Di Resta considering IndyCar switch

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In the round-up: Paul di Resta says he could move to IndyCar if he loses his F1 seat.

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Paul di Resta may leave F1 as competition for seats accelerates (The Guardian)

“I’ve always been slightly concerned about the safety of it [IndyCar], but sitting down and looking at it logically, it’s a serious option to look elsewhere because of the success [cousin Dario Franchitti] has had.”

Alonso fears Red bull domination (BBC)

“Red Bull has a one-second advantage, so they can put whatever exhaust blowing or engine in their car and they are still on pole.”

Fernando Alonso: “I’m world champion of the rest…” (Adam Cooper’s F1 Blog)

“Entering Q3 is difficult, entering the points is difficult, so we need to improve for the next race. But in a way I secured second place in the drivers’ world championship today, which I think with the actual car we have is world champion of the rest.”

Letting go of F1 (F1)

Mark Webber on Helmut Marko’s claim his rift with Sebastian Vettel began when the pair collided in the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix: “He’s wrong. It was a good fight with Lewis (Hamilton) and Seb. Actually it wasn’t Lewis’ best time in that Safety Car phase back then. There was no serious issue with Seb.”

Formula One shareholder CVC puts brake on flotation plan (Reuters)

“‘One day we’d like to float the company,’ CVC co-chairman Donald Mackenzie told reporters as he left court after giving evidence in a damages case involving Ecclestone. ‘We’ve got no plans to do that in the imminent future.'”

Button aims to end torrid season on high note (The Telegraph)

“I don’t think we’re far off the pace of any car apart from Red Bull, and maybe the Lotus of (Romain) Grosjean is a bit too far ahead.”

Staff loss a threat to Red Bull – Brawn (Autosport)

“There will be a change. I don’t think any team can lose someone of [Peter Prodromou’s] calibre without it having an impact.]

Ferrari knew of Kimi injury (Sky)

Stefano Domenicali: “Of course we know the situation. With the specific situation of Kimi there will be no problem at all.”

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Comment of the day

Bernie Ecclestone’s recent troubles have invited differing views on what the most powerful in Formula One has done for the sport:

I’d agree with you that he actually did some good early on. However he was also the guy who got too greedy, negotiated separate deals with teams and played them against each other and made sure that the latest attempt of collective bargaining among teams was doomed to fail.

Also his business model is outdated – there’s enough profit to have 11 financially healthy teams with performance incentives and 20 profitable races each season – if he cared about sustainability.

The situation won’t change immediately after Bernie’s retirement but it would break up a web of secret deals that might give the sport a chance to start with some urgently needed changes.
TMF (@TMF42)

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105 comments on “Di Resta considering IndyCar switch”

  1. Fully agree with COTD

    1. @beejis60 me too. Bernie clearly had it’s ups and downs. THe ups have been good, but the downs have been just devastating. We’ve reached to a point where not even Lotus, who are the only ones fighting Red Bull right now, can fully commit to F1 because they are tight on budget, and a superstar like Hulkenberg has to wait forever to get, not a seat in a top team, but A seat ! Not to mention the constant struggles with the lower teams, FIA’s complete failure to impose a budget cap or even a reasonably fair chance to the new guys in 2010…

      1. The pinnacle (of motor sport) needs talent and capital to sustain itself. If the talent is required to bring capital to the job it demonstrates that the sustainable equation is out of balance. If the business model starves the capital out of the talent side, the pinnacle collapses.

      2. Agreed 100%. With more money for the teams, in season testing could be back as well, so the problem with inexperienced young TALENTED drivers would disappear also, and the chances of seeing next big thing would be greater. And what’s with Tilke’s exclusive right to design F1 tracks? That’s a true monopoly, which is a nonsense in democratic society! A lot of things are wrong in F1 this days. It’s hard to even follow the damn thing. I mean I love F1 but it could be a loooot better than it is right now if things are done by the right people.

        1. @nidzovski

          With more money for the teams

          I think who need it is a fair point to add. We need at the very least 10 teams competing I feel. Having several only barely able to even look the part is not good. I mean, the chance of Caterham or Marussia being with the field next year is logically, very very low. And on top of that, might not even be competing. And worse still, it’s not only the tail enders. About half the grid is struggling just to have the funds to compete.

