Di Resta: making the direct approach work

Two-thirds of the way through Q2 in Bahrain, the graphic indicating an imminent Paul di Resta radio message appeared on the television coverage.

The straight-talking Scot has become something of a cult figure for his direct - some might say angry - style of communication to the team over the radio and those expecting a forceful comment don't go unrewarded.

"I can't hear anything on the radio, it's just not good enough," seethed the 27-year-old Scot.

Messages like this make di Resta an easy target for criticism. While established top-liners can get away with being so forceful on the basis they are driving the team forward, not accepting second best or any other number of cliches, those still making their name are prone to be characterised as complainers.

But just over 24 hours later, di Resta brings his Force India home fourth, only a few seconds shy of the podium, reminding everyone that he isn't there to mess about or make excuses.

"I'm not letting them relax," he says when asked about his forceful style of communication. "It's constructive criticism and it's emotion, so you are going to show it.

Di Resta says his direct radio manner is 'constructive criticism' © XPB

"The thing in qualifying with the radio... the radio had been good all weekend until then but when you need the radio, it didn't work. I'm sorry, but if you want to be a Formula 1 team you can't let a stupid thing like that lead to a penalty [for impeding a rival]. Come on, wake up. I'm not asking for a new front wing, I'm asking for a radio that works!

"But it was all taken very well. That's what is good about it. We will bash each other's heads together because we have to punch above our weight. It's constructive and all taken in good heart."

Twenty points in four races to date suggests that di Resta's approach is yielding its rewards this year. Certainly, deputy team principal Bob Fernley has no problems with either of his drivers making themselves heard.

Team-mate Adrian Sutil also is not afraid to voice his opinion, but tends to get less air time in the broadcasts. As much as anything, it's because Sutil's softly-spoken German accent makes him sound more easy-going and is therefore less entertaining to television viewers.

"If you have drivers who want to be competitive, they should be keeping us on our toes," says Fernley. "There should be no slack whatsoever given from the driver's point of view. Paul is there to make sure that we deliver and I don't have any problems with that at all.

"I'd much rather have that than somebody who accepts something and then we find out afterwards that we could have done it better. We like the idea that we have drivers that share their opinion very forthrightly."

The bottom line is that di Resta has delivered so far this year. His superb return after the opening four races lays to rest legitimate concerns about his performances in the back end of 2012 when he was completely overshadowed by team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.

The Scot was outshone by Nico Hulkenberg at the end of 2012 © XPB

That knocked the wind out of his sails in a season during which both McLaren and Ferrari had given serious consideration to signing him and left many to write him off. But while di Resta still has work to do to make it impossible for the big teams to overlook him, this year has gone a long way to restoring his reputation.

"I never had any doubts," says Fernley. "Paul is mentally very strong. Obviously, Nico probably got the edge on him but we also knew that there were a few issues behind the scenes that didn't help Paul. He has brushed himself down and got on with it straight out of the box this season, which is what I would expect."

One of the issues Fernley refers to was a chassis problem that hobbled him for three races late last season. The damage, which was difficult to detect, was as a result of a shunt during free practice at Suzuka at Spoon Curve. While you have to add the twin caveats that di Resta was, by his own admission, at fault for that Suzuka crash and didn't enjoy the best run even once he had a new chassis from Abu Dhabi onwards, that does partly mitigate his lacklustre end to the campaign.

This year, he has bounced back very effectively. While overshadowed by Sutil's race-leading turn in Australia on a weekend where both performed at a very similar level once you take into account their diverging tyre strategies in the race, he is currently 3-1 up in the qualifying battle and has a 14-point advantage over the German in the championship.

It would be grossly unfair not to point out that Sutil's misfortune in China, where he was torpedoed by Esteban Gutierrez's Sauber, and Bahrain, where he lost a heap of time early on after suffering a puncture, has distorted the picture. No doubt, Sutil would have also scored heavily in Bahrain.

But di Resta is rightly very happy with the fact he has been able to remind everyone that the results he produced late in 2012 were not representative.

Di Resta's recent form has helped re-establish his reputation in F1 © XPB

Certainly, he is acutely aware of the need to string together a strong - not to mention complete - season.

"There is a bit more pressure but actually I like the pressure," he says. "Last year was quite a hard lesson at the end of the season but we have bounced back in four grands prix very well. I want to build my reputation in F1, wherever that leads for the future.

"It was good [to have a race where he stood out near the front of the field] as it was all on merit. If you look at the points tally already, it's good as a constructor and also as a driver. But there are still 15 races to go so we have to perform."

Now in his third season, di Resta has no excuses. During his first campaign, he outshone Sutil on balance, despite scoring fewer points, thanks to his comparative lack of experience.

Now, he is closer to maximising his potential and needs to ensure that he continues to score more heavily without the assistance of his team-mate hitting problems. If he can consistently put a polished performer like Sutil in the shade, it will be a big boost for his career.

The first four weekends have been strong, but now it is up to him to continue to deliver over the remaining 15 weekends. That is the key metric by which he will be judged, having not managed to join the dots of performance throughout his first two campaigns in F1.

Too many have written him off as a driver of limited potential, a decent performer and nothing more. But transpose his Bahrain weekend performance from a Force India into a Lotus and chances are he would have finished second. That would have been eye-catching.

In a sport that is all about perception, don't underestimate just how dramatically his reputation would have been transformed by standing on the podium in Bahrain.

It certainly would have changed the way that people viewed his radio communications.