Di Resta says he is rested and ready
August 26, 2011
A revitalised Paul Di Resta is determined to prove his last result in Hungary was not a one-off when Formula One resumes with Sunday's race in Belgium.
Following a run of bad luck, Di Resta conjured the drive of his F1 career to date when he finished seventh in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Ending a run of eight races without a point proved to be the ideal tonic for the Force India driver heading into the summer break, and going into the final eight races of the season.
With the Spa circuit first up, a track Di Resta has not driven on for seven years, he said: "It feels good to be going back racing after a three-week break.
"I enjoyed the time off, which gave me a chance to recharge my batteries and switch off from Formula One for a while.
"I spent most of the time at home [in Monaco] with friends and family. After so much travelling it was nice to stay in the same place for a while, and sleep in my own bed.
"At least the result in Hungary was the best way to end the first part of the season.
"It helped make up for some of the bad luck we've had over the last couple of months."
However, that result and Force India's strong form at Spa in recent times, means the pressure is on the Scot to perform.
In 2009, Giancarlo Fisichella qualified on pole and finished second in the race. Last year, current teammate, Adrian Sutil, and Vitantonio Liuzzi took the chequered flag in fifth and 10th.
"Spa is a track that has historically been strong for us," Di Resta said.
"But our recent form gives us every reason to believe we can carry on where we left off in Hungary.
"We know our competitors won't have stood still, but we're still pushing hard with development and determined to get as much performance from the car before the focus shifts to next year."
Vijay Mallya, the team principal, also has high expectations from both Di Resta and Sutil this weekend considering what his team has achieved over the past two years in Belgium.
"Spa is not only an evocative and historic venue, it's also the scene of our greatest success to date, and I have many happy memories of our podium two years ago," Mallya said.
"The big difference this year is we arrive at the Belgian Grand Prix with a car that is much more complete. So we enter the second half of the season in high spirits"
Published: August 26, 2011 04:00 AM