          Either these teams need more money, the costs need to come down, or both. And it’s just not happening at the moment.

    2. So do I. I think Bernie has done great things for the sport but F1 needs new energy. He could just retire graciously and let the sport move if he loves it.

    3. maarten.f1 (@)
      20th November 2013, 8:16

      I think not only Bernie is to blame, but also the teams themselves. They could get so much more money out of the sport if they can manage to agree to work together for a change. But the teams are so paranoid of each other they can never agree to a deal that benefits them all, and that’s where Bernie has the skill and opportunity to be able to get more money out of the sport.

      1. I agree. But am I the only one thinking that it’s not going to be as smooth with a new person (or group of people) instead of Bernie as everyone is suggesting? The thing is that the teams will never agree (obviously), because what people want always changes and to some extent, people never know what they want.

        Take a look at Steve Jobs for example, sure there were a lot of people instrumental to Apple’s success in the days when they were growing, but having one man with a vision at the top really drove that company forward and in a single direction as opposed to a group of people changing their minds and the company “zig zagging” along the way. They delivered their vision of what people would want out of a phone (referring to the first iPhone) and subsequently moved forward with their developing vision, if they had listened to everything consumers said they wouldn’t have moved forward in the way that they did. For this example and F1, there are clearly exceptions, but generally the basic principle applies.

        At the end of the day, I do agree that his management style is outdated.

  2. I’d not mind seeing di Resta and Sutil out of F1, really. Force India deserves a bit better, the car isn’t too bad, but their drivers are “meh” kind of drivers, IMO… Maybe Perez can go there, it not be a bad deal for both parties.

    I still cannot work out how Force India failed to find another driver above Adrian Sutil after losing Hulkenberg last year…

    1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      20th November 2013, 1:11

      Well Bianchi was well in the running in the lead up to their announcement of Sutil. But Force India chose Sutil over Jules because of more experience/money.

      I think Force India made the wrong decision because Jules is incredibly promising, he’s one of the best (if not the best) young drivers in the field, and has a connection with Ferrari engines. So, why they chose Sutil I’m not really sure.

      1. @tophercheese21 I had forgotten about that ! Yeah ! they tried Jules and dropped him in favour of SUTIL!

        I genuinely cannot understand how Sutil is still on the grid having done virtually nothing since 2007.

        1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
          20th November 2013, 4:28

          Sutil brings a HOST of different sponsors. There’s absolutely no other reason.

          1. People seem to forget that Sutil was voted in the Top 5 drivers of 2011 on this very site, by f1fanatics.

        2. @fer-no65 Why Sutil, a German driver, can bring a good host of sponsors and Hulkenberg a better German driver, can’t? Maybe Hulk needs a new agent.

          On Bianchi? Hmm, maybe they should take the risk of losing the pleasant presence of Adrian Sutil girlfriend in their garage…

          1. @jcost some guys are lucky, huh? F1 ride, that girlfriend…

          2. @fer-no65 Oh yes. Which ride is better, I wonder…

      2. They use Mercedez Engines ans Bianchi is Ferrari contracted

      3. i dont think its fair to accuse FI of choosin sutil on the basis of money ….. they did extensiv testin wid both drivers & they had d data ….. u havto giv credit to FI …they r d only team othr dan d top for who dosnt auction der race seats

      4. Ted Kravitz suggested at the time that one reason for Force India rejecting Bianchi was because of Ferrari’s involvement in the negotiating process – that connection may in fact have hindered rather than helped Bianchi.

        It is suggested that Ferrari tried to push Force India into becoming a customer team from 2014 onwards by offering them a discount on their engines in return for giving Bianchi a seat. However, Force India felt that deal would leave them worse off than their existing research partnerships with McLaren and Mercedes – Ferrari’s deal was the same as Sauber gets, where Ferrari offers technical support but the information exchange is very much one way.

        Given the friction that might have come with a Ferrari driver in a Mercedes backed team, not to mention the rumours that Ferrari’s turbo engine is the weakest of the three manufacturers, it was suggested that Force India decided that it would be better to maintain their links with Mercedes and, in turn reject Bianchi.

