Di Resta’s Force India future uncertain – manager

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In the round-up: Paul di Resta is currently in a ‘tricky situation’ with Force India, according to manager Richard Goddard.

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Paul Di Resta: ‘No guarantees’ over Force India driver’s F1 future (BBC)

Richard Goddard: “It’s difficult to know what will happen – there are a lot of drivers in the sport with money and a lot of teams that need money. That is probably the biggest issue, that it is not just outright talent that gets you a seat in the car any more.”

Can you solve the mystery of Nico Rosberg’s missing helmet? (CNN)

"Can you solve the mystery of the missing helmet because Formula One driver Nico Rosberg needs your help. In a bid to track down the protective head gear, which he claims was stolen from a garage at the Nurburgring Circuit in Germany in the early hours of Sunday morning, the Mercedes driver has enlisted his fans’ detective skills."

Renault downplays fears that F1 races could be boring in 2014 – (Autosport)

Renault F1 technical director Naoki Tokunaga: "In terms of spectacle, I think the races will be different but still be exciting. At a circuit where you are limited to fuel, if you go flat out then you will not make the finish. Because you have to save fuel, it means there will be a difference between average power use through races and the maximum power available."

McLaren can expect engine parity in 2014 – Mercedes (ESPN F1)

Toto Wolff: "McLaren is a customer and we have long history with McLaren, so we will do everything to support them from Mercedes’ point of view. We are in modern times so there is no such thing as different specs [of engine] and different specs are not allowed by the regulations anyway."

Kevin Magnussen on the shortlist to take Marussia’s second seat next season (Sky)

“Magnussen is part of McLaren’s young driver programme and is on track to clinch this year’s Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship. McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh is determined to get the 21-year-old a drive for next year and Marussia, who rely on McLaren for part of their technical operation, are an option.”

The Finishing Line – with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas (F1.com)

"The best cure for a hangover is??
VB: A Finn would probably say ‘have another drink’. But salty food also does the trick."

Valencia slams Catalunya over F1 alternation (GrandPrix.com)

"Valencia president Alberto Fabra his hit out at his Catalunya counterpart for reneging on plans to alternate Spain’s two grands prix. Fabra, president of the Generalitat Valenciana, this week confirmed reports the Spanish port city will no longer host a formula one street race."

Alonso team continues planning for 2015 (Cycling News)

"Although Fernando Alonso’s proposed takeover of Euskaltel-Euskadi’s licence for next year ultimately came to nothing, the Formula 1 driver is proceeding with his plans to unveil a new top-level team for the 2015 season."

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Comment of the day

Max Chilton may feel that he is worthy of a seat in F1 next year, but F1Fanatic reader Chris isn’t so sure.

I disagree with Chilton, I don’t think he deserves a seat for next year. Yes he’s been consistent by finishing every race, but he hasn’t shown that he’s got the raw speed, as he’s been consistently 0.8-0.3 tenths slower than Jules, sometimes more!

I don’t know how much money he (his father) brings to the team, but I suspect it’s quite a lot considering Marussia chose him over Timo Glock. And obviously that will go in his favour, but on a talent based analysis, I don’t think he’s done enough to earn that seat.

That’s no knock against him as a person, I think he seems like a really nice guy. And I know it’s tough as a rookie at the back of the grid but there haven’t been any huge outstanding performances so far (except maybe Suzuka qualy).
Chris

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On this day in F1

Ludovico Scarfiotti, the last Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari, was born 80 years ago today. Scarfiotti only occasionally raced in F1 and mainly served in Ferrari’s sports car team.

But in 1966, at the wheel of Ferrari’s glorious V12-engined car, he led a one-two for the team ahead of Mike Parkes. But within 12 months of that win he had fallen out with the team and left.

He died in 1968 following a crash at a hillclimb competition in Germany.

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158 comments on “Di Resta’s Force India future uncertain – manager”

  1. On Di-resta and Chilton, unfortunately i dont think either are good enough, Di-resta gets hyped up a lot by the british fans and media, but in my opinion he doesnt have a shining f1 career with wins and championships ahead of him. And chilton..he outqualifies Bianchi one time (bear in mind bianchi barely had any running in practice) and all of a sudden he’s a great talent :S he doesnt have the speed, impressive consistency, but consistently slowest is nothing to get excited about

    1. Wouldn’t a lot of people have said the same about Romain Grosjean a year ago.

      1. Romain is a great example of a driver that had speed but lacked racecraft, the racecraft has now been learned. Racecraft can be learned but speed is inate.

        1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
          18th October 2013, 6:04

          @hohum You sir, have spoken the truth!

      2. @w-k sure grosjean made some awful mistakes last year, but his raw speed was their on show. And even this season, its only really the past couple races that he’s impressed, he’s still a long way behind him team-mate in the standings.

      3. @w-k not at all. Grosjean was erratic but fast.

        Di Resta only just about edges Sutil, who’s only average. When Nico Hulkenberg was there, he trashed him (yes, they were the other way round until midseason, but still, Hulkenberg did the best job by far overall).

      4. No, Grosjean showed a lot of promise and skill in getting that GP2 title with DAMS. Not to mention that he was already fast and beating Kimi at times in Qualifying last year. There was no doubt he was fast, but he made far too many mistakes resulting in crashes.

        Now @W-k it seems he has that speed, but he seems to have learned some better racecraft.

    2. Is that standard operating procedure for the British media? Or media of any country for that matter..they always over-hype their countrymen…..its normal. Im just waiting for same old “we’re going to win the World Cup” stories..because that always cracks me up…haha

      On a serious note, the British media tends to over hype the local talent at times, but on the whole, they are mostly nuetral…and generally exhibit very high standards of journalism.

      1. Wander around a newsroom in Australia and see how many journos recognise Daniel Ricciardo’s name. Blank stares. No overhyping of young Dan over here. Scratch that, no reporting of F1 over here.

        1. Second that. Considering the hype some drivers get for having out-qualified their team-mate or having a blistering start while trailing the team-mate by more then double of their points, it’s amazing.

          I don’t mind the lack of attention Dan is getting, as he is happy to be driving in F1 and next season looks like lots of fun for him.

