Di Resta confident for Belgium
Thursday 25th August 2011
A revitalised Paul Di Resta is determined to prove his last result in Hungary was not a one-off when Formula One resumes this weekend in Belgium.
Following a run of wretched 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 legendary 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.
"There have been a few races where things didn't go our way, so it felt good to get the result we felt we deserved.
"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, and then last year current team-mate Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi took the chequered flag in fifth and 10th.
"Spa is a track that has historically been strong for us," added Di Resta.
"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."
Team principal Vijay Mallya also has high expectations from both Di Resta and Sutil this weekend considering what his team has achieved over the last 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," said Mallya.
"The big difference this year is we arrive at the Belgian Grand Prix with a car that is much more complete.
"In the past our great strength was straight-line speed, but the car is now strong in all areas.
"So we enter the second half of the season in high spirits. After the August break we come back refreshed and ready to deliver again this weekend."
Credit: ESPN STAR (www.espnstar.com)
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