    2. There are reports that Hukenberg has signed with FI. Of course there are many reports out there, but this one may actually make sense. If Di Resta is gone, which does look to be quite likely and Hulkenberg is in, then they might as well show Sutil the door and bring Perez in. I’m not a fan of Perez, but I think he would be an improvement over both current FI drivers.

      1. @bullmello Ya I read that too, for something like $2m but also wants an advance payment and apparently FI still owe Hulk from last year? Ridiculous…
        Anyway, I’d like to see Hulk stay at Sauber if this Russian deal is for real.

        1. @beejis60 – Read the same about the FI 2012 salary too. And Sauber supposedly got Hulkenberg’s salary paid for this year by Ferrari to keep his contract valid to prevent him from going to Lotus for two races. This is all so bizarre and points to the greed factor in the F1 business model starving the talent side of the show. Either way I hope that Hulkenberg ends up with a viable team for 2014 with a good chance to compete for podiums and maybe even wins. I would prefer him to stay with Sauber too at this point, with the Russian if of course.

          I remember the days when teams hired the best drivers they could for the most part. Yes, there have been pay drivers for some time now, but this is ridiculous. A driver bringing along sponsors is not a bad thing per se. For example, Alonso brings a hefty amount of Santander sponsorship money. But, does anyone doubt his ability to get a seat if he had no sponsor money along for the ride?

          1. Now, not anymore. But if he was at the start of his career, trying to become an F1 driver..
            Look at Frijns, at Hulkenberg and also look at Sutil and Maldonado.

        2. It doesn’t bode well if Hulkenberg is still owed money from 2012. If Force India couldn’t pay him a year ago, why would they be able to now? Of course, Sauber’s financial situation could well be worse, in which case it would be understandable.

    3. If Sutil is out of F1, what will they do with the spare camera operator who just stands there pointing his camera at Jennifer Becks the whole time? (I’m not complaining, she has an amazing smile)

      1. It still blows me away that she’s with that clown…

      2. Wow what an absolutely breath taking woman… How does she stay with Sutil? Sutil sounds like he has a lot of ego. He doesn’t own up faults of driver error at all. Di Resta is bettre than Sutil but I wouldn’t mind if Sutil stays back just so I get to see Jennifer.

        Vettel should ditch his girl and cuckold on Jennifer.

        1. The way of the champion!
          Corinna Schumacher used to be Heinz Harald Frentzen’s girl…

  3. Bye bye Paul, hope you enjoy US… So who will be good for the Force India?

    1. Perez I’ll say.

    2. Possibly Huelkenberg, and maybe an experienced driver… Calado?

      1. I agree, Hulkenberg and a young driver is the only driver line-up that would make sense if they really believe that Di Resta is not good enough.

    3. how abt vandoorne … !

      1. @shoes Vandoorne is sticked with McLaren

        1. wouldnt it b a masterstroke for both mclaren & FI …..

          1. Force India don’t want to develop other teams’ young drivers apparently. How about Frijns?

    4. About time, Di Resta is over rated! he thinks he’s a lot better than he is too and is always moaning at the team.

  4. May I be among the first to congratulate DiResta on his future endeavours boring the pants off american sports viewers, and it can’t come soon enough, although it’s unlikely his formidable PR apparatus will have the same reach over there that they do in the halls of the BBC and Sky. Furthermore, the American audience doesn’t like listening to self indulgent pitiable whinging character vacuums, so he may find he won’t get traction over there either.

    For those not of a British persuasion and who are not subjected to hours of Paul on a weekly basis, you can only imagine the anticipation there is at the prospect of ending his one-man destruction of the airwaves at every race.

    1. Furthermore, the American audience doesn’t like listening to self indulgent pitiable whinging character vacuums

      Um, @hairs, have you ever watched American TV? I mean, the only place you don’t get exactly that attitude is Dora the Explorer and The Price is Right.

      1. Dora the Explorer

        lolz

      2. totally :D

      3. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
        20th November 2013, 4:31

        @neiana – As an American, I would love to say you are wrong, unfortunately I can not. The trash that passes for TV in America is mind-blowing and down right crude.

