Di Resta: Practice problems costly

The Scot had been 15th in the opening session but did not complete any laps at all in the afternoon.

"We got a little bit of an idea of where the car was in FP1, but obviously it's crucial to try and take part in FP2," he said.

"I think that I am a little more disadvantaged than I have been at any other grand prix now because effectively I have lost three sets of tyres and the important part where you try to do a bit of quali and race simulation.

"The guys are working hard, so hopefully we can catch up on some lost ground tomorrow morning."

Force India's circuit engineering director Dominic Harlow said the problem was too complicated to fix within the session.

"The cars are increasingly complex now with the extra systems on board, and the work involved to complete the job was too much," he said.

"It was frustrating, but the issue is now eliminated and we will make up for the lost track time as best possible in the remaining practice sessions."

While di Resta had a troubled day, his team-mate Adrian Sutil was very encouraged by the progress he made when he took over from test driver Nico Hulkenberg for the afternoon and took seventh place.

"We were not that far off straight away and after the first couple of laps I felt very confident in the car," said Sutil.

"With a hard set of tyres the car the balance was fine and feeling wise there was much more stability this weekend, so our upgrade might have helped. The soft tyre worked without problems.

"The long run seemed to be quite good so yes, another one like this tomorrow and I'll be happy!"