Paul di Resta

Paul di Resta
di Resta in 2014
Born	16 April 1986 Uphall, West Lothian, Scotland
DTM career
Debut season	2007
Current team	HWA AG
Car no.	3
Former teams	Persson Motorsport
Starts	88
Championships	1
Wins	7
Poles	6
Fastest laps	9
Best finish	1st in 2010
Finished last season	5th (116 points)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	British
Active years	2011–2013
Teams	Force India
Entries	58 (58 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	121
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	2011 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	2013 Brazilian Grand Prix

Paul di Resta (born 16 April 1986^[1][2]) is a British racing driver who drove in Formula One from 2010 to 2013 and became a reserve driver for the Williams F1 team in 2016. A former DTM and Formula 3 Euroseries champion, di Resta did not secure a Formula One drive for 2014, and rejoined Mercedes to race again in the DTM.

Personal life

Di Resta was born in Uphall, Livingston, Scotland, and grew up in Bathgate, West Lothian, and went to Bathgate Academy. He now lives in Monaco, and is a cousin of racing drivers Dario and Marino Franchitti.^[3] His step-father was Scottish footballer Dougie McCracken.^[4] His younger brother, Stefan, has raced at an amateur level.^[5]

Di Resta and Laura Jordan became engaged in December 2013^[6] and married on 28 August 2014.^[7]

Career

Karting

He started his career in karting, racing in various competitive series of karts from 1994 until 2002. In 2001 he won the British JICA Championship.

Formula Renault

He stepped up to single-seaters at the end of 2002, when he competed in the British Formula Renault Winter Series. He raced in British Formula Renault full-time in 2003 with the Eurotek Motorsport team, finishing seventh in the standings with one race win. He switched to Manor Motorsport for 2004, finishing third in the championship standings with four wins. He also entered some races of Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 with the Manor team. He also won the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of The Year Award in 2004. The award had been won by his cousin Dario Franchitti in 1992.

Formula Three

Di Resta switched to the Formula Three Euroseries with Manor Motorsport in 2005, finishing tenth in the standings. For 2006 he moved to the ASM Formule 3 team, winning the championship with five wins, beating team mate and future Formula One World Drivers Champion, Sebastian Vettel. Di Resta also won the 2006 BP Ultimate Masters at Circuit Park Zandvoort.

DTM

Di Resta finished runner-up in the 2008 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season.

In 2007, di Resta switched from single-seaters to race in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) touring car racing series, for Mercedes. In the championship he finished 5th overall behind drivers Mattias Ekstrom (who won his second DTM title), Bruno Spengler, Martin Tomczyk and Jamie Green. Di Resta was the highest driver in the standings to drive a non-2007 car. His performances earned him a 2008 Mercedes C Klasse for the 2008 season, in which he won two races and finishing second in the points, four points behind eventual champion Timo Scheider of Audi. In 2009, he finished third overall, behind Scheider and compatriot Gary Paffett. In 2010, he won three races in a row on the way to winning the championship.

Formula One

Di Resta during practice at the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Di Resta tested for the McLaren Formula One team, and was in the frame for a drive with the Force India team for the 2009 season due to the teams' shared engine supplier, Mercedes-Benz. However, Force India chose to retain Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil, with Vitantonio Liuzzi as reserve driver.^[8]

Force India (2010–2013)

2010

In December 2009, with Fisichella having moved to Ferrari and Liuzzi being promoted to the race team, di Resta took part in a test with the team at the Jerez circuit alongside J. R. Hildebrand.^[9] At the Autosport International show in January 2010, he was said to be close to a deal as the team's test and reserve driver for the 2010 season.^[10] The deal was duly announced on 2 February.^[11] Di Resta made his Formula One race meeting début at the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, where he took part in the first free practice session in place of Sutil^[12] and placed 11th.^[13] He drove in the first practice sessions of all the following races until Monaco Grand Prix, where he did not take part. He resumed driving for the team at the European Grand Prix and the following British Grand Prix. After sitting out the German Grand Prix he returned for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Di Resta subsequently sat out the Belgian Grand Prix as Tonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil needed as much track-time as possible to get the feeling of the new parts. He participated in practice for the Italian Grand Prix, but did not participate in the Singapore or Japanese Grands Prix. The team elected that di Resta should miss the Korean Grand Prix to allow Liuzzi and Sutil to get used to the new track for the race.^[14]

