Paul di Resta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul di Resta
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Di Resta in 2014
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| Born | 16 April 1986 Uphall, West Lothian, Scotland
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| Spouse(s) |
Laura Jordan
(m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives |
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| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2019–20 |
| Current team | Peugeot TotalEnergies |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car no. | 94 |
| Former teams | United |
| Starts | 33 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 8 |
| Poles | 4 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| Best finish | 2nd in 2019–20 (LMP2) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Active years | 2011–2013, 2017 |
| Teams | Force India, Williams |
| Entries | 59 (59 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 121 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2011 Australian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters career | |
| Years active | 2007–2010, 2014–2019 |
| Teams | Persson, HWA, R-Motorsport |
| Starts | 141 |
| Championships | 1 (2010) |
| Wins | 11 |
| Podiums | 37 |
| Poles | 8 |
| Fastest laps | 10 |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2018–2021, 2023–2024 |
| Teams | United, Peugeot |
| Best finish | 5th (2020) |
| Class wins | 1 (2020) |
| Previous series | |
| 2005–2006 2003–2004 |
F3 Euro Series British Formula Renault |
| Championship titles | |
| 2006 2010 |
F3 Euro Series DTM |
Paul di Resta (born 16 April 1986) is a British racing driver and sports commentator from Scotland. He currently races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot. Paul also competed in Formula One, the highest class of single-seater auto racing, from 2011 to 2017.
Born in Uphall and growing up in Bathgate, Paul di Resta drove for the Force India Formula One team from 2011 to 2013. He later became a reserve driver for the Williams F1 team in 2016 and raced for them in one event in 2017. Paul is a former champion in both the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) and Formula 3 Euro Series. After his first time in Formula One, he returned to DTM with Mercedes. He also served as a reserve F1 driver for McLaren for the 2022 season and was a commentator for Sky Sports' F1 coverage.
Contents
About Paul di Resta
Paul di Resta was born on 16 April 1986 in Uphall, West Lothian, Scotland. His family has Italian roots, and he grew up in Bathgate. He went to Bathgate Academy and is a fan of Celtic Football Club. Today, he lives in Monaco. Paul is cousins with famous racing drivers Dario and Marino Franchitti. His step-father, Dougie McCracken, was a Scottish footballer. His younger brother, Stefan, has raced as an amateur, and his half-brother, Jon, is a goalkeeper for association football club Dundee.
Paul di Resta and Laura Jordan got engaged in December 2013 and were married on 28 August 2014.
Paul's Racing Journey
Early Days in Karting
Paul began his racing career in karting when he was just eight years old, competing in different kart series from 1994 to 2002. In 2001, he won the British JICA Championship, showing his early talent.
Moving to Single-Seaters: Formula Renault
At the end of 2002, Paul moved into single-seater racing, which means cars with open wheels and one seat. He joined the British Formula Renault Winter Series. In 2003, he raced full-time in British Formula Renault with Eurotek Motorsport, finishing seventh overall with one race win. He then moved to Manor Motorsport for the 2004 season, where he finished third in the championship and won four races. He also took part in some races of the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. In 2004, he won the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of The Year Award, an award his cousin Dario Franchitti had also won in 1992.
Success in Formula Three
In 2005, Paul switched to the Formula Three Euroseries with Manor Motorsport, finishing tenth. The next year, 2006, he joined the ASM Formule 3 team and won the championship with five wins. He even beat his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who later became a Formula One World Champion. Paul also won the 2006 BP Ultimate Masters race at Circuit Park Zandvoort.
Racing Touring Cars: DTM
In 2007, Paul changed from single-seater cars to touring car racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series, racing for Mercedes. He finished fifth overall in his first DTM season. His strong performance earned him a newer Mercedes car for the 2008 season, where he won two races and finished second in the championship. In 2009, he placed third. In 2010, he won three races in a row and became the DTM champion.
Formula One Career
Paul di Resta had tested for the McLaren Formula One team. He was considered for a spot with the Force India team for the 2009 season because both teams used Mercedes-Benz engines. However, Force India decided to keep their existing drivers.
Force India (2010–2013)
2010 Season
In December 2009, Paul tested with Force India. In January 2010, it was announced he would be the team's test and reserve driver for the 2010 season. He made his first appearance in a Formula One race weekend at the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, driving in the first practice session. He continued to drive in practice sessions for many races that year.
2011 Season
Paul joined Adrian Sutil as a full-time driver for Force India in the 2011 Formula One season. He scored his first championship point in his very first race, the 2011 Australian Grand Prix. He continued to score points in races like the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix, 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix, and 2011 Italian Grand Prix. His best finish that year was sixth place at the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix.
2012 Season
Force India kept Paul for the 2012 season, with Nico Hülkenberg as his new teammate. He scored points in several races, including a seventh-place finish in the wet 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix and a sixth-place finish in 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix. He achieved his career-best finish of fourth place at the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix.
2013 Season
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Paul continued with Force India for a third season in 2013. He started the season well, scoring points in Australia and China. He matched his best result with a fourth place in 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix, almost getting on the podium. He also had strong finishes in Spain, Monaco, and Canada. However, the team faced challenges with new Pirelli tyres later in the season, and Paul had a tough time, retiring from five races in a row.
On 12 December 2013, it was announced that Paul would not be racing for Force India in the 2014 season.
Williams (2016–2017)
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2016 Season
After two years away from Formula One, Paul di Resta returned as a reserve driver for Williams.
2017 Season
Williams kept Paul as their reserve driver for 2017 while he also competed in DTM. He got a surprise chance to race at the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix when regular driver Felipe Massa became ill. This was Paul's first F1 race in nearly four years. He did an "unbelievable job" in qualifying, according to Mercedes F1 Director Toto Wolff, even though he had never driven the car before that session. He finished 19th in qualifying but had to retire from the race after 60 laps.
McLaren (2020–2022)
Paul returned to Formula One as a reserve driver for McLaren in 2020, being on standby for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. McLaren continued to have him as a stand-in reserve driver for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, while he was also racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Return to DTM (2014–2019)
In May 2014, Paul di Resta went back to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters series, driving for HWA Team, which manages the AMG Mercedes team in DTM. In 2018, he finished third in the driver's championship, winning three races. In 2019, he joined the Swiss team R-Motorsport, driving an Aston Martin Vantage DTM.
Endurance Racing (2019-present)
In 2018, Paul di Resta raced in the Asian Le Mans Series for United Autosports. He won one race and achieved four podium finishes, eventually winning the 2018-19 championship with his teammate Phil Hanson.
After their Asian Le Mans Series win, Paul and United Autosports competed in the 2019-20 FIA World Endurance Championship. They went on to win the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class, finishing fifth overall.
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On February 8, 2021, Peugeot Sport announced that Paul di Resta would drive their LMH Hypercar in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. He competed in the last three races of the 2022 season, finishing fourth in one race. In 2023, he continued with Peugeot TotalEnergies in the Hypercar class, achieving a podium finish (third place) at the 6 Hours of Monza. He also competed in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship with Peugeot.
Broadcasting Career (2016–2023)
From 2016, Paul di Resta was a regular part of the Sky Sports F1 channel. He worked as a co-commentator, analyst, and insider for practice, qualifying, and race sessions. He worked alongside other famous drivers like Jenson Button and Damon Hill. He left Sky Sports in January 2023.
Images for kids
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Di Resta at the 2012 US Grand Prix.
See also
In Spanish: Paul Di Resta para niños
