The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Di Resta in demand
Mercedes after scots ace as schumacher replacement
PAUL DI RESTA will put news that he is being eyed to replace Michael Schumacher at Mercedes’f1 team to one side as he seeks “home improvements” in Monaco on Sunday.
Mercedes chief executive Nick Fry admitted the Scot is “on the radar” to succeed Schumacher.
Schumacher’s three-year deal comes to a close at the end of this season and it is possible he will choose to retire.
Di Resta is a ready-made fit for the marque and Fry acknowledged the West Lothian youngster is a driver and team player they admire greatly.
However, Di Resta’s immediate thoughts will be on regaining his Bahrain form this weekend in Monaco.
The Scot endured a trying weekend in Spain in the last round, finishing 14th, while fellow Sahara Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg claimed a point in 10th.
Di Resta will have a contingent of Scottish friends and family cheering him on in his new home city in the French principality at the weekend.
He hopes to put on a show in a race he describes as the “highlight of the year”.
“This is the race the drivers love doing the most. It is the pinnacle of the F1 calendar,” he said.
“It has all the glitz, glamour and the super yachts in the harbour. You also feel the atmosphere because the circuit is so enclosed. Everyone wants to come to Monaco for the Grand Prix and it is an electric weekend.
“For me, I will have lots of friends and family coming and it is nice for me to go home, sleep in my own bed and enjoy my own space afterwards.
“Normally, living here is such a low-key environment but when it comes to Grand Prix weekend, it is very different.”