2011

Di Resta at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix

Di Resta joined Adrian Sutil in the Force India Formula One racing team for the 2011 season, replacing Vitantonio Liuzzi. He scored his first championship point at his first race, the Australian Grand Prix, after both Saubers were disqualified.^[15] This was followed by another 10th place in Malaysia, 11th in China, and a retirement in Turkey, where he left the pits with a loose wheel. He was running fifth in Canada until a collision with Nick Heidfeld left him with a damaged car and a drive-through penalty, and later crashed out of the race on lap 67. He qualified sixth at Silverstone but finished 15th after a long pitstop due to a tyre mix-up.

His third points-scoring finish of the season came in Hungary, where he finished seventh in changeable conditions. In the Italian Grand Prix, he finished 8th, and this was followed by a career-best sixth-place finish in Singapore, ahead of team-mate Sutil, who finished eighth. He finished tenth in Korea, ninth in Abu Dhabi and eighth in Brazil.

2012

Di Resta driving for Force India at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix.

On 16 December 2011, it was announced that he was to be retained by Force India for the 2012 season, with Nico Hülkenberg taking the place of Sutil as his team mate.^[16] He qualified 15th for the season opener in Australia and finished 10th in the race, passing Jean-Éric Vergne and Nico Rosberg on the final lap. He qualified 14th for the Malaysian Grand Prix, and finished seventh in the wet race. He was 12th in China. In Bahrain he qualified inside the top ten, having missed the second free practice session after several members of the team were caught up in a petrol bomb incident. Using a two-stop strategy he took sixth place in the race, which equalled his previous career-best result. He was 14th in Spain, a lap behind winner Pastor Maldonado; seventh in Monaco having started 15th on the grid; and 11th in Montreal. At the European Grand Prix he was the only driver on the grid who performed a one-stop strategy and came 7th whilst his team mate, Nico Hülkenberg, finished in 5th position.

Di Resta at the 2012 US Grand Prix

After failing to score a point in the next three races, di Resta finished tenth in Belgium. The following weekend, at the Italian Grand Prix, di Resta showed strong pace in qualifying, setting the fourth fastest time in Q3, but took a five place grid penalty for a gearbox change to start the grand prix in ninth. He finished the race in eighth. At the Singapore Grand Prix, he qualified sixth and finished a career-best fourth, after the retirements of Maldonado and Hamilton. The final five races of the season resulted in only one further points score - 9th place in Abu Dhabi.

2013

Di Resta at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix

On 31 January 2013, Force India confirmed di Resta would race for the team for a third consecutive season in 2013.^[17] After qualifying outside the top ten in Australia, di Resta managed to battle through into the points, finishing just behind his teammate, Adrian Sutil in eighth place. In Malaysia, however di Resta retired after his car's wheel nuts kept jamming, and the team was ultimately forced to retire both cars.

Qualifying in 11th place for the Chinese Grand Prix, the race saw him finish in eighth place and he obtained four points. However without a first lap incident with team mate Adrian Sutil, he may have finished fifth or sixth as he was showing great race pace.

Di Resta matched his career best result in Bahrain with a fourth place, being overtaken close to the end by Lotus' Romain Grosjean, depriving the Scot of a maiden podium. He followed that up with a seventh in Spain.

A disappointing qualifying session in the wet meant di Resta started from 17th in Monaco, however initially going for an aggressive two stop strategy; luck played its part and due to a red flag he was able to use a new set of tyres, and made ground to ninth-place finish with some good overtakes.

Another disappointing qualifying session at the next race in Canada saw di Resta starting in 17th position yet again. Starting on the harder medium compound tyre, di Resta was able to run the longest of all drivers on his first stint, going 56 laps before finally making his only pit stop. The strategy worked as di Resta finished the race in 7th.

After six consecutive point finishes, di Resta struggled in the later part of the season as his team Force India struggled to cope with new Pirelli tyres and he recorded five consecutive retirements.

On 12 December, it was announced that he would not be retained as a driver with Force India for the 2014 season.