    2. Jack (@jackisthestig)
      20th November 2013, 1:57

      One little problem though, it sounds like Perez also has one eye on that Ganassi seat and I know which one I’d choose If I were Chip Ganassi.

      1. @jackisthestig
        I think Indycar has enough do-or-die overtakes without adding Perez into the mix though.

    3. With the majority of the calendar taken up by incredible classic American road courses, I couldn’t be less interested in this uninformed opinion.

      It’s not the technology race that Formula 1 but it’s spectacular racing.

      1. @hwkii I’m not sure how you got “America is crap” out of a rant about how boring diResta is, but I’d encourage you to re-read and check again.

        1. I believe your use of “boring” may have caused the confusion. It is not incorrect but your sentence construction common, these days.

    4. Ha, you’re almost making me think I’ll miss the fun of getting mad at di Resta every time he opens his mouth. Well, there’s always Maldonado… ;)

    5. Am I the only one here who prefers di Resta over Sutil? Come on, Sutil is much more boring to watch than di resta, Sutil had one good race, Monaco, and that was it. Look at the difference in points between him and di Resta. Why does Sutil get a contract for 2014 and di Resta not? That’s totally unfair!

      Good luck Paul for the rest of your career :)

    6. self indulgent pitiable whinging character vacuums

      C’mon now, don’t hold back, tell us how you really feel about the guy. But seriously, actually I had no clue – is he really that much of a twerp?

    7. What’s up with Jennie Gow bigging up Paul di Resta on Twittter? She came up with the impeccable logic (not) that Di Resta ought to be considered by top teams because “he had scored 9 points more than Hulkenberg this season”.

      1. Same reason anyone else in the British media does: he has very, very good pr.

  5. which I think with the actual car we have is world champion of the rest.

    What?

    1. He is saying that RBR deserve to be WCC/WDC due to their superior driver and car performance, so Alonso considers himself “best of the rest” because at times (most of the time?) Mercedes and Lotus have had much better cars than the Ferrari’s, yet Fernando is still second in the WDC.

      1. It’s nonsense though. What he’s saying is ‘I’ve secured second’ and named that ‘world champion of the rest’ for some reason. And Hamilton or Webber will be world champion of the rest who aren’t Vettel or Alonso I suppose, and so on. I suppose he could be saying that Vettel (or at least with Red Bull) is in such a different league that he barely counts these days and that the battle behind him his the best anybody else can hope for- and that’s just depressing, and very defeatist coming from Alonso with all his normal Samurai nonsense.

        1. world champion of the rest = first of the losers

        2. @matt90

          and very defeatist coming from Alonso

          Realistic I’d say, given how the F138 performs (no better than RB, Mercedes, Lotus …)

      2. @oblong_cheese That isn’t even “best of the rest” though.

        Ferrari clearly has a superior car to Sauber, Force India, McLaren, Williams, Torro Rosso, Caterham and Marussia so using his logic you can’t compare him to any of their drivers. Kimi Raikkonen is missing the last two races and we can’t draw any concrete conclusions about Kovalainen.

        So what it boils down to is “I’ve demonstrated that I’m the best if, you don’t count 16 of the 23 F1 drivers this year”. And that’s being generous since I reckon Lewis would have quite happily swapped his Mercedes for the Ferrari over the course of the year.

        I’m not suggesting by any means that I consider Alonso not to be one of the top drivers, but if he’s going to ‘remove’ Vettel from the comparison on the basis of a superior car then he can’t possibly elevate himself above Chilton or Bianchi either.

    2. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
      20th November 2013, 5:37

      Its just a way to downplay RBR/Vettel’s success while playing up his & Ferrari’s mediocrity.

      1. It’s Alonso’s psychologic war at his best, and a funny quote that means nothing at all.

    3. It makes as much sense as for me to loudly declare that Sebastian Vettel has never beaten me in a F1 race. A hollow victory in the extreme.

