Paul di Resta feels that the midfield battle will be even tougher this year and even scoring points will be an achievement in itself.
Scot expecting midfield battle to be even tighter in 2012
Paul di Resta feels that the midfield battle will be even tougher this year and even scoring points will be an achievement in itself.
The Force India driver is preparing to embark on his second season in Formula One having impressed in his rookie year, helping the team finish sixth in the Constructors' Championship.
The VJM05 seemed to have good pace during pre-season, but with Williams, Toro Rosso and Sauber also improving the Scot is expecting it to be a tough battle behind the championship contenders.
"I do believe it will be more bunched up, and everybody will need to raise their game," di Resta said.
"What we will see is that if someone is having a very good weekend there will be a bigger benefit (than 2011), and if someone is having a bad weekend they will be in more trouble.
"It has been a difficult year to read in testing. We will see where we are (in qualifying on) Saturday afternoon, but it looks a lot tighter, so it is crucial to get everything right."
Grow
On a personal level, the 25-year-old is looking to grow in 2012 having established himself in the sport last season.
"Success would be if I can grow as a person, be more consistent," he said.
"As long as you're moving up, that's the focus and mentality we are going with, like Force India that has grown every year, and now we're trying to expand another step.
"Personally, it's about being more confident and consistent. You grow into a position you are in.
"That is obviously what relaxes you when you are a rookie because you are a bit uncertain with the whole system and how it works.
Emotions
"My emotions this year are completely different compared to last.
"I'm certainly more focused on the performance side, whereas last year was a bit of a learning curve.
"I'm also more relaxed, a lot fitter, a lot stronger mentally and more stable in life.
"Hopefully that side of things can transfer on to the track, but it doesn't get any easier.
"As a team I feel we've massively moved on, and you can see the difference from that from the experiences we had from the mid- season on last year."
Although still relatively inexperienced in contrast to many of the old guard around him on the grid, di Resta certainly feels part of the F1 furniture now.
"It's not that I didn't feel part of it last year, but then you felt that when you walked into the paddock all eyes were on you," he added.
Familiar
"Now it's regular faces you see - even down to seeing you guys (the media) - it's not as daunting as it first was.
"Certainly when I came into the paddock today there was plenty of excitement. I think everybody enjoys coming here, and that makes a difference.
"This is also the first place I started my grand prix career, so that adds to it."
