The DTM Series makes its long awaited return to Great Britain this weekend at Brands Hatch.
Last racing round the Kentish circuit in 2013, the race was won by Mike Rockenfeller.
Di Resta, won the race in 2009 and 201o with the latter being the turning point in his championship winning year.
“It could indeed be the same sort of situation this weekend. It certainly was a turning point in 2010,” di Resta told Mercedes. “The start of the second half of the year is definitely the most crucial part. At the moment, I’m focused on trying to repeat my wins from 2009 and 2010 which was the last time I raced at Brands Hatch.”
The challenge the circuit will pose is unknown as the previous times the series raced there it took place on the Indy layout whereas this year the full Grand Prix circuit will make its debut.
“It’s a track variant I have never driven before. The big thing for me is the elevation change and how fast Brands Hatch can be. Very much like Zandvoort but a little bit quicker. And obviously it’s one of the tracks that I grew up on when I was contesting junior series. I used to race there all the time. I can even remember going there as a kid when my father was driving, and I obviously remember the successes I had there which have got me where I am now as a professional driver. It was a big part of my life.”
The Briton currently sits second in the championship and will be wanting to make up lost ground on series leader Gary Paffett.
Sitting 27 points behind his fellow Briton, di Resta is the best placed to challenge Paffett for the title but in the DTM anything can happen.
“The main focus is the championship, and it always is in any year. But I think, given the position we are in, we need to keep one eye on it. At the moment, it is a little bit too early to be dwelling on the idea.
“But the Brands Hatch weekend could certainly be a key turning point, and we really could start to focus on it. As for me, I’m the one that’s hunting down at the moment. With a little bit more luck on my side, I think with the performance we’ve got, hopefully we can make the best of that.”
Action gets underway at Brands Hatch 11-12 August, with the weekend taking place over two days rather than the standard three due to restricts on the amount of days the full track layout can be used.