    4. I think the World Champion of the rest thing was just a funny note.

      1. Indeed! I am always amused by how far people read in each and every phrase F1 drivers say…

    5. I regard Fernando very highly, however I find his comments here arrogant and unnecessary.
      Yes, he secured second, but at 150 or so points behind Sebastian? and on top of that there have been far better drivers in the field this year with inferior machinery.
      You aren’t fooling anyone Fernando, it almost seems to me these days that he feels he is entitled to another championship before he retires, does anyone else get this impression from his attitude?

  6. So it looks like Sutil and, possibly, Hulkenburg in the Force India for 2014.
    In the begining of the season, Paul openly gave statements that this year would a transition year for him to move to a top team. I must say, he did have couple of good performance this year but now his name hardly comes up whenever there is talk about driver movements. Poor chap, yo could feel for him when Lotus or Ferrari or McLaren dont even bother to talk about him as an outside chance to get a seat. Well, good luck to him..

    1. Nick Jarvis (@)
      20th November 2013, 0:24

      I think Di Resta has had such a below mediocre season, any ‘decent’ race he has looks fantastic. He’s got the personality of Captain Cardboard, and he has no flair to his driving style. He just puts it into a wall, sulks, proclaims he’s faster than Vettel, and rinses and repeats a couple of weeks later. He’s no faster than someone convicted of GBH, and I can’t see him getting any better than he is right now.

      1. He’s no faster than someone convicted of GBH

        Firstly, this is not the case as Di Resta has been clearly faster than his team mate in 2013. Secondly, Sutil’s conviction, hairstyle and girlfriend have nothing to do with his driving ability.

      2. He just puts it into a wall, sulks, proclaims he’s faster than Vettel, and rinses and repeats a couple of weeks later.

        If he is that bad, @nickj95gb, I’m wondering why Sutil still will be in F1 next year since he’s got less points.

        I agree he got a euh … bizarre personality but every driver thinks he’s better tha the rest. You need that spirit in F1.

    2. @1abe

      In the begining of the season, Paul openly gave statements that this year would a transition year for him to move to a top team.

      That’s been the case for him since he entered F1… it’s aaaaalways a transition year to move to a top team. The thing is no top team wants him onboard, so he can keep on with the transition… outside F1 would be nice

      1. he’s always banging on about it, force india being his way to get a top drive, then if he doesn’t get put of q3 it’s the teams fault not his. No wonder they don’t want to keep him.

        no top teams want him, and they have access to more info than we doo..mind you Mclaren still ballsed up their driver selection this year despite all the info and “data” they were looking into!

    3. @1abe

      In the begining of the season, Paul openly gave statements that this year would a transition year for him to move to a top team.

      I remember when he came in the sport in 2011, he made statements like if he had a fast car as Seb and Lewis, he also would’ve competed and become a champion (considering that they were all rivals in junior series).

      I recall a similar statement from Jev when during the YDT (2010 or 2011) when he drove the Red Bull car he said that he would be faster than Mark in the car. Ironically it’s his team mate now who gets that RBR seat while Jev will probably have his last chance to prove himself in the STR.

  7. Di Resta is concerned with IndyCar safety but still willing to go there even though it’s just forced his cousin to retire from Motor Racing. Not sure I’d have the same mind set as him in his shoes to be fair.

    1. Expect new safety improvements next year, the potential payout for liability is massive if a proven danger is ignored.

    2. Dario had to retire due to suffering multiple serious concussions, Only 1 of those was suffered in an Indycar.

      Also consider that much of Indycar’s safety issues were with the old car & because of the type of racing often seen. The new car used since the start of 2012 is a lot safer & we no longer see the pack racing on the big ovals which also improved safety.

      You can’t & should not base Indycar’s safety based off the old car/racing or based off 1 accident which could have happened & been just as bad in F1 given an identical set of circumstances.

      1. Couldn’t have said it better myself!

  8. Abdurahman (@)
    20th November 2013, 2:15

    Oh, Vale, what could have been? What could have been!

    1. Here here! If only!

  9. His eminence shall be missed . On a serious note , he actually picked up his sticks but I think Force India are looking for one driver with huge talent ( like a Hulkenberg ) and one with sponsorship . Actually the Perez thing looks reasonable as Perez brings some sponsorship and also if they get Hulkenberg , it is a boon for them . Unfortunately for FI if Hulk goes off to Lotus , then they have to get Pastor or retain Sutil . Since Sutil is a known quantity they may as well go with Pastor or Calado .

