Q&A: Paul di Resta - EXCLUSIVE.

by Russell Atkins

Reigning Formula 3 Euroseries champion Paul di Resta now stands at a crossroads in his career as he aims for the top, with a drive for Mercedes in the DTM rumoured to be on the cards.

Here the 20-year-old looks back over his title-winning campaign, and ahead to a future that seems set to involve a conversion to tin-tops en route to what he hopes will be a successful career in Formula One, following in the footsteps of 2005 Euroseries champion Lewis Hamilton.

Q:
Paul, you had a fantastic season in the Formula 3 Euroseries last year. How did it feel to lift the crown at the end of it?

Paul di Resta:
It's everything we could have really hoped for - you can't ask for any more than that. It was a great season with good competition and a great team to work with. I learned so much and enjoyed every minute of it. I'd even do it again!

Q:
Back at the start of the year did you think the season would go the way it did?

PdR:
Yeah, I knew it had to. I had to go into it as, if not the favourite, certainly one of them. We had a good first year in the Euroseries in 2005. The speed was there. Ok, the results were not as we planned due to some bad luck but we set three poles. I knew the team was going to be a bit of an improvement too. They brought me on as a driver and the things they taught me were just crucial.

Q:
You had a very close rivalry with Sebastian Vettel all the way through the season - how tough was that?

PdR:
It was always going to be difficult, especially with the new reverse grids, but when you get down you've got to lift yourself back up again quickly and I think that's where we beat Sebastian. We got five poles and Sebastian only managed to beat me once in qualifying. That was the key I think. We won the first race and were on the podium for most of the early ones. As far as speed went, it was good all year.

Q:
Sebastian has now gone on to become BMW-Sauber's test-driver in Formula One. How are your plans shaping up for 2007?

PdR:
They are going well. I just have to wait and see what Mercedes are going to do. It's up to them to decide the best path for me. They are great guys, and without them I wouldn't be where I am just now. I hope I can work closely with them in the future, wherever that may be. They have done a lot for me and I hope to repay them.

Q:
You have been linked with a drive in the DTM. How would you feel about switching over to tin-tops?

PdR:
I think it's a great series. The DTM car is great to drive and it's very high-profile now - I think it's as close as anything to Formula One as far as publicity goes. It's a good stepping-stone. I think it would be great to go and do, and I don't think it would do my career any harm. I think it's only going to improve me as a driver.

Q:
And as drivers like Gary Paffett have shown, it's not really a barrier to getting into Formula One either, is it?

PdR:
No. A lot of people have been through the DTM, and hopefully I will go through as well. We will just have to wait and see.

Q:
So an announcement fairly soon possibly?

PdR:
I certainly hope so. I want to get on with things, but Mercedes have told me to trust them and that's what I am doing. I'm 100 per cent behind them.

Q:
Back at the start of your career you competed in and won the JICA class of the BRDC Stars of Tomorrow series (then McLaren-Mercedes Champions of the Future) in 1998. How good a grounding did that give you in the sport?

PdR:
Karting is the first steeping-stone for anyone if they are going to be successful in motor racing. It was great fun. You start out when you are young and the competition is always going to be there. It's always hard whatever people say, but without karting I don't think I would have got as high as I am now.