Silverstone has Di Resta dreaming of a special debut
Britain's Paul di Resta can't wait to sample the "buzz" of the British Grand Prix as a Formula One driver for the first time on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Force India man has only raced once at Silverstone and that was in the Formula Renault series back in 2004, when the circuit was radically different.
Di Resta did complete 22 laps during free practice last year but is now eager to get a taste of the real thing.
"Coming to Silverstone as a Formula One driver will feel very special," said the Scot. "I remember last year the atmosphere was just incredible. The British fans love Formula One, the grandstands are always packed and the whole place feels alive. I can't wait to feel that buzz this year.
"My target is to make the top 10 in qualifying. We've been there or thereabouts for the last few races and we need to be there if we want to fight for points."
Last year's race was the first under the revised layout at Silverstone, which saw a series of new corners after Abbey corner and the track extended by almost half a mile. The creation of a new pits and paddock complex has resulted in the start-finish line being moved between Club and Abbey corners, which should create more exciting racing.
Di Resta added: "With the new layout, there's a high-speed end of the lap so it will be interesting to see how the tyres hold on in qualifying."
Team-mate, Adrian Sutil, is also excited by the prospect of racing at Silverstone as it will offer a different challenge to the tracks in Monaco, Montreal and Valencia, which the drivers have faced over the last six weeks.
"At Silverstone you feel the performance of a Formula One car and after three street circuits, it will be a nice change to be back at a traditional old-school circuit," said the German.
"They changed the circuit last year and I enjoyed the new layout as much as the old one. The new turns one and two make up a really quick right-left chicane and it's taken almost flat in qualifying. The new layout makes it a bit easier to overtake because the old lap was so quick that it was almost impossible to follow a car closely."
