Paul Di Resta and Mercedes

Paul Di Resta’s impressive debut with Force India this year has led to speculation that he will be signed by one of the sport’s larger teams in the near future. The young Scot already has well established links with Mercedes, and there are some that feel Di Resta is being lined up by the company to replace Michael Schumacher.

MERCEDES

Di Resta has enjoyed a long relationship with Mercedes and has been part of their young driver program for a number of years. After beating Sebastian Vettel to the 2006 Formula Three Euroseries title in a Mercedes powered ASM Dallara, Paul moved into the DTM series with the German manufacturer. Di Resta consistently challenged for the championship during his four years in the DTM, and won the title last year whilst mixing his racing duties with his role as Force India’s reserve driver.

Di Resta’s contract with Force India was made possible due to the team’s Mercedes engine deal. However, Paul is now proving that he is genuinely worthy of his appointment and isn’t just filling the numbers to appease an engine supplier.

In the first four races of 2011 Di Resta has been very impressive. Last weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix was the first time that he qualified behind his more experienced teammate, Adrian Sutil. The two have been fairly evenly matched but Di Resta has seemingly has the edge in terms of raw pace.

Paul has also performed well on Sundays and scored points in his first two races.

With his obvious pace, and links to the company, there is no doubt that Mercedes would be very comfortable putting Di Resta into one of their factory Grand Prix cars.

However, despite the rumours, Paul might have to wait a few years before that opportunity presents itself.

ROSBERG

Nico Rosberg is now a part of Mercedes’ long term future and the manufacturer will do everything it can to keep him. Not only is he a well presented highly marketable German, but he is also super quick. Rosberg is emerging as one of the great talents in Formula One and can challenge the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari is reportedly interested in Rosberg, but it would not be a perfect match. Nico is currently in a privileged position where he can build the Mercedes team around him in the same way that Vettel is becoming the focal point at Red Bull. This is an ideal situation for Rosberg because Ferrari and Mercedes are the only two manufactures fully involved in the sport (the Renault company no longer own their F1 team). When the new regulations force more development in 2013, manufacturer backed teams are going to enjoy an advantage with more resources at their disposal.

Rosberg has a great seat in F1 so will not want to leave that to join Alonso’s team at Ferrari. Mercedes aren’t going to let Nico disappear either, so Di Resta could only ever be a replacement for Michael Schumacher.

SCHUMACHER

Michael has endured a difficult time with Mercedes, but he is also unlikely to move aside anytime soon. Schumacher has always stated that his return will last three years and he reaffirmed this just two weeks ago saying “I will fulfil my three year contract with Mercedes and afterwards work as a representative of the brand.” There is no reason to disbelieve Michael who has now had time to accept that his Grand Prix comeback is not the success he expected.

Michael has been particularly disappointing this year, and his performance in Turkey was possibly the worst since his return to the sport. Schumacher fared very well in practice, but was unable to make anything of his single lap in Q3 and ended up eighth on the grid, a full second behind Rosberg in third. His lack of pace in qualifying was a huge disappointment.

Schumacher compounded his problems in the race when he made a clumsy mistake and tangled with Vitaly Petrov on lap two. Schumacher’s racecraft has been one of his strengths during the last twelve months, but his awkward collision with Petrov was an inexcusable blunder. Without it he could have been challenging the McLaren’s later in the race.

Schumacher’s form in 2011 has been somewhat lacklustre in general. He showed some glimpses of real competitive pace towards the end of 2010 with strong drives in Korea and Japan. Mercedes expected Michael to build on those good results this year with new Pirelli tyres that should suit his driving style, but it has not worked out that way. On average, Schumacher has been six tenths behind Rosberg in qualifying and he will need to turn that around to avoid what could become an embarrassing season.

Michael is unlikely to retire before his three year contract ends. He will certainly want to salvage some good results to ensure his Formula One comeback is not a complete failure. Schumacher is not the sort of person that quits easily and he is unlikely to openly admit defeat. After all, he is only a sudden rain shower or a well timed Safety Car period away from a Grand Prix victory, and just one more win will give him as many as Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost combined. That would be a poignant moment in F1 history, and would make up for much of the pain he is going through now.

Mercedes will be happy to hold onto Michael due to his wealth of experience, and his huge marketability. Schumacher is still a massive name in the sport and Mercedes will want to continue getting the most out of that whilst they can. It’s also worth remembering that Michael is still a very quick Grand Prix driver. It just so happens that at the moment he is being outshone by an even quicker one.

DI RESTA

When Mercedes do have a vacancy at the end of 2012, there is every chance they will be asking Paul Di Resta to fill the empty seat.

That is unless someone else has secured his services already.