Di Resta must wait for new car drive

Scot Paul di Resta’s new Force India Formula One team will unveil its 2010 racer in Spain next week, but the 23-year-old from Bathgate will have to wait another seven days before he drives the car for the first time.

Di Resta, confirmed earlier this week as the reserve and test driver for the Silverstone-based F1 team, will attend the first running of the all-new VJM03 at Jerez next Wednesday.

And while the Scot will attend the team’s press conference at the circuit, he will have to sit and watch team-mates Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi put the car through its paces at the pre-season test.

“I’m obviously happy with that,” Di Resta said today. “With testing opportunities severely restricted, Adrian and Tonio need to spend as much time as possible in the car familiarising themselves.

“I’m due to drive the car back at Jerez on February 17, and to be honest I can’t wait. From what I’ve seen of it, it looks an incredible piece of kit.”

And while Sutil and Liuzzi continue to rack up the miles over next week’s two-day test, Di Resta will head to the Monteblanco Circuit further west along Spain’s Huelva coast to test the 2010 Mercedes he will race in DTM.

“Yeh, it’s a busy time for me, but that’s the way this year is going to be for me,” he continued. “I’m going to be jumping out of one car into the other right through the year, so I’d better get used to it.”

This is the first time Di Resta will drive his new DTM Mercedes ahead of the opening race of the 10-round championship, which gets underway at Hockenheim on April 25. The Scot finished runner-up in the championship in 2008.

JM

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