12/01/2013
NEWS STORY
Just weeks before the launch of Force India's 2013 contender, Paul di Resta admits that he is surprised at the teams' failure to confirm its driver line-up.
Overlooked by the big guns, the Scot, though not yet officially confirmed, looks set to spend his third season with the Silverstone based outfit.
However, talking to race fans in Birmingham, he admitted to being perplexed at the team's failure to officially confirm him or name his teammate, widely thought to be a choice between Adrian Sutil or Jules Bianchi.
"I am surprised there has been nothing yet," he said. "The team have said they will announce it in good time as to where they are going to be, and I have to respect that."
Asked if not knowing who his teammate will be has an impact on him, the Scot admitted: "Ultimately it does. But at the end of the day I know my job, and I am fully focused on what I need to achieve at the moment. Whether that is managing my time, booking flights, working with the engineers, or whatever.
"I know who my team are, who my mechanics are," he continued. "There are some new faces in that, which means we will be stronger again. But I'm feeling quite good about it, very positive. I've been at the factory and the vibe is very high."
Despite a strong start to the season, the team lost ground in the final stages, finishing seventh in the team rankings.
"For whatever reason nothing went the right way at the end of last season," the Scot admitted. "Essentially you always remember the end of a year more than the beginning, and with my crash as well. There were some good drives, some good pace, but it just never worked out. I've been through times like that where you just need to dig deep, and eventually you get out of it. Hopefully this year will be the year.
"Obviously, when something bad happens you just want to get back in the car the next week and go again, but there has been this lull. All I can say is I'm looking forward to getting in the car on the first of February, and then testing again a few days later."