Paul di Resta is eager to put his Force India car on the podium in 2013 after the disappointment of missing out on a potential move to one of the top teams on the grid.
The Scot was linked with possible drives for McLaren and Ferrari over the course of the 2012 season, but instead he will remain with the Sahara Force India team for a third season after he failed to successfully negotiate with another team.
"Of course it was flattering to be linked to those seats but I won't deny I was disappointed when both teams opted to go down another route," he told The Scotsman.
"It's just fired me up even more to go out and deliver next season. Of course you want to be in a car capable of regularly winning races and, ultimately championships. All I can do is go out next season, and deliver. If I do that, and it attracts a bigger team, then so be it. At the moment I'm paid to race for Sahara Force India, and I'll be giving it 100 per cent when we line up on the grid for the season opener in Australia in March."
He added that a podium finish was his aim for the 2013 season, although he stressed that he didn't want to "luck" into a good result.
"I certainly want a podium "and then I want to be on it again. That's the target. But I don't want to luck-in to a podium. For me, it has to be a well-earned top-three finish, one which we can build on. We need to do it on merit, and I certainly believe it's achievable.
"But to do it, we need a car capable of delivering fast, sustainable pace right through not only a race weekend, but also the whole season.
"We're hoping to finish fifth overall in the Constructors' Championship next season. Personally, my first objective is to at least get back to sixth. Anything more than that would be a bonus."