          Not a Vettel fan, but what I do like is the rare occasions where he is unhappy about his performance(or the car), you can see the displease on his face, yet he finds the courage to say “wasn’t fast enough”, even though if any driver, he is the one in position to blame who/whatever he wants for lack of performance. This is something British underachieving boys can learn from and few non-British :)

          I would hate to be Hamilton too, pretty much any question he is being asked is so provocative, he should make it a practice to just walk off or saying “Next question”. Maybe journos will stop asking stupld questions.

          1. I would hate to be Hamilton too, pretty much any question he is being asked is so provocative, he should make it a practice to just walk off or saying “Next question”.

            He should try responding with some thoughtful Haiku.

    3. I don’t agree with that. My friends and I are British fans and we never mention the lad, ever. But I will today for your sake. He’s an ok driver, proven points scorer but not much else. People say Button doesn’t have that last 2 or 3 tenths that the top guys have, more of a Coulthard than a Hakkinen. Well Di Resta doesn’t have Button’s last 3 tenths which puts him around the Takuma Sato level to me. Good enough if he’s all you can afford but ideally you’d want to be able to pay more and get at least a Button. Since we’re talking about FI here and they are “pink lint” as we say, Di Resta is a safe pair of hands to bring much needed points in the constructors. OK, he’s not going to set the world alight but chosing between 2 affordable pilots like him and Sutil who will win the team some prize money and 2 rookie’s who could crash their way to 10th place in the constructors is a no brainer.

    4. Di-resta gets hyped up a lot by the british fans

      There are two?

      1. LOLOLOLOL

    5. Of course Di Resta will not be at Force India next year. He will actually be driving at Red Bull alongside Ricciardo: Christian Horner just noticed that in the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series, Di Resta beat Vettel when they were in the same team – this implies that Di Resta is faster than Vettel.

      1. He should be a 5 times world champion by now because he’s so good he earned titles before even arriving to F1, with the sport being re-named after him because he’s proven to be the best driver in the world by beating Vettel in the 2006 Formula 3 Euro Series.

        1. @philereid

          I heard that he is planning to make he his own breakaway series “the FIA Paul DiResta World Championship”

          Starting from 2014, here is the entry list:

          Team: Paul diResta
          Driver: Paul diResta
          Constructor: Paul diResta

          1. thatscienceguy
            18th October 2013, 14:58

            I believe he’ll also write the theme tune, sing the theme tune

          2. You’ve forgotten about the Di Restian National Anthem:
            “Paul is a driving god,
            Bask in his excellency,
            It’s always the car!

            I beat Sebastian Vettel
            I put in a brilliant performance
            I should be in a McLaren!”

      2. @mike-dee
        Thought you were serious at first… then I saw the replies xD

  2. I want to say that all F1 drivers are great. All of them have been reared to become professional drivers since their childhood. They are all able to win races if they are given a competitive car. But the difference between a race winner and a champion is consistency and mental stability. I hope that fans stop insulting drivers and just enjoy watching them racing even for the 21st position…

    1. Hear hear! +1

    2. I think there’s a bit more difference between drivers than you think. I accept your point that all who make it to F1 are supremely skilled, but that does not make them immune to criticism or speculation whether there are other, more talented drivers waiting to get into F1. Insults should be avoided, but analysis of their performances and abilities should definitely not be neutered nor should valid criticism.

      On this subject I agree with the COTD, Chilton isn’t embarrassing himself but the gap to Bianchi is still too big to justify his taking a seat away from one of the many talented drivers in, say, GP2 trying to break into F1.

    3. I don’t agree. Absolutely, everyone from Sebastian Vettel to Max Chilton would trash very average Max Jacobson in an F1 car. However, one is not the benchmark: the benchmark is the fastest man in F1, be that Alonso, Hamilton, Räikkönen or Vettel.

      So if one is to judge performances based on that, which is the objective if you want to win titles, I think it’s absolutely fair for a driver to attract criticism if they fail to reach that mark. So whilst no driver on the current grid is awful, mercifully, if there are better drivers available they should in an idealist world be getting a coveted F1 seat.

      1. zak misiuda (@)
        18th October 2013, 5:31

        @vettel1 +1
        Completely agree!

      2. YEAh, I am pretty sure that most of the GP2 field, the WSR 3.5 field and not unlikely the majority of the GP3, F3, DTM, NASCAR, Indycar etc. would trash your average @vettel1!

        These are exceptional drivers, but that does not belong that each single one of them is amongst the 22 best drivers in the world. I think there are better than Chilton (and probably others) who are currently not driving in F1 and deserve a shot just as much or more.
        If Marussia (or FI) is choosing between signing Magnussen and resigning Chilton, Sutil or DiREsta, I would think that only the money involved would tip the balance towards choosing Chilton and money and experience towards the current FI drivers.

    4. Yes. But there are plenty of racing categories and Formula One is arguably the best. And this is a reason why drivers who need a season to adapt do not belong there.

      10 or 15 years ago, if you were not winning every competition you entered you had close to zero chance advancing in any Formula. I’m afraid that argument what all drivers in F1 are extremely good and there is little difference in them is being stretched VERY thin. There are plenty of much better drivers sitting on side line, who can add value to F1.

      No wonder we are complaining about Formula 1 becoming average. what top technologies we are talking about when the drivers we put in those cars are not the best.

      1. That’s just not true. 10 or 15 years ago there was just as much chance of jumping into a Minardi, a Jordan or an Arrows on the back of your family fortune as there is now jumping into a Marussia on your family fortune, or a Sauber on your dirty money.

      2. Haha, pay drivers are embedded in Formula 1 history, it’s nothing new. Frank Williams Racing Cars (the predecessor of Williams F1) employed 29(!) different drivers in a timespan of 8 years.

        1. While I agree pay drivers are not new, I think what IS new is the degree to which some teams now have no choice financially but to take them, and what is also new is the amount of money they do/can/have to bring. And the result is that there are some drivers in F1 who are not the best that F1 should have and instead the race amongst them is about who has the biggest chequebook.

          So in that regard I think it is moreso F1 that should be criticised than pay drivers who get into F1 with very little car time and who aren’t actually the best option in terms of drivers skill.

