Paul Di Resta has had a great year so far, winning his maiden DTM title
by coming in as runner-up in the last race at Shanghai he secured the championship. He is also the official reserve and test driver for Force India Mercedes and has recently been testing the new Pirelli tyres, setting some impressive times around the track, even beating fellow Force India driver Luizzi. Di Resta would make be the third British driver in Formula 1 should he be given a place but it seems that securing that driving seat is more difficult than one would first assume. Adrian Sutil still has ties with Force India Mercedes and has an option to continue for a year. As well as Sutil being in a promising position for continuing, another driver by the name of Nico Hulkenberg, has become available. Hulkenberg was one of the drivers for Williams in the 2010 Formula 1 season but did not manage to retain his place for 2011. This game as a bit of a surprise considering that he gave Mercedes their only pole position of the season and was highly regarded as rookie of the year. Hulkenberg still has a long way to go and could have done great things for Williams but now that he’s available will Force India scoop him up? Di Resta doesn’t have any Grand Prix racing experience yet in F1 but his incredibly fast lap times and dedication to the team have showed that he is a capable driver and eager to get stuck into some proper F1 racing. The trouble for both of these drivers hunting for the second seat is that none of them have any money to bring with them. So the factors that are likely to sway the decision might be more heavily relied upon are; loyalty or even the possibility that Force India’s engine supplier Mercedes have a say in the matter. If Di Resta could get a seat with Force India I can see a good season ahead for him. Another Brit in the sport would be good to follow, especially being young and new to the scene, Either way I think we’ll see Di Resta emerge soon enough.