Force India boss Mallya apologises to 'downcast' Di Resta for 'botching' Monaco chances with wrong tyre call

Force India boss Vijay Mallya has issued a public apology to team driver Paul di Resta after a fumbled tyre call wrecked his hopes of a career-best finish on the podium ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Scot is set to start from a distant 17th position in Monaco after Force India botched his chances to be in the top five with a wrong tyre call, the Mirror reports.

Apologising to the disappointed Di Resta, Mallya said that he regretted that the Silverstone-based team missed their chance because of their own mistakes, adding that they could have qualified in the top five as Di Resta was incredibly fast.

Meanwhile, the downcast Di Resta described the experience as the 'most painful' qualifying day of his Formula One career, adding that he is not speaking much for the risk of saying something which he would have regretted later.

Di Resta rued that they did not read the conditions well enough from the pit wall, adding that by the time they did it was too late.