          What I’m still stuck on is that to me the cheque they bring is all well and good, but isn’t there merit in foregoing the pay driver for a better driver who is paid and might help advance the car more quickly both on and off the track with his better skill and experience? ie. I’m not convince the short term injection of money is worth it in the long run if the driver is a weak link in the whole process…but of course, that’s my armchair opinion and the teams must know what they have to do for their own benefit.

  3. I won’t be ruing Di Resta’s loss, if I’m honest. I think this season has defined him as a driver: quick when the car is there, perhaps unfortunate. When the car isn’t quite there, he’s inconsistent, desperate, highly strung and crash prone. And then he goes and blames it on the team.

    I was a fan of his when he entered F1, but my appreciation for him has waned as time has passed and for me he lost his chance of a top drive in 2012 when, partnered with Nico Hülkneberg, we were given an illustration on potential shining through. Hence why now Nico’s firmly in the driving seat (excuse the pun) for Lotus and Di Resta’s facing oblivion.

    1. A bit harsh, I’d say. Paul is still outperforming Sutil with fewer years in F1, also mid-season change in rules (tyres) really killed FI’s season. Sure, he’s been his own worst enemy of late, but better than 50% of the field, I’d say. No doubt McLaren should have gone with Hulk over Perez. But after this year, I’d even put PDR in the no 2 seat before Checco.

      1. @abbinator harsh? Absolutely. Fair? I would say so.

        I am a firm disbeliever in having dependable drivers. I think if you don’t think you can win a world championship, you aren’t playing the game properly any longer. In that respect, Di Resta still isn’t out of the picture. But do I think it’s likely? No.

        Perez does have the talent I think, but lacks the critical qualifying speed, so I must agree with you there. However, I would personally tout Bianchi over Di Resta and certainly Hülkenberg over the pair of them. So although Di Resta could justify maintaining a drive, I wouldn’t be missing him if he was gone, thinking we were robbed of a great talent – however if Hülkenberg were to go I think it’d be a travesty.

        Of the current “younger” drivers, I can see the most potential in Grosjean, Hülkenberg, Bianchi, Bottas and interestingly Maldonado. The latter is my wildcard entry: if he gets a car nicely hooked up and isn’t too aggressive (which he’s been doing much better at this season) he can be mesmerisingly quick.

        1. Really? Maldonadoh?

          1. @celeste I think he is actually quite good, so hear me out on this one (@bullmello too).

            This season has been a pretty torid afair, but go back to last season and it shows what he can do when he has a car that suits his style, i.e very aggressive. This year’s car just doesn’t have the balance to allow that, so the smoother Bottas is prevailing, but I reckon in the Lotus (as @bascb suggested) Maldonado would be a lot like Grosjean on his day – putting that car right up the grid and holding it there.

            Yes, absolutely, I will be the first to concede that he is too violent in wheel-to-wheel battles (I think “violent” is the best word to describe his actions at times), but I’m sure with a very firm slap of the wrist he would get that sorted out, which is curable: I don’t think it’s an inherent problem he has.

            So again, I will put emphasis on the fact he is my wildcard entry, but I actually do see a great driver in him behind his off-road escapades.

          2. I seem to have hit italics instead of close bold! Only “wildcard entry” should be in bold.

          3. Chris (@tophercheese21)
            18th October 2013, 14:04

            @vettel1
            Indeed.
            I dont really like Maldonado as a driver too much, but there seems to be something similar to Grosjean about him. Very quick, but could self implode at any moment.

            Going by the theory that “you can’t teach fast“, all Maldonado has to do is learn and hone his race craft, which is something that can be taught.
            It’s the same with Ricciardo; he’s very very quick, but seems to be quite timid during the race. He’s no where near as crash prone as GRO or MAL, but he’s not developed the race craft well enough just yet.

            Grosjean is only beginning to reap the benefits of this, and I bet that Lotus are glad they kept him this year, despite a tough start.

            In time I think these three will be the ones to watch. They have vast potential.

        2. I would say thats a fair evaluation of the up and coming Max. I do think Perez has the speed though, although he certainly does not seem to be a qualifying ace.

          As for Maldonado – I think that with this years Lotus, for example, he would have been on the podium or who know even had won a race again.

        3. Of the current “younger” drivers, I can see the most potential in Grosjean, Hülkenberg, Bianchi, Bottas and interestingly Maldonado.

          @vettel1 – You had me until Maldonado. I think he does have some speed and talent, but has proved to be too aggressive at the wrong times and has been outdone most of the time this season by Bottas, a driver with far less F1 experience. Maldonado has been off track so many times this season you would think he’s driving a 4WD.

          Largely agree with your Di Resta comments. Ignoring the media hype he was getting and the stupid blame game comments he keeps making and just looking at his on track performance, his F1 future doesn’t look very bright.

          1. +1 exactly what I thought

      2. Can you name which 11 drivers are worse than Di Resta? I cant.

        1. @austus it wasn’t a complete list by any means. Ill detail my personal rankings though, in descending order:

          1 – Sebastian Vettel
          2 – Fernando Alonso
          3 – Lewis Hamilton
          4 – Kimi Räikkönen
          5 – Nico Hülkneberg
          6 – Jenson Button
          7 – Nico Rosberg
          8 – Romain Grosjean
          9 – Daniel Ricciardo
          10 – Mark Webber
          11 – Jules Bianchi
          12 – Sergio Perez
          13 – Valtteri Bottas
          14 – Pastor Maldonado
          15 – Jean Eric Vergne
          16 – Paul Di Resta
          17 – Felipe Massa
          18 – Adrian Sutil
          19 – Esteban Gutierrez
          20 – Charles Pic
          21 – Geido van der Garde
          22 – Max Chilton

          [subject to change and discrepancies]

          1. u hv ranked the driver as if u hv already checked the driver speed by putting them in same car. Rubbish, ranking just showing ur likeliness of them in the order. IMHO ur ranking has nothing to do with their speed.

          2. funny how this list is exactly the same as mine ^^

          3. @vettel1

            You Vettel fans! :-D. Alonso 2nd, I’m happy with that :-).

