Bruno Senna: F1 or DTM for 2013?

With last week’s announcement of Valtteri Bottas’ appointment to support Pastor Maldonado at Williams in 2013, Bruno Senna finds himself on the transfer market with few options, as free seats are no longer plentiful for next season. However, this situation does not prevent him from being optimistic about his chances of being on the grid in Melbourne on March 18: « You are never relaxed until you have a signed contract, but we are working hard. Chris Goodwin [his manager] is very busy. He does his job very well. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we will have a clearer idea,” the Brazilian driver explained to Autosport.

If he expected to be replaced, Senna believes he did not underperform given that he almost systematically had to let Valtteri Bottas drive during the first practice session of the Grand Prix. In total, Senna only had 5 complete weekends in his season, and he thinks his performances were affected by this. « It is a very competitive championship. It has probably been the most contested season in many years. I think the fact that it was my first full season was already a challenge. Then, missing practice sessions throughout the season probably puts you in a position where you shouldn’t be at the start, just because of a few tenths sometimes. It made my season more difficult, but I learned a lot. »

Bruno Senna is among the names mentioned to replace Nico Hülkenberg at Force India, but his financial backing could also open doors for smaller teams like Caterham or even Marussia, even though Max Chilton seems well-positioned to take Charles Pic’s seat, with Pic joining Caterham next season.

If by chance, the Brazilian does not find a seat in F1, Autosport suggests that he might take refuge in the German touring car championship: the DTM. According to the British publication, Senna has even already tested a Mercedes at Estoril last week.