19 Jun 2012

Paul Di Resta looks ahead to his second European Grand Prix.

Paul, tell us about the challenge of racing on the Valencia street circuit?
It’s a mix between a street circuit and a normal track and it’s got a lot of corners to go with it – maybe the most corners of any circuit on the calendar. The track is very smooth but it’s tricky to get on top of the set-up and if you don’t find the sweet spot it can make quite a big difference to your laptime across such a long lap.  

Is it difficult to set the car up because of the variety of corners?
The main challenge is to be strong in the low-speed chicanes and also through the high-speed end of the lap.  There are some big braking zones too followed by big traction zones, so the degradation rate is quite high, which is why it’s hard to manage the rear tyres through the race.

And what about Valencia as a venue?
It’s a fun place to visit. The city has nice architecture, some great restaurants and we stay next to the beach so I sometimes go for a jog in the morning. City races usually provide a good atmosphere on race day and there are always lots of British fans who come along and show their support.

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