          4. @full-throttle-f1 I do not doubt Alonso’s abilities on the slightest: in fact, last year I’d have had him top! I wish the same could be said of all Alonso fans on Vettel… :P

          5. @vettel1 Despite being supporting ALO, I don’t put one on top of the other for these two. They are both so astonishing, superior to other drivers IMO.

          6. @spoutnik that’s a very fair assessment, however I always like just to have one winner so to speak, so I tend to just vary them based on their current performances at the time.

          7. @vettel1 I like ranking drivers, so I thought I’d have a go :P

            1. Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton
            4. Kimi Raikkonen
            5. Nico Hulkenburg
            6. Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg
            8. Roman Grosjean
            9. Mark Webber
            10. Danial Ricciardo
            11. Jules Bianchi
            12. Pastor Maldonado
            13. Sergio Perez
            14. Valtteri Bottas
            15. Jean Eric Vergne
            16. Adrian Sutil, Paul Di Resta
            18. Felipe Massa
            19. Estaban Guttierez
            20. Giedo Van Der Garde
            21. Charles Pic
            22. Max Chilton

            Of all of those outside of the top 10, the only three I ever see breaking in would be Bianchi, Maldonado and Bottas. Maldonado especially. I think on raw pace, I’d put him in the top 5, along with Ham, Vet, Hul and Gro. However, sitting in the dog of a car Williams, he can’t really show that, and unfortunately he is inconsistent, and has been out-qualified by Bottas because of this, and very rarely hits hit top. Given a quick car, I’m certain he could mix it up there, as he did at Spain 2012. That doesn’t just happen to anyone.
            On the top 3. The way I see it is that Hamilton on his day would beat anyone, however, he has his day less often than Vettel and Alonso. If all three were driving at the best they could in the same machinery, I would see Hamilton win, Vettel second and Alonso third. However, I think Alonso is ‘on his day’ more often than anyone. Maybe not this year, but in general I see that as how it is. Essentially, Hamilton’s best is the best, but he’s at his best less often than others, as he is slightly more inconsistent.
            Don’t hate on my placements, but comment on them as you will :P

          8. @philereid thank you, another one that sees the potential in Maldonado! :D

            They’re all generally pretty similar to mine, and I think your assessment of the top 3 is also a fair one, but on the consistency basis that’s why I’d put Hamilton (very marginally, I may add) behind Vettel and Alonso myself – very marginally though as I do think he has the outright speed to beat anyone.

            The only one I disagree with really is Webber and Ricciardo: I think on current form Webber has waned a bit (still a bloody good driver though) and Ricciardo is really starting to show that he can race as well as qualify. He’s still not breaking ahead of Rosberg absolutely, but I think given time at Red Bull he could become a key player on the level of Button and Rosberg, but not quite on the level of the top 4 and certainly the top 3. Only time will tell though!

        2. Sorry @austus, I’ve misread your comment! So I’ll just redirect mine to @abbinator :)

        3. IMHO, DIR is better than, or at least a better hire than (worst to best):
          1. CHI
          2. PIC
          3. VDG
          4. VER
          5. SUT
          6. GRO (potential not achieved, too many chances)
          7. GUT (most improved)
          8. MAL (pace but no brain)
          9. RIC (qualy ok but no racer)
          10. PER (on the bubble)
          11. MAS (2008 is long ago)

          *BOT, BIA is unfair to judge them yet as cars are dogs, but would still prefer DIR over them on 1-2 year deals

          1. @abbinator this is pretty much where i’d rate Di Resta too. The only one i’m not sure about there is Grosjean, who i have to admit has had some very good races recently. I’m still not convinced GRO has banished his spacial awareness issues though, i think he might just be having a good run – he still made a terrible double move against Raikkonen in Korea which could have caused a collision against many drivers.

            Conversely, Di Resta is usually very consistent in terms of staying out of trouble, but has blown his record quite a bit in the last 5-6 races. I hope this is more a blip in form from over-pushing but he might not have much time to prove that.

          2. @abbinator I’m amazed of how many people rate Vergne lowly. He might be a sub-par qualifier but he gets great results when the car is there. Pretty much like Di Resta, if you ask me. He got his first points in his second F1 race and that’s not bad at all in my book.

      3. Who said Di Resta is outperforming Sutil? That’s utter nonsense! Don’t go by the points tally alone. I have them at 7×7 this season, comparing weekends, and 7.23 average, both.

    2. Hats off for supporting him for so long. I know I’d try to do the same if there was a Welsh driver, even if they were a di Resta-like character.

      1. @deej92 he really does shine us Scots in a bad light: he’s deadly boring! In fact I’ve never seemed to grow attached to any of the current British crop, hence why I’m firmly a Deutschephile!

    3. I won’t be shedding tears over it, either. I think di Resta is cut from the same cloth as Kovalainen: quick enough to be in Formula 1, but not quite quick enough to be in the sport on talent alone. He needs sponsors, but he could probably get away with a smaller sponsor package than other drivers.

      Even then I’d still think twice about hiring him. His attitude – the constant hype, the assumption that he is destined for a bigger and better team, the refusal to give negative feedback on the car or set-up over an open channel, and the way he explains away his poor performances as being somebody else’s fault or down to circumstances beyond his control – is probably the worst on the grid.

      1. PDR does bring sponsorship – http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/paul-di-resta-signs-aberdeen-asset-management-deal-1-2943572

        Sutil’s sponsorship (Medion & Capri-Sun) vacated him and stuck with FIF1 after his year-out following Lux-gate. Whether they stayed with FIF1 because they had another German driver (Hulkenberg) is unclear, but I don’t think Sutil is the key anymore.

        1. Neither Medion nor Capri-Sun sponsored Force India last year, both returned with Sutil.

      2. Remember when Di Resta flicked Hamilton’s dad in that very public, very ungracious and undignified and unprofessional way? Well Paul, you reap what you sow!!

    4. @vettel1
      Also it’s amazing to think how damaging a couple of offs can be. Without those two incidents di Resta would have scored another 12 points in the last two races (Sutil, offs or not, would have scored zero), he’d be 22 points ahead of his teammate, and I’m sure no one would be having this conversation.

      Thankfully, though, I’m quite certain that the Formula 1 teams don’t look at the capability of their drivers with such short term or superficial views.

