Di Resta takes step closer to a big drive next year

Monday 24 September 2012

Paul Di Resta has never doubted his place in the firmament of Formula One and the Scot's potent alchemy of technical expertise, sangfroid under pressure and the ability to stay competitive from under the radar, yielded his best finish in the Grand Prix milieu when the 26-year-old sped to fourth in Singapore yesterday.

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Neil Drysdsale

On an evening when Sebastian Vettel cruised to victory, reigniting his championship challenge, even as pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton crashed out of contention with a gear-box glitch, there might not have been any podium appearance for Di Resta. But one gets the feeling he is a man on the move upwards, as the battle for 2013 seats intensifies throughout the sport.

It might seem remarkable that the sport's two biggest teams – Ferrari and McLaren – are still unsure about the identity of their drivers next season, while Mercedes and Williams are also likely to be looking for an injection of fresh blood and replacements for Michael Schumacher and Bruno Senna. But the jostling for supremacy and fluctuating fortunes simply highlight how little there is to choose between a dozen of the competitors.To that extent, Singapore was significant, because while Di Resta was maximising the potential of his car, squeezing every last drop of juice from a mid-table vehicle, and affirming his dominance over his team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg, who spent more time bumping into opponents than vying for a top-10 position, he was also attaining sufficient points, 12, to climb above Schumacher in the F1 standings. The gap between them may be minimal – 44 to 43 – but, whereas the cognoscenti were impressed anew with Di Resta's qualities, they were shaking their heads at the fashion in which the seven-time world title winner plunged out of contention after a sickening collision with Jean-Eric Vergne, which was undoubtedly the German's fault. From Mercedes' perspective, they really need to tie up the Hamilton deal, or agree terms with Di Resta, because, irrespective of Schumacher's litany of past exploits, his best days are far behind him.By comparison, the jostling at the summit of the standings means we can anticipate this campaign being a mirror image of last season, where Vettel could have gone on holiday at the climax, such was his processional march to triumph. In this instance, life has been much tougher for the Red Bull driver, but gradually, he has reduced the deficit on Fernando Alonso to just 29 points, with half-a-dozen events remaining on the calendar. Jenson Button, for his part, might be out of the reckoning, but the smile on his face at the climax was in stark contrast to the frowns of Hamilton, who now trails Alonso by 52 points: and, despite his efforts to deflect attention away from his contract negotiations, the fact is that Hamilton looks uncomfortable amidst the present swirl of scuttlebutt over his future. Worse, his dithering in dealing with the issue is being matched by his employers, who are effectively gifting the individual and constructors' prizes to Ferrari and Red Bull.None of that will bother Alonso, who has transcended all manner of travails with the pragmatism which defined his two previous world championships. And therein lies the crucial difference between him (and Di Resta) and the volcanic Hamilton, who dominated Saturday's qualifying, but couldn't replicate that achievement when it really mattered. Publicly, of course, he will repudiate any suggestion of distractions, but when we are talking about a £75m five-year deal coming to an end, perhaps it isn't surprising the Englishman has been up and down like a trampoline artist all summer. And, for all his gifts, the suspicion is growing that he lacks the knack of a Manchester United or a Lionel Messi, which is gaining results even when circumstances conspire against them.If so, his possible switch to Mercedes could be akin to a man committing professional suicide. And particularly with younger rivals such as Vettel, Di Resta, Sergio Perez and Nico Rosberg ready to pounce on any opportunities or signs of weakness from their foes. Button said this week: "I love the speculation when it is not about me." He could soon be joined by another Briton, from Bathgate, blessed with that same down-to-earth approach.analysis Scot's best result puts him firmly in the shop window, writes Neil Drysdale

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Di Resta takes step closer to a big drive next year

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