  10. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    20th November 2013, 3:48

    Alonso should read one of the mottos printed in the F1F mugs: “Second is the First Loser”

    1. That would be the Champion Loser, right?

      1. *World Champion

    2. Last time I checked, guy is a double world champions and four-times vice champion (or technically three-times, since he was level on points with Lewis in 2007).

      But the point is, someone who won two titles and took it down the wire few more times can probably be quite pleased with himself. He’s still hungry for more, which can only be positive, since he has already achieved more than 99.9% other people. Even among F1 champions, you could count on your fingers those who won more than him, be it titles or race victories.

  11. Pitty to see di Resta move to Indy, I had high hopes for him but he just grew too impatient.

    With regards to Alonso´s comments, some will choose to interpret him the wrong way but, securing second in the WDC for a third time in 4 seasons in a car that is doomed to end 3rd or 4th in the WCC, ahead of better cars like LOTUS, MERCEDES and MCLAREN and ahead of two other WDCs is not an easy feat and should be recognized and respected.

    1. +1 though I doubt a lot of people on here will recognize or respect that.

    2. I don’t think the McLaren has been the better car over the course of the season at all.

      1. u wud never know dat coz dos mclaren drivers are d slowest pair on the grid … imagine if lewis was not der in 2013 , dat mp27 wid b considered fourth most fastest car of d season … thanx to lewis it is rightly considered d fastest car of 2013

      2. He was referring to the last few seasons I think.

    3. @fangio85
      That is sadly the case! People choose to read what they want and interpret things at their convenience!

      With regards to the McLaren reply…. @matt90 , It might not have been a good car this season but hey, last time I checked they have a top notch (considered by few) wdc in Button… If Alonso had the season he had in 2012 when Ferrari used the same suspension settup, shouldn´t Button have been able to do the same if he is considered so good or McLaren for that matter?
      The fact is that McLaren is a Top Tier team and should always be respected as such so my comment is not far off when I say that Fernando did well finishing 2nd in th WDC with a car that is AGAIN, not as good as the top teams!

      1. Just because the too cars have the same suspension doesn’t mean that this year’s McLaren would be capable of the performance of last year’s Ferrari, so I don’t get your point.

  12. Alonso’s two options when describing his 2013 season are “world champion of the rest” or “second is the first loser”, so I suppose he is just trying to stay positive in the face of the Vettel/Red Bull steamroller, which can’t be an easy task. Bit of a nothing comment that though.

  13. I won’t be that sorry to see Di Resta go – and it will be interesting to see how he goes in Indycar – but I do feel a bit sorry for him in the way he has become the laughing stock of the paddock (I do think he should work on how he communicates with the media, as it too often sounds like he’s making excuses).

    In the same way that Kobayashi did not deserve the boot when Perez was promoted to McLaren last year; if Hulkenberg is the next Vettel then Di Resta deserves a place in F1 too. I think Di Resta has been inconsistent over the years, but he was not slow compared to Hulkenberg in their year together at Force India.

    I think Di Resta is a better driver than Sutil, and I won’t be sorry to see Adrian out of F1 next season. In my opinion, Sutil is a decent but lacklustre driver, and I don’t like his attitude, as evidenced by in the ridiculous way he tried to blame Maldonado for their coming together last weekend.

      1. Oh dear@adrianmorse, these Kobayashi comments make me laugh so hard.

        Perez was either 10-9 ahead in qually or 10-9 behind(Perez is a slow qualifier aswell), and outscored Kobayashi, had 3 podiums to 1 and you think it was undeserved how he got the boot? Plz explain….

  14. It’s clear that Red Bull and all other teams will carry over lots of stuff onto their 2014 car but to extent will it make their car just as better than the rest?