      1. @mhop I’m not proclaiming he’s a “bad” driver, just that I wouldn’t exactly rue his loss. Also, I think his attitude is terrible, quite frankly.

      2. @mhop
        Except he lost those 12 points through his own fault, bar the Maldonado incident at Spa… besides are we forgetting Sutil’s run of bad luck earlier on in the season (Where SFI were a lot more competitive)? The only one that he can even be remotely faulted for is the puncture against Massa but even then it’s just really unlucky. Sutil may have less points than Di Resta but the impact his bad luck had is more significant than Di Resta’s (He did have a couple of unlucky qualifying sessions earlier on but you can still make amends on race day), tipping the balance to Sutil’s favour.

    5. Abdurahman (@)
      19th October 2013, 5:52

      My sentiments exactly. I was really pulling for him when he got into F1. His attitude now seems almost quite shocking! There used to be a time when you never ever blamed the team or the car. If your car isn’t right, put your head down, try your best to make it right. If that doesn’t succeed, drive the wheels off it, but not literally.

    6. When the car isn’t quite there, he’s inconsistent, desperate, highly strung and crash prone.

      Agreed. He’s a talented driver and an elite sportsman, for sure, but something’s unideal about his mentality or the psychology he brings to competition. He lacks mental fortitude and consistency to the degree necessary to firstly excel in the situation he faces at FI, and then succeed and progress beyond it.

      It’s clear we’ve seen the best of Paul DiResta, whatever that is. Put him in a Red Bull and he’d still struggle to win against unequal competition…

  4. I have an opposing opinion to fuel economy, starting immediately I would like to see the teams forced to start every race with 150Kg of fuel onboard so no team can gain an advantage by running light, that way drivers could gain an advantage in the race by setting fastest lap times and burning of fuel instead of setting slowest lap times to save fuel and tyres. Please indicate if you support this approach.

    1. Tyres, tyres and tyres. Nice try though.

      1. Tyres are next on the list of F1 abominations.

        1. The real and best way to improve the show would be to have true revenue sharing, with relative parity apart from minor differences in constructor’s champ place finish. Otherwise, no minnow could ever challenge against the established teams. That, and clean up the dirty air.

    2. @hohum I oppose that idea, as I think part of the technical aspect of the sport would be lost on diversity in engines: you condo have a more powerful one but with more fuel needed (which would be advantageous on power tracks) or the opposite (which would be advantageous on aero tracks).

      Also, you would be completely closing of the penalty for exhaust effects for aerodynamics, although that is probably due to end anyway with the central exhaust placement.

      1. I understand your fears but I really don’t think there is any room in the regulations for engine diversity merely various fuel maps which are selected more for their torque curve than fuel/weight savings.

      2. I think that idea would just mean going VERY rich on fuel mixture for the warmup lap! Or maybe a team finding a way to ditch fuel during a pitstop @hohum!

    3. I support anything that allows or even gives a benefit to drivers pushing their cars. I don’t want fuel management as well as tyre management to start dominating the racing from next year. That’s my biggest fear with these new engine rules.

    4. I think your theory is a little backwards. As it is now the teams put in the optimum amount of fuel to finish the race in the fastest time. If you forced them to put 150kg in then even at full power mode they would be slower on average throughout the race, and would hurt their tyres more with heavier cars so would lose extra performance there.

      I’m not sure fuel is as much of an issue for ‘conservation racing’ as tyres. Lowering power output has the biggest effect on the straights, and if competiting cars are all (say) 50hp down then the effect is neutralised to some extent, but they can still race each other by taking different lines, outbreaking each other etc. I didn’t watch during the last turbo era but fans seem to say this produced some of the best racing ever (admittedly with less fuel restrictions), so i’m still hopeful for next year.

    5. You know what? I think it would be pretty boring to have everyone always push in a race. Strategy is a vital part of F1, and it can make differences between cars become less visible. A not so good car with a great strategy is very exciting to watch, plus the driver to make the strategy work.
      This is something else. All F1 drivers are very fast on one lap, differences are not that big. It is the ability to actually drive in such a way that you get the most out of 300 km of driving, that’s what F1 is about. To be able to take it easy without losing much time is a very interesting and important ability, and then to be able to push when necessary – this is what makes a great driver a great driver. Not always flat out, but knowing what to do and how to do it in order to achieve the best possible result.

      1. @magon4 you got a point! I like those strategies too, which, mixed with some luck and randomness can give surprising and passionate races :) (Just looking at the Hulk recent results for example).

      2. @magon4 absolutely agreed and glad I’m not the only one!

        1. Hmmm…I’m not convinced, but that doesn’t mean the jury is out for me either. I guess I just have to see what next year’s product brings. My instinct is that this is racing, and I want to see the drivers’ skill in racing full out, unlimited by tires and fuel. I envision drivers as passengers when it is all about running to delta times so as not to burn too much fuel or use too much tire. I want to see driver vs. driver hang it all out there and put it all on the line, and if they are only ultimately allowed to push for a certain percentage of the race, then that to me make the show less intriguing and more about a moving science experiment being monitored, than drivers going out to race and race hard.

      3. True, strategy and making your equipment last has been part of F1 since before Fangio. To complain about fuel or tyre conservation is ill informed and short sighted.

        1. Yes, I remember Fred Flinstone saving his heels to outbreak Barney Rubble at the last corner in 1953BC.

  5. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    18th October 2013, 0:28

    Maybe it’s the perfect moment for Nico to change his helmet color. I keep confusing him and Lewis

    1. Nico – lemon yellow with silver stripes and yellow gloves
      Lewis – banana yellow with black gloves

      Simples!
      :’)

    2. I get confused with Sutil and di Resta a lot more!

    3. I stopped looking at helmets long ago. It’s much easier to look at the camera color.

      1. Ever since Ant Davidson said about Rosberg’s marigolds that’s all I can look at!

        1. @tonyyeb LOL I remember that race.

  6. Jack (@jackisthestig)
    18th October 2013, 0:29

    Bianchi and Magnussen, nice line-up.

