Paul Di Resta has made it clear he is confident Force India will be back fighting in the top five in Hungary after an encouraging day at the Young Driver’s Test at Silverstone.
The Scot was a tenth behind McLaren youngster Kevin Magnussen after completing 58 laps, giving Di Resta some real confidence that Force India’s disappointing German Grand Prix was a one-off.
Apart from his retirement in Malaysia, the German GP was the first time Di Resta finished a race without any points to his name – something some have blamed on the interim Pirelli tyres used.
However, after sampling the tyres that will be taken to the Hungaroring for the season’s next race, the 27-year-old is confident the team have resolved their problems from Germany and will be back in contention for some big points in Hungary.
“Germany was a bit of a disappointment as we have scored points at every race we have finished this year. We probably got slightly stuck in a bit of traffic which cost us at the end and to be a lap away from scoring was disappointing.”
“But we will bounce back – I think we are a team that can react quite quickly. I think our car just didn’t suit Germany and I hope that when we get back onto a more normal track we will see the signs of our car which have been strong and I have every faith that we can do that,” insisted Di Resta.
Di Resta will start the Hungarian Grand Prix ninth in the driver’s standings on 36 points, 13 points ahead of team-mate, Adrian Sutil.
A strong second half of the season would certainly put the Scotsman’s name in the mix for a drive in one of the better cars on the grid – with Ferrari and Lotus both expected to be looking for new drivers when the season finishes.
