Paul di Resta remains on the right track

After coming close to the podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Paul di Resta once again put in a great performance last weekend in Barcelona by taking seventh place after starting from tenth position. The former champion of DTM had a solid race putting a lot of pressure on the Mercedes from Nico Rosberg in the final laps. Except for a retirement in Bahrain, the Scot has constantly placed himself in the top ten and thus allows his team to maintain fifth place in the Manufacturers' Championship, three points ahead of McLaren.

“We told ourselves before the race that seventh place would be a good result and I fought until the end for sixth position”, summarizes Paul di Resta who is tied on points with Romain Grosjean. “We take a lot of positives from the weekend because this circuit doesn't usually suit our car. The team had already done well by winning Q3 which ended with seventh place. This result proves that we have been consistent since the start of the season. We can do even more by maximizing the potential of the car with the new elements installed, but this is clearly a big result for us. »

Robert Fernley also shared the Scot's joy even if Vijay Mallya's team could have hoped to place their two drivers in the points. But a bad pit stop for Adrian Sutil decided otherwise. “It’s gratifying to achieve this seventh place and maintain our fifth position in the Manufacturers’ Championship.”, comments the Team Principal of the Indian team. “Paul had a very good race and his strategy allowed him to stay in the fight for sixth place with Rosberg until the last lap. Across the garage, Adrian was unlucky after losing considerable time on his first stop with a locked right rear wheel. It was a real shame because he had made a fantastic start, gaining five places in the first round. His race pace was still very impressive and he could have finished in a good place. We will seek to maintain the same level of performance in Monaco and place both cars in the points. »

Discover the analysis of the Spanish Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.