in the fourth round at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir and secured fourth place finish after qualifying for 5^th grid slot.

McNish said that Di Resta drove like ex-F1 driver, Sir Jackie Stewart and praised his performance in the preceding race.   

“Paul was driving like the old Jackie Stewart,” McNish said to BBC Sport. “It was the 'looking as if you're driving slow but actually driving very fast' approach.”

In addition, he stated that Force India can surely fight for the championship as they have a very good and matured driver on their side. Besides, he said that the 27-year-old faced some difficulties during the winter as he had no teammate and had to give his input in the development process alone.

“If someone puts him in right car he can fight for the World title. I think he has developed and grown up. He had a difficult winter because he had no team-mate and so he was the one the team looked to for the lead on development, so he had to grow up,” he said.

Additionally, he said that the Briton will be feeling more confident and comfortable behind the wheel of his car after attaining competitive result in the last race.

“That result in Bahrain will give him a lot of confidence and belief in what he can do inside car,” he added.

At present, Di Resta is standing at 8^th place in the drivers’ championship ahead of Nico Rosberg of Mercedes. Let’s see how he performs in the season ahead and whether he will be able to come up to the expectations of his team or not.

Source: blogs.bettor.com

2013 a fresh start for di Resta

Paul di Resta says 2013 has felt like a 'fresh start' to him, after admitting that the end of last year could not have been any worse.
 
The Force India driver equalled the best result of his career with a fourth-place finish in Bahrain a fortnight ago, having battled for a podium place for much of the race.

With his form this season showing that he has recovered well from the performance dip he suffered at the end of last year, di Resta reckons that there is even more to come from his team.

"It's been a question of building confidence," di Resta told AUTOSPORT about the progress he has made since the start of this season.

"Working with my guys it has been a good fresh start - and it had to be. Nothing could have been any worse than it was going at the end of last year in terms of how difficult it was.

"You just have to be man enough and say it was out of my hands. But, we are working away now and we will not be giving up.

"I certainly hope this is not the last time that we will be fighting at this end of the grid - and I would hope we can be better."

Force India has had an encouraging start to the season, and is currently fifth in the constructors' championship standings – one place ahead of McLaren.
Di Resta thinks that rules stability has been a key factor in allowing his Silverstone-based team to be able to challenge its big-budget rivals.

"This car is an evolution of the car we had last year, and that is generally a strong point of this team," he said.

"We have not reacted well to new design philosophies right away. We react better during the year."

Source: Autosport.com