Di Resta to take on Schumacher

Bathgate’s Paul di Resta will go head-to-head with the greatest living Formula One driver, seven-times world champ Michael Schumacher, tomorrow when the Scot drives his new Force India car for the first time in Spain.

The 23-year-old and his Silverstone team will join 10 other F1 teams — including McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Renault, Williams, Sauber and Schumacher’s Mercedes GP team — at the official four-day test.

“It’s going to be a big day in my life, the first time I will have driven the Force India car as the team’s official reserve and test driver,” Di Resta admitted today after attending a number of briefings with the team.

“What’s important is I treat it just like any other test I’ve had in a Formula One car. I’ve proved in the past I can do everything the team demands of me, now I just have to make sure I do it when I’m surrounded by some of the biggest names in the sport.”

In addition to Schumacher, 2008 world champ Lewis Hamilton will drive the McLaren tomorrow and Thursday, before handing over to current world champ Jenson Button on Friday.

And while last year’s F1 runner-up Sebastian Vettel, the man Di Resta beat to the 2006 European Formula 3 Championship, will drive the Red Bull car, Brazilian Felipe Massa will be responsible for the first two days of Ferrari’s testing.

Di Resta meanwhile will hand the Force India car over to this season’s race drivers, Tonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil, for the final three days of testing starting on Thursday.

JM

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