Di Resta holds no grudge against Hamilton
Reflecting on his Hungarian race during which he distinguished himself by finishing as the first driver behind the unshakeable top 6, the Scot also commented on Lewis Hamilton's faulty maneuver, without resentment.
By finishing the race in seventh position, 25-year-old Paul Di Resta achieves the best performance of his career in a race. This good Grand Prix should be put into perspective with the first season of the Uphall native, who, at the wheel of a moderately competitive Force India, holds his own against his teammate, Adrian “fingers of a fairy and fists of lead” Sutil. The German, in the team for four seasons, has 18 points in the championship. With 8 points in eleven races, the Scot is a bit behind but outrageously dominates him in qualifying, a field where Sutil has always distinguished himself.
After eight races without scoring points, Di Resta acknowledged there was slight pressure on his shoulders, especially since the reserve driver for the Indian team, Nico Hülkenberg, is openly eyeing his seat for 2012: « I was under pressure, I had to score points, but at the same time, I did not make any costly mistakes in the last three races. If we had come here and it had gone badly, it would have been disappointing ». Philosophically, the 2010 DTM champion knows not to expect anything else: « I always said there would be ups and downs. We were in a slump, and I hope we will now be on top ».
But the highlight of the Scotsman’s race was certainly the 47th lap, when a few hectometers ahead of him, Lewis Hamilton made a mistake in the Hungaroring chicane. The McLaren driver, in a bad position, cavalierly turned back in the direction of travel, seeing Rubens Barrichello pass very close to his front nose and forcing Paul Di Resta to go off the track to avoid a collision. A few laps later, Hamilton was logically penalized for this dangerous maneuver.
« It was a close call, but I don’t blame him. He said he didn’t see me. He was puzzled as to why he got a penalty, even after the race. If he had hit me, it would have been a disappointing end – and a very different story! » said the Force India driver, before adding: « If I hadn’t been able to avoid it, it would have been a disaster. He apologized, but I can understand why he did it ».
