“I spend a lot of time with Paul. We train a lot together; we spend a lot of
time cycling in the south of France together. I think he is very, very
talented and he has got his head screwed on. That is the important thing.
“If the company wanted to manage somebody who I didn’t think had their
head screwed on it would be a bit more of an issue.
“But with Paul I think it is great. He is like a sponge; he is always
willing to learn. It is scary from my point of view, but it is exciting I
think.
“It is great for him as well. He needs someone who is experienced in this
business and is also very human in the way they do business. He has
definitely got that in Richard. And James.”
Force India said last weekend that they would not stand in the way if one of
the big four teams came in for either Nico Hulkenberg or di Resta.
Caterham’s Heikki Kovalainen has also been mentioned in connection with a
return to McLaren
should Hamilton leave, while Lotus’s 2007 world champion, Kimi Raikkonen,
would be an attractive option but is thought to be unavailable and, in any
case, less likely to be tempted by a return to Woking.