Reigning Formula 3 Euroseries champion Paul di Resta has thanked Mercedes for everything they helped him achieve last year, and says he hopes to be able to repay them should he switch over to the DTM with the Stuttgart marque in 2007.
The 20-year-old was the architect of a stunning Euroseries campaign in 2006, triumphing in six races and grabbing five pole positions as he waged a season-long battle with
Sebastian Vettel, ultimately edging his German ASM rival out in the drivers' standings by the narrow margin of 11 points.
It's everything we could have really asked for, the Scot enthused to
Crash.net. It was a great season with good competition and a great team to work with. I learned so much and enjoyed every minute of it.
I had to go into it as, if not the favourite, certainly one of them. We had a good first year in the Euroseries in 2005. The speed was there. Ok, the results were not as we planned due to some bad luck but we set three poles. I knew the team was going to be an improvement too. They brought me on as a driver and the things they taught me were just crucial.
It was always going to be difficult, especially with the new reverse grids, but when you get down you've got to lift yourself back up again quickly and I think that's where we beat Sebastian. We got five poles and Sebastian only managed to beat me once in qualifying. That was the key I think. We won the first race and were on the podium for most of the early ones. The speed was good all year.
Turning his attentions now to the season-in-hand, di Resta said he believed an announcement regarding his future was not far off. Clearly hoping to remain with the Mercedes family that has supported him since his early days back in the McLaren-Mercedes Champions of the Future karting series now BRDC Stars of Tomorrow he said he would relish a move to the DTM, widely regarded as the world's premier touring car series, should the opportunity present itself.