    I like the cut of Marussia’s jib, they have given good young rookies a chance since they first came into the sport, much in the same way Minardi used to. Glad they are ahead of 1 Malotusham in the race for 10th in the Constructors’ Championship..

    1. +1

      One of the only teams that do. Try hard, best looking car for the past 10 years, promising rookies in at least 1 of their seats, how can you not like Marussia :-)

  7. Michael Brown (@)
    18th October 2013, 0:36

    I think Calado is certain to get that Force India seat. When that happens, who are they going to drop? Sutil, who I think is past it, or Di Resta, who occasionally has a shining moment but most of the time is average.

    As much as I can’t stand Di Resta, I think the Calado and Di Resta line up is most likely to happen

    1. @lite992 To say Sutil is past it suggests that he ever had it in the first place, which is debatable. Despite his difficult year I’d say di Resta is still the better long term prospect.

      1. To suggest Sutil never had it in the first place is to forget whole seasons. Here in this website he was ranked 4th or 5th best of the 2011 season, remember?

        1. He was 9th, and performing at his best whilst up against a rookie DiResta who is now looking to be in serious trouble career wise and widely considered average. Sutil has never been awful, but he’s never seemed to have that extra something.

          1. I mean in the drivers ranking from the f1 fanatics.

    2. Sutil brings decent money. FI are desperate for money so not sure Sutil would be first on the chopping block.

    3. Or Calado – Frijns!

  8. Hmm, bit crap that Paul will be out of a drive when he’s been better than his team mate this season – who is likely to continue. Admittedly neither have set the heather on fire though.

  9. Who could blame Force India if they dumped di Resta over Sutil? Di Resta has more points than him, fair enough, but I wouldn’t say he is any better really. Sutil brings money and has a better attitude towards the team. I have a feeling if Mallya got the opinions of team members, most would want Sutil to stay over di Resta.

    Regarding Marussia: that line-up would be quite exciting – probably the best one since the team entered.

    1. Chris (@tophercheese21)
      18th October 2013, 4:19

      I have a feeling if Mallya got the opinions of team members, most would want Sutil to stay over di Resta.

      I agree.
      I mean, it’s pure speculation of course, but it baffles me as to how openly critical Di Resta is of his team.
      He crashed in Spa, Monza, Singapore and Korea, and each time his mechanics had to rebuild sections of his car.

      In Spa he blamed it on Maldonado – Which was probably right, the Bus-stop chicane is so fiddly.
      In Monza he just plowed straight into the back of someone at T4 – His fault.
      In Singapore he locked up and went into the barriers at T7 and blamed it on the car.
      And lastly, his crash in Korea, he gave a sort of back handed statement, by saying that; yes, it was his own fault, but he only crashed because the car is terrible to drive.

      But then when something goes well for him, he jumps quickly to take ALL the credit (Spa qualifying anyone?)

      1. @tophercheese21 – He reminds me of V8 Supercar driver Garth Tander. A couple of years ago, Tander was fuming when the weather changed during a late qualifying session at Bathurst. He wound up tenth, and his outlook was all doom and gloom. He went on to win the race, and on the podium he started talking about how there were no problems and that he always knew that starting in the middle of the pack was an advantage and so on and so forth.

      2. It’s funny that some drivers are not so endearing with their personality, but their driving ability is of such high quality that you can respect them because of that. …cough cough… Alonso…

        Alas, Di Resta has neither a pleasant personality or particularly high quality driving skills going for him.

        Younger drivers like Bottas and Hulkenberg for example have not said anything negative about their teams when things haven’t gone so well. They have just kept doing the best job they can do no matter what. I think that’s one reason why fans are so pleased now that Hulkenberg is enjoying some success.

        1. What? Hulkenberg was incredibly (and openly) critical of the Sauber earlier in the season.

          1. Without going through exact quotes from either Di Resta or Hulkenberg I would have to say it’s a difference in direction, tone and demeanor. The driver can be critical of the car’s performance without belittling the team or somehow blaming the team for his mistakes. I relate it to any workplace. Would one rather work with a guy who is honest about on the job performance in all inclusive way and the attitude that we are fixing this together. Or, a guy that is exclusive on problems blaming everyone else, but when it comes to glory it’s all him. We’ve all worked with somebody like that. Obviously, I don’t know Paul Di Resta personally, maybe he’s a really nice guy. I can only go by what he says publicly and he is not endearing himself to his team or fans.

      3. Agree. What really sealed it for me with di resta was brazil last year when he was tip toeing round in 10th place while hulk was leading the race. And then he crashes 2-3 laps till the end.

        1. There are tons of moments when Di Resta hasn’t looked like match for the Hulk.. heck, in fact there are tons of moments he didn’t look like a match for Sutil either. Sutil beat him pretty convincingly in 2010 and had the better of him for the 1st half of this season as well.

          For me Di Resta has had 3 to 4 flash in a pan performances over the past 3 seasons, and I suspect thats where he gets his false sense of entitlement from

  10. Helmet tea leaf is obviously a Kraut, look at his size-too-small jeans, white sneaks, gauche hoody and euro trash haircut…

    1. @abbinator: Kraut? Seriously? You do know that that’s a derogatory term, don’t you?

      1. You’re right, how terribly un-PC of me to try to be humorous. Perhaps I should be sent to the gas chambers for it. ;)
        Kraut is a relatively harmless term, besides I love sauerkraut and a lot of other things German, just keep them in small unorganised non-fascist groups and they are lovely people. As the theft occurred in Germany and all that went missing was Nico’s helmet, I’d bet the farm it was a Deustchlander (after all, who in their right mind would want Rosberg memorabilia anyway?)

      2. Take that, Limey.

  11. And lo and behold, di resta’s pr/management on the one hand admit force India are about the only team prepared to give their driver a shot, then blame his poor performances on the team. Also claims he’s not buying a seat with millionaires backing while ignoring the fact he’s only in there on the back of support from Mercedes.

    Your engineers and teammate aren’t the ones who put it in the wall, paul.

    Plenty of other drivers with far more talent and a much better attitude waiting to take that seat.

  12. If out right talent doesnt get you a drive anymore, what chances does it leave Di Resta?

  13. I don’t get a lot of the hate towards Di Resta to be honest.

    OK he may not be a future world champion but the same can be said about over half of the grid. Paul is a good driver, Not the best but easily good enough to deserve an F1 seat.

