Seventh heaven for Bathgate Bullet as di Resta stars in Hungary

Aug 4 2011 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

PAUL DI RESTA produced a stunning display to finish seventh for his best ever Formula One result last Sunday – but only after narrowly avoiding a smash with British rival Lewis Hamilton.

The Bathgate racer admitted he was left breathing a sigh of relief when his quick reactions helped him steer clear of Hamilton after he lost control of his McLaren during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Di Resta has been desperately unlucky to have seen a hat-trick of mishaps and bumps, each outwith his control, cost him points in the previous three races.

So when Hamilton, then-leading the race, was sent into a tail-spin on the track with di Resta hurtling towards him at over 100mph, the Scot feared the worst.

Fortunately he had the reactions and confidence to swerve on to the grass to pass Hamilton before rejoining the race.

“The incident with Lewis was a bit of a moment,” admitted di Resta.

“Thankfully I saw him quite early. I saw, as I approached the chicane, that he’d had a spin. I was a bit surprised at what he did when he rejoined the track, but at the same time there was time for me to take action.

“I think Lewis was leading the race at the time, so I can fully understand what he was trying to do. But there’s no harsh feelings.

“I’ve spoken to him about it, and he said he just didn’t see me. But if it had cost us points, then it would have been hard to take.”

It was a stunning piece of driving and quick thinking from di Resta who has been hugely impressive in his rookie F1 campaign.

After the race, he admitted his delight at taking at getting across the line in seventh place with his car almost running on just fumes.

He explained: “This is a massive result for me, especially after what’s happened in the last three races, which have been way out of my control and there was definitely points up for grabs in all three of them.

“We didn’t get the best qualifying but we knew we’d be fast in the race. We lost a little bit in the strategy; probably the middle stint wasn’t as good as it should have been but, at the end, when the tricky conditions came, I was able to fight my way back through.

“We were definitely quicker than the guys behind and it was just a case of bringing the car home and making sure there was enough fuel on board.

“In the end I had to stop the car on the warm-down lap. I was definitely nursing the car through the final few laps as the fuel level fell.”

Now the Force India driver is getting the chance to hang up his helmet for a four-week summer break – and di Resta reckons the timing of the result couldn’t be any better.

He added: “Given the fact this is the last race before the four-week summer break, the timing of this result is brilliant, not just for me but for the team.

“We’re taking the battle to Sauber in the race for sixth place in the constructors’ championship, and these points are brilliant for the team. I think we can all enjoy the break now.

“I think it was important to get a good result here. After several races where things were out of my control, it feels great to score some good points. It's nice to have a race where everything goes well.”