Williams

2016

After a two-year absence from the sport, di Resta returned to Formula One as reserve driver for Williams.^[18]

Comparison with team-mates

Year	Di Resta's points	Team-mate's points	Team-mate	Team
2011	27	42	Adrian Sutil	Force India
2012	46	63	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India
2013	48	29	Adrian Sutil	Force India

di Resta at the Hockenheimring in 2014

DTM return (2014–present)

In 2014 di Resta returned to Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series driving for Mercedes.^[19] Di Resta finished the season in 15th place having scored points only three times, all three being 4th-place finishes.

Racing record

Career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2003	Formula Renault UK	Eurotek Motorsport	17	1	2	1	2	233	7th
		Team JVA
2004	Formula Renault UK	Manor Motorsport	20	4	4	2	9	415	3rd
	Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup		3	0	0	0	1	0	NC†
	Bahrain Superprix		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	NC
2005	Formula 3 Euro Series	Manor Motorsport	19	0	3	2	1	32	10th
	Masters of Formula 3		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	4th
2006	Formula 3 Euro Series	ASM Formule 3	20	5	5	1	9	86	1st
	Masters of Formula 3		1	1	0	0	0	N/A	1st
	Macau Grand Prix		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	NC
2007	Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters	Persson Motorsport	10	0	0	0	4	32	5th
2008	Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters	HWA Team	11	2	1	4	7	71	2nd
2009	Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters	HWA Team	10	1	1	2	3	45	3rd
2010	Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters	HWA Team	11	3	3	1	7	71	1st
	Formula One	Force India F1 Team	Test driver
2011	Formula One	Force India F1 Team	19	0	0	0	0	27	13th
2012	Formula One	Sahara Force India F1 Team	20	0	0	0	0	46	14th
2013	Formula One	Sahara Force India F1 Team	19	0	0	0	0	48	12th
2014	Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters	HWA Team	10	0	0	0	0	36	15th
2015	Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters	HWA AG	18	0	0	1	3	90	8th
2016	Formula One	Williams Martini Racing	Reserve driver
	Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters	Mercedes-Benz DTM Team HWA II	18	1	1	1	4	116	5th

^† – As di Resta was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series record

(key)

Yr	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Pos	Points
2005	Manor Motorsport	HOC 1 Ret	HOC 2 17	PAU 1 14	PAU 2 DNS	SPA 1 DSQ	SPA 2 5	MCO 1 8	MCO 2 6	OSC 1 4	OSC 2 4	NOR 1 3	NOR 2 8	NÜR 1 23	NÜR 2 Ret	ZAN 1 14	ZAN 2 5	LAU 1 Ret	LAU 2 DSQ	HOC 1 Ret	HOC 2 DSQ	10th	32
2006	ASM Formule 3	HOC 1 3	HOC 2 Ret	LAU 1 2	LAU 2 3	OSC 1 1	OSC 2 14	BRH 1 1	BRH 2 5	NOR 1 1	NOR 2 18	NÜR 1 2	NÜR 2 13	ZAN 1 1	ZAN 2 14	CAT 1 10	CAT 2 6	BUG 1 1	BUG 2 6	HOC 1 Ret	HOC 2 6	1st	86

Complete DTM results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Pos.	Points
2007	Persson Motorsport	AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2005	HOC 5	OSC 2	LAU 2	BRH Ret	NOR 15	MUG 3	ZAN 14	NÜR 6	CAT 3	HOC 8									5th	32
2008	HWA Team	AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2008	HOC 13	OSC 4	MUG 2	LAU 1	NOR 5	ZAN 7	NÜR 2	BRH 2	CAT 1	BUG 2	HOC 2								2nd	71
2009	HWA Team	AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2009	HOC 5	LAU 4	NOR 7	ZAN 6	OSC 4	NÜR Ret	BRH 1	CAT 7	DIJ 2	HOC 3									3rd	45
2010	HWA Team	AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2009	HOC 4	VAL 5	LAU 2	NOR 10	NÜR 2	ZAN 2	BRH 1	OSC 1	HOC 1	ADR 9	SHA 2								1st	71
2014	HWA Team	DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé	HOC 14	OSC 4	HUN 18	NOR 15	MSC Ret	SPL 18	NÜR 4	LAU Ret	ZAN Ret	HOC 4									15th	36
2015	HWA AG	DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé	HOC 1 3	HOC 2 22	LAU 1 14	LAU 2 15	NOR 1 Ret	NOR 2 6	ZAN 1 Ret	ZAN 2 14	SPL 1 3	SPL 2 9	MSC 1 14	MSC 2 15	OSC 1 13	OSC 2 6	NÜR 1 12	NÜR 2 2	HOC 1 4	HOC 2 4	8th	90
2016	Mercedes-Benz DTM Team HWA II	Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM	HOC 1 4	HOC 2 1	SPL 1 7	SPL 2 15	LAU 1 13	LAU 2 21†	NOR 1 3	NOR 2 4	ZAN 1 15	ZAN 2 8	MSC 1 2	MSC 2 20	NÜR 1 6	NÜR 2 Ret	HUN 1 Ret	HUN 2 13	HOC 1 10	HOC 2 3	5th	116

