Di Resta targets strong launch after labelling Hungary start more key than Monaco

The Scot will line up 12th on the grid, on the 'dirty side' of the Hungaroring circuit, after traffic issues contributed to him narrowly missing out on progressing into Q3.

While he played down the potential effect of the dirty track, di Resta admitted that getting a good start at Hungary was even more important than at Monaco, which is renowned for its lack of overtaking opportunities.

"The launch needs to be spot on, that is key - more key than Monaco I would say," di Resta explained. "It is such a short run that it influences the rest of the race.

"As long as it stays nice and dry for our cars to lay some nice thick rubber down, [the dirty side] shouldn't be too much of a disadvantage.

"On the clean side at Hockenheim I got blasted out of sight by [Kimi] Raikkonen so I think it is about the procedure and understanding your clutch."

Di Resta predicted that high tyre degradation could also play into his team's hands by helping to overcome the Hungaroring's reputation for making overtaking difficult.

"It is not the longest of straights but there is a lot of tyre degradation so never say never - look at Valencia," added the Scot.

"I think potentially we could see [cars falling off a cliff], we have seen it in GP2 as the last two corners require a lot of downforce.

"From what we saw, our tyres seem to be holding on but I haven't done a heavy fuel load. I would say in recent races we have had more of a problem at the beginning of the races on high fuel compared to others and I think we will have a fight on our hands compared to Sauber."