Paul di Resta expects a tough fight between midfield teams

Sahara Force India driver Paul di Resta expects a fierce fight amongst the midfield teams in the 2012 Formula One season and says scoring points in the opening race here Sunday would be a job well done.

He said it was difficult to judge a team's strength during the pre-season testing days and all of them will have to raise their performance.

"I do believe it will be more bunched up, and everybody will need to raise their game," di Resta told reporters in the paddock area at Albert Park.

"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 Saturday afternoon, but it looks a lot tighter, so it is crucial to get everything right," he said while referring to the rivals teams Williams, Toro Rosso, Lotus and Sauber.

Di Resta had a promising debut season in 2011 when he scored 27 points and finished 13th in the drivers' standings. As a team, Force India improved significantly in the second half of the season to finish sixth in the constructors' championship, their best since the first season in 2008.

The Scot said 2012 was a "big year" for the Silverstone-based team.

"We have massively moved on, and you can see that from the performances we had from mid-season onwards last year. But it doesn't get any easier.

"This is a big year for the team. We have got to see where we are after where we left off in 2011. Coming into this race, if we can score points it would be a box ticked," he said.