^† Driver did not finish, but was classified as he completed 90% of the race distance.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	WDC	Points
2010	Force India F1 Team	Force India VJM03	Mercedes FO 108X 2.4 V8	BHR	AUS TD	MAL TD	CHN TD	ESP TD	MON	TUR	CAN	EUR TD	GBR TD	GER	HUN TD	BEL	ITA TD	SIN	JPN	KOR	BRA	ABU		–	–
2011	Force India F1 Team	Force India VJM04	Mercedes FO 108Y 2.4 V8	AUS 10	MAL 10	CHN 11	TUR Ret	ESP 12	MON 12	CAN 18^†	EUR 14	GBR 15	GER 13	HUN 7	BEL 11	ITA 8	SIN 6	JPN 12	KOR 10	IND 13	ABU 9	BRA 8		13th	27
2012	Sahara Force India F1 Team	Force India VJM05	Mercedes FO 108Z 2.4 V8	AUS 10	MAL 7	CHN 12	BHR 6	ESP 14	MON 7	CAN 11	EUR 7	GBR Ret	GER 11	HUN 12	BEL 10	ITA 8	SIN 4	JPN 12	KOR 12	IND 12	ABU 9	USA 15	BRA 19^†	14th	46
2013	Sahara Force India F1 Team	Force India VJM06	Mercedes FO 108Z 2.4 V8	AUS 8	MAL Ret	CHN 8	BHR 4	ESP 7	MON 9	CAN 7	GBR 9	GER 11	HUN 18^†	BEL Ret	ITA Ret	SIN 20^†	KOR Ret	JPN 11	IND 8	ABU 6	USA 15	BRA 11		12th	48

^† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed >90% of the race distance.

References

1. "Paul di Resta profile". BBC. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
2. "Formula 1™ - The Official F1™ Website". Formula1.com. 16 April 1986. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
3. McPherson, Lynn (7 February 2010). "Racing driver takes over family's property empire". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
4. "Formula One rookie battles on in Turkey Grand Prix despite suspected suicide of stepfather". Daly Mail. London. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
5. "Di Resta to make Knockhill debut this Sunday – 8th April". knockhill.com. Knockhill Racing Circuit. 3 April 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
6. "Laura Di Resta on Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
7. "Paul Di Resta on Twitter: "Mr & Mrs D!!!!! #LOVE". Twitter. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
8. English, Steven (14 December 2008). "Force India keep Fisichella and Sutil". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
9. Strang, Simon (24 November 2009). "Force India to test di Resta, Hildebrand". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
10. Noble, Jonathan (16 January 2010). "Di Resta close to Force India role". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
11. Elizalde, Pablo (2 February 2010). "Force India signs di Resta as reserve". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
12. Noble, Jonathan (24 March 2010). "Di Resta ready for Formula 1 chance". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
13. "Australian Grand Prix – Practice Results". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
14. Elizalde, Pablo (18 October 2010). "Di Resta will not drive in Korea either". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
15. Elizalde, Pablo (26 January 2011). "Di Resta confirmed at Force India". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
16. "Hulkenberg joins Di Resta in Force India's 2012 line-up". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
17. "Paul di Resta". Force India. 31 January 2013. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
18. "Paul di Resta set to be named Williams reserve driver for 2016 season". 13 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
19. "Paul di Resta returns to the DTM with Mercedes after losing F1 drive". Autosport. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.

External links

• Paul di Resta career statistics at Driver Database
• Official website
• Paul di Resta at the Internet Movie Database