Di Resta - Practice makes perfect

Paul Di Resta
12 April 2012

Force India's Paul di Resta is hoping more time behind the wheel in China this weekend will help him achieve even better things in his already eye-catching debut campaign.

The Scot, promoted into a Force India seat over the winter, has more than justified the team's faith in him by claiming points-scoring finishes at the opening grands prix in Australia and Malaysia - in doing so becoming only the second rookie since 1980 to score a point in his first two races.

Di Resta is determined to make the most of the full complement of track time in Shanghai and said: "Hopefully I can work away and get up to speed a bit quicker, in particular understanding the changes we make from session one to session two leading into Saturday."

He added: "That's the bit I've not had this year. I've gone from FP2 into FP3 with the car I'm going to qualify with. That's meant I've gone in with something unknown and been changed, and it's not necessarily worked."

Di Resta outqualified his experienced and highly-rated team-mate Adrian Sutil in both Australia and Malaysia despite sitting out the weekend's first free practice session, with reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg instead doing the honours.

In Shanghai this weekend, however, it is Sutil who will take a back seat in FP1.

Di Resta's strong drive to 10th last time out, when he beat Sutil by 10 seconds at the flag and also finished ahead of Nico Rosberg's Mercedes, indicates he is more than capable of wringing the maximum from his set-up time.

"Considering I missed FP1 in Malaysia it was not too bad a weekend," he continued. "Hopefully in China when I do a whole weekend it will improve again, although I'll only be able to judge that after the sessions and qualifying. It's certainly not a negative because China is more technical than Malaysia, and it is quite a key track, with a lot of long corners."

Di Resta's only previous experience of the Shanghai International Circuit came as Force India's Friday morning driver last year, so he is eyeing a head start from what he has already learned.

"I've a bit of an idea of the track, so hopefully I can get going a bit quicker," he said. "I am looking forward to the race in China. It is quite a technical track and one that I am keen to experience more as I had a small taste of it last year."

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