Paul di Resta expects Force India to start 2012 Formula 1 season stronger

Vijay Mallya's team struggled in winter testing last year, and though it achieved a handful of early points, it took until the Spanish Grand Prix, at which Force India introduced a significant package of upgrades, before the VJM04 machine was capable of consistent top-10 pace at all circuits.

Di Resta, who recently had his seat fitting for the 2012 car at the team's Silverstone headquarters, is not expecting a repeat of that tough start.

"I just hope we start better than last winter, because we went into testing feeling very comfortable and it was very clear that it wasn't to be," he said on the main stage at AUTOSPORT International. "It made it difficult.

"But we've learned lessons and we've got a constructive run plan of things that we want to get through. Not just in terms of new parts, but also you have to be quite ambitious with car set-up, which you can't always do on a grand prix weekend.

"Plus, testing's been cut short a bit in the winter to give us an in-season test after the first few races, and that's like another start."

Testing gets underway at Jerez on February 7, with four days at the Spanish venue. A pair of four-day tests at Barcelona follow, while the mid-season test will take place at Mugello on May 1-3, between the Bahrain and Spanish Grands Prix.