Liuzzi under pressure at Force India - Paul Di Resta anyone?

Paul Di Resta close to F1 chance

Paul Di Resta was disappointed not to win the DTM event at Lausitz this weekend having led the race comfortably until a pitstop problem relegated him to second place. He told reporters "after pole position and such a good race, this is really disappointing". However, such worries may soon be a thing of the past for Di Resta who has a chance to make his Grand Prix debut later this year.

Vitantonio Liuzzi has so far endured a very difficult season with Force India. He has been unable to match the speed of Adrian Sutil and has twice been dropped by the field in Q1. Sutil has scored 22 points in comparison to Liuzzi's 10, and the pressure is starting to grow. Tonio is a very talented driver but has been unable to get the most from himself, or his machinery, in 2010.

Liuzzi says the issue has been “a lack of grip overall. We cannot put load on the rear tyres. I struggle as if the tyres were cold”. Tonio will need to find a solution to the problem soon or Force India may look to replace him.

Paul Di Resta is firmly in the team’s sights.

Di Resta is Force India's test driver and has taken part in four Friday practice sessions this year. On each occasion he has been relatively quick and has impressed many in the paddock. The 24 year old Scot was signed to the team as part of their deal with McLaren/Mercedes and was a little unlucky to miss out on a race drive in 2009.

Di Resta has already proven his talents in the junior categories. He won the 2006 Formula Three Euroseries against Sebastian Vettel, also beating Kamui Kobayashi, Kazuki Nakajima, Sebastien Buemi, and Romain Grosjean. He then moved into the DTM series and has challenged for the championship over the past two seasons. The title has proven elusive but Paul currently lies second in the 2010 series standings.

It would be fitting if Di Resta made his Grand Prix debut at his home race in July, and that might be what Force India’s management has in mind. This would give Liuzzi another two rounds to show signs of improvement or find himself looking for work elsewhere.

Force India has shown a lot of faith in Liuzzi. He has been their test driver since 2008 and was given a two year race deal despite patchy performances towards the end of last year. The team clearly knows what he is capable of, and since his problems have been identified, they may wish to retain Tonio until the end of the year at least. He drove very well at Monaco, so a few more performances like that and the doubts over his future will be erased.

It would be a terrible shame if the driver who overtook Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari in a Toro Rosso was lost to Formula One.

However, if that were to happen, Paul Di Resta is ready and waiting.

Check out Vitantonio Liuzzi racing Michael Schumacher in go karts!

Posted by Martin Porter. - Follow him on twitter @mpondaweb.

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