Stewart advises Ferrari to observe Di Resta

Felipe Massa’s seat at Ferrari is highly sought after, and after rumors of possible arrivals of Sergio Pérez or even Mark Webber, it’s Sir Jackie Stewart’s turn to designate the perfect candidate for him.

The three-time world champion – 1969, 1971, and 1973 – believes that Paul di Resta, current Sahara Force India driver, would be the ideal recruit to support Fernando Alonso because the Scottish driver represents the future, as he disclosed, cited by BBC Sport: « Paul di Resta would be a very good target for Ferrari. Alonso is probably the driver with the best knowledge (of F1) and physically, he is one of the best drivers in the world. Alonso is almost at his peak, and having a young driver like Di Resta as Alonso’s backup is something I would consider if I were at Ferrari. »

When asked if Di Resta would ever succeed him in the list of F1 world champions, Stewart was cautious for the moment because, for him, his compatriot must first join a better team before aiming for a possible world champion title: «It’s hard to say. He has enormous talent. I hope Scotland doesn’t ask too much of him, too soon. You have to be in a top team to win. You can’t do it in a second-tier team. Force India is working hard to be a top team, but they aren’t there yet.»

The former Scottish driver also reflected on the 2012 season, which he considers one of the best line-ups in nearly 40 years: «There have been four races and four different winners. It has been a very unusual start to the season. There is an incredible line-up of drivers – six world champions on the grid. I don’t think we’ve seen such good drivers together in the same season since the late ’60s or early ’70s.»

For him, the drivers to watch are those from the leading teams – Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes, but also the returning Kimi Räikkönen and … Paul di Resta, who matched the best performance of his career by finishing in 6th place at the last Grand Prix held in Bahrain.