    People complain that he complains a lot but a lot of the other drivers also complain a lot & offer excuses a lot so I don’t feel Paul has been any different to a number of other drivers in that regard.
    Yes he’s blamed the team on occasion, However in most of those cases he had reason to & in several the team admitted that they made tactical mistakes.

    Regarding this year, Things have been poor since Germany (For both Force India drivers) but prior to that Paul had shown speed & consistency finishing in the points in every race but Malaysia.
    On the other side Sutil has been just as fast but inconsistent as he’s been throughout his career yet I don’t see him constantly been criticized for it.

    Honestly if I was Force India with a choice of picking between Paul & Sutil I’d go with Paul.

    1. The issue isn’t di Resta’s talent. It’s his attitude.

      Last year at Austin, the team asked him to give feedback on his set-up. He refused to because he knew it could be broadcast on an open channel (and this message was), and he didn’t want to be heard criticising the car. The team really had to pressure him into saying something just so that they could work on his car. When he struggled in the race and reporters asked him why, di Resta said it was because he “has a really smooth driving style” and could not het heat into the tyres.

      And this isn’t an isolated incident. He regularly explains his poor performances away as being down to sudden changes in the temperature, the tyres going off or other drivers getting in the way. Nobody else seems to have these problems – just di Resta. There is apocryphal evidence that the team find him extremely difficult to work with, and he is constantly talking about moving to a bigger and better team – after having the hide to call for Force India to pick a driver with their long-term interests at heart. And he launched a fairly scathing attack on McLaren for not recognising his talent and taking Sergio Perez instead of him, wrongfully assuming that because McLaren had two British drivers and Button and Hamilton, they would value his nationality over his talent.

      So whatever talent di Resta has is overshadowed by his enormous ego and his horrendous attitude.

      1. If he had any genuine talent than it would clearly be showing by him being able to work and solve the tyre issue. Clearly he can’t so i don’t call that talent.

        And yes your right his self righteous entitled ego is pathetic but he will never realise that.

    2. I second that.

      Paul di Resta had a string of poor races after the German GP but his performance during the first half of the season was very strong. He scored points for six consecutive races, despite many team blunders. He also had a strong race last weekend.

      If Force India want to take a gamble with a young driver (or if they need money) then so be it. FI have always been making wise driver line-up choices so I believe they will do their best for 2014 as well. But I really doubt if they can get a driver who is capable of scoring more points than di Resta.

    3. The problem with Paul is that he doesn’t point out when the team makes a mistake. He doesn’t even lose his temper and rant. Whenever there is an opportunity, he puts the team down. When they do well, he claims all the credit, then makes the needling point about only seeing force India as an inconsequential stepping stone to a better team. When something goes wrong, his attitude is that incompetent morons are sabotaging his stellar career. When he gets beaten by a teammate, he puts down the other guy, blames it on the track or the tyres or leaves on the track, then claims he will get back on top (but inevitably doesn’t). When he puts the car in the wall it’s always someone else’s fault.

      The short answer is that he’s got a bad attitude, no respect for the people who work so hard in the team, far too high an opinion of himself and doesn’t have the special talent which might mitigate those qualities.

      1. @hairs precisely, which is why despite being Scottish I support the honorable German! I think Ricciardo is really very good in that respect as well; he will hold his hands up immediately, not dwell on his mistake, move on and put in a better performance the next weekend. He also avoided talking up his chances at Red Bull too much, despite having been strongly linked.

        Di Resta is exactly the opposite, which I think is part of the reason why one is in a Red Bull next season and the other is facing being dropped.

      2. Don’t forget punch up with garage staff with his trainer.
        The guy is B-grade talent at best.

  14. Leno lost some weight.

    1. but gained some age.

  15. How the h*** does a helmet thief get into an F1 garage in the middle of the night?! Must be an inside job. Hopefully Nico won’t have to use his bicycle helmet in India.

    1. Nah, don´t worry he still has the black one he used in Mercedes test in Barcelona this year…

    2. Given that it happened at the Nürburgring, I would say Nico has enough Helmets, but maybe the tweet was because they were fearing someone would want to sell that helmet – now buying it will be deemed to be buying clearly stolen goods.

      1. That would have made sense if this had been reported the next morning, but it was three months ago. If someone wanted to sell the helmet my bet is he’d have done it a long time ago. I’m also betting on the viral marketing campaign.

        1. That was the strangest scenario about this; why is it just being reported now? At first I thought it was a misprint which should have said “Suzuka” and not “Nurburg” but after checking about three or four other sites, it seems it was not a misprint, which obviously brings forth the question, why release this now?

          @warheart

        2. Not at all. If you have something that was stolen, and want to sell if for any money, the stupidest thing you can do, is to immediately put it on the market, because that will be exactly the time both Police and the original owner will be on the lookout for it.

          Its possible that Rosberg/Mercedes reported it to the police but they have now filed the case as unsolved. Or possibly they were tipped off that it might be on sale.

          1. I think it was Sutil!

    3. UNeedAFinn2Win
      18th October 2013, 7:52

      Because this is a stupid viral marketing campaign.

  16. Wait a minute..di Resta’s manager is Richard Goddard?
    I thought he was a 20-year-old racing for T-Sport in European F3?

    1. No, that’s Spike Goddard. His birth name is Richard, but he’s not the same person.

  17. Di Resta drove himself out of a top ride in recent races. His only real shot at staying on the grid next year if he DOESN’T stay with SFI is probably with Williams IF Maldonado takes his ball and heads elsewhere, and the truth is – much is said about Maldonado having a crummy attitude when things aren’t going his way…Di Resta is pretty much wired the exact same way, minus the brilliant qualifying performances or the race win. Just a smattering of lower-half points finishes that have given way to the highest terminal crash rate (29%) in F1.

    You literally can’t afford to underperform if you don’t have the financial backing to keep yourself afloat.

  18. Am I the only one who thinks that Rosberg’s helmet their looks like Jaime Alguersuari?

    1. Do you mean Turvey?

      Wasn’t ALG’s helmet pink?