    Red Bull and Seb are beaten the field because they out-develop and out-smart the rest, probably because they have a huge understanding of this generation of cars and their philosophy has been “evolution” and not “revolution” over the last 5 seasons. Other teams tend to change a lot after a season and they take to long to understand their “new car” making it harder developing their package efficiently over the season. In 2014, starting good will be a huge advantage because the learning curve of the new generation will be in its genesis and developing efficiently the car will be harder, IMHO, for everyone, Newey and Co. included.

  15. Di Resta has convincingly outperformed his more experienced team mate this season so I don’t think it’s fair to drop him. Nothing suggests that he is worse than Massa, Maldonado, Perez, Vergne and several other drivers so there must be financial reasons for Force India’s decision (if they indeed have already taken one).

    If Force India want to improve their driver line-up, then they should drop Sutil and sign Hulkenberg instead. I was happy to see Sutil back in F1 at the beginning of the year but the German has had a very unconvincing season.

    1. Same sentiments, I think Paul is good but not spectacular. But still, I’ll choose him over Sutil.
      I wish him luck wherever he goes.

      I’ve only been a fan of the sport for 2 years, but I’ve gotten to like most of the drivers so with Webber and possibly Di Resta leaving I might start following other series’ as well, along with F1 of course.

    2. I agree with what you’re saying @girts.

      I’ll be sad to see di Resta leave the sport as I believe he still has a lot to offer F1. No matter what people say he has been a real success in the sport, having played a major role in Force India’s most successful era (6th, 7th, 6th in his three years).

      The way I’m reading it, it looks like Force India want to sign Hulkenberg and a pay driver. But, if they can’t get Hulkenberg I think they may opt for Maldonado, and I think in this scenario di Resta has a chance of staying with the team.

      I’m hoping for a di Resta/Maldonado line up at Force India next year. I think Paul deserves a chance in the post-2013 era. And I think being paired with Maldonado would be a chance for him to show his talents (unfortunately I think people underrate Sutil, so di Resta’s achievements in beating him and scoring 48 points in a lackluster Force India are sadly unrecognised). We may never know but I think the new Formula in 2014 will suit di Resta’s driving style, and given the opportunity it could be a breakthrough season for him.

      1. @mhop I agree and I think that Paul is a likeable guy as well. I’ve been following his career since his DTM years and his development rate is pretty impressive, given that he hasn’t had as much single-seater experience as his competitors. In my opinion, this year Di Resta has been delivering exactly what one would expect from a future champion in his third season.

        Maldonado & Di Resta really would be the perfect line-up for the team as Di Resta would be a reliable points-scorer, while Maldonado would bring money and also some great results if he could combine his 2012 speed with half-decent consistency.

    3. I agree about Sutil@Girts, but come on Sutil haveing had more years is irrelevant Sutil had a year off remember, in 3 years this is his 1st time he is beating his teammate. So how is this how a WC should be in their 3rd season? Their is already WC at big team, their is not loads in waiting is their when all the big seast are filled only Hulk deserves a big seat(afterall he beat Diresta with a year out). It does not look good on Paul atall.

  16. Also, if you look at the amount of points, this is di Resta’s best season …

  17. hulkenburg has been fast this year, but back at FI next year he might look mediocre and only a match for his teammate. If he thrashes Sutil next year, then it will be confirmed that he is potentially great. his performances in previous seasons wasn’t that great so that is why some teams aren’t all that convinced. he is on a roll now, so lets see how he goes next year, other great drivers have that momentum from the start of their f1 career, hulkenburg hasn’t, so maybe he is the next Jarno Trulli instead of the next Michael Schumacher.

    1. I think that the second half of last year’s season was just as impressive as the second half of this season.
      He beat Di Resta last year, and Hulkenberg had not even raced in 2011.

      He is a great driver, there’s no denying that. I think he lacks some skills that are required in a top team (understanding of the car, feedback, I don’t know), otherwise I can’t explain why other teams never choose him in the end.

  18. I can see DiResta’s spin if he does lose his seat “Well, I’ve already beat the 4x WDC when we were teammates. I’m looking for a new challenge.”

    Pity if he does lose his seat, he’s far more competent then at least half the drivers on the grid. I’d rate him higher than Sutil, who is even more of a bore than PDR :)

  19. I have a quote for Alonso: “If you ain’t first, your last.”

    Lol.

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