      1. I think he meant ‘Thief’ instead of ‘Their’, and I wholeheartedly agree, he does look like Alguersuari.

  19. driver market musical chairs II

  20. Honda Posted a video with engine sounds claiming that this is their 2015 engine fired up

  21. Rosberg did a “help me find my missing helmet” stunt when he was a Williams driver as well. Almost certainly the same thing happening here.

  22. Di Resta has had his chance. I think FI would still keep him provided he had not antagonized the team and car so much. In contrast, Sutil has just kept his head down trying to make the most of a car whose development stopped months ago. I rue the fact that FI lost Nico this year and had to stick with Di Resta. Sure, Paul is capable of good solid drives, drives which make you sit up an notice, but those are few and far in between.

    I’d get rid of both Sutil and Di Resta. It’s time FI started grooming potential race winners or had drivers with prior race winning experience. Why was it that the only pole of FI’s career and the only podium was scored by Fisichella who knew what it took to win a race. I’d rather have Massa or Webber in FI that a Kevin Magnussen.

  23. “It’s difficult to determine because this last half of the season he [Di Resta] has been adversely affected by the tyres.
    “He hasn’t produced the results he would want to produce, but overall it is the team under-delivering on what it should have delivered.”

    So does Di Resta get his blame-the-team rhetoric from his manager then, or vice versa?

    1. Exactly what I was wondering as well. So it’s not just him but his team manager as well. And if both he and Paul feel the car isn’t worth their time then why stick with it. Try their luck at Marussia, see how his luck is there.

  24. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
    18th October 2013, 8:14

    There is no doubt that Di Resta is certainly facing an uncertain future, but the BBC article proceeds from EJ’s prediction of Hulkenberg returning to Force India alongside Sutil. I personally find that prediction difficult to swallow.

  25. If I wask Hulkenberg I wouldn’t go back to FI. If Macca or Lotus didn’t materialise I’d stay put. Sauber have clearly had a eureka moment with their car and Hulkenberg has now had 12 months to confer on the engineers what he wants from a car which will all feed nicely into the design process. On top of that they have more money coming even if it is coming from the unsalubrious. FI on the other hand are becoming financially weaker which is why they are considering running a Mclaren Junior in exchange for discounted rear end components.

    1. But surely the fact they’re undergoing severe financial instability and clearly want two paying drivers next year precludes the Hulk from staying put..?

    2. @coefficient

      FI on the other hand are becoming financially weaker

      This is becoming to old. For the last 2-3 year, we hear Force India is financially weaker but i dont see them taking any pay drivers since the time they started or having any deals like Williams or Sauber.

      which is why they are considering running a Mclaren Junior in exchange for discounted rear end components.

      Who are you talking about?

      1. Magnusson/Van Dorne

    3. @coefficient, I do not agree with your assessment.
      First, there is not much to differentiate money power between FI and Sauber, just because the performance has fallen after mid-season doesn’t mean they are financially weaker.
      Secondly, Sauber had to stretch their 2013 campaign to much later into the season which is likely to put them in the backfoot for 2014 and FI with good headstart and much touted superior Mercedes engine, looks to be ahead of the campaign in 2014.
      It won’t be as bad a move to again move back to FI for Hulk.

      1. Yes it will. Sauber are now the beneficiaries of Russian Millions and Kaltneborn has openly stated that keeping Hulk is an option. On top of that the Ferrari engine is highly unlikely to be a lemon so I doubt that is much of a concern. Force India’s title sponser is facing bankruptcy and the team principal/owner is constantly battling tax feuds and pay disputes. Hardly a glowing reference for his current financial health. The Force India factory is not a patch on the Sauber one. Sauber is widely heralded with owning one the best wind tunnels in the world, never mind F1. With the Russian roubles they will be able to afford to operate it properly. Sauber also does it’s own manufacturing in house meaning upgrades are quicker to produce. Force India sub-contracts manufacturing and aero work because their own facilities are out of date which all slows down the development process. Another spanner in the works is the fact that Williams have invested heavily in their technical staff and equipment recently and recruited one of the top designers in F1 to get them back where they belong. They also have your “much touted” Mercedes engine next year and 2 wind tunnels to play with so to my mind Force India is looking less and less attractive next year. The fact they are considering being a finishing school for young Magnusson next year suggests they need a discount on their Mclaren gearboxes/transmission/rear suspension etc.

  26. Magnussen and Bianchi! If you do that, Marussia I will be your biggest fan. I’m gonna buy a Marussia cap!

  27. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
    18th October 2013, 10:40

    FI needs to dump both their drivers and start over. Sutil has been in F1 for far too long and hasn’t provided any notable moments (that I can really remember). And Di Resta is just Di Resta…

    Unfortunately Caprisun and Medion’s money is probably too enticing to FI to dump Sutil.

  28. Stoffel Vandoorne refused a F1 seat for next year …

  29. Renault: “[next year] if you go flat out then you will not make the finish.” So proven drivers will be limited by artificial tyres, artificial DRS-aerodynamics, artificial sized fuel-tanks, artificial pay drivers, artificial Tilke-tracks, artificial one-blocking-move rules, artificial steward penalties and reprimands … I could go on …

    What the heck is wrong with giving real drivers a real car and a real track and letting them race as fast as they can?

  30. Do I think Di Resta is good enough to be one of the 22 drivers on the grid? Yes. Do I think he’ll be in the sport next year? I’m not sure, to be honest. Either way, I wouldn’t see getting pushed out of Force India as a bad thing. We’ve never seen a driver move up the grid from Force India (okay, Hulkenberg moved, but it was more of a side-step) and they just tend to, I don’t know, stick there. It’s a bit of a curse at that team I think!

    Perhaps to stop banging on about top seats and considering a similar side-step wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Because at Force India, he can get occasional top 6 finishes, as is expected from a good driver driving for a top-end midfield team – but it’s clearly not getting him noticed.

  31. Why would Catalunya want to share a GP w/ that container port over in Valencia? Sheesh. Qué tonto!

  32. Paul has a huge advantage he is willing to drive for the smallest salary in F1, a key fact in staying a FI this year, but will be hard to stat if Chilton comes in FI bringing also money.

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