De la Rosa still envisions a place in the race

Pedro de la Rosa, test driver for McLaren, has not given up on the possibility of becoming a race driver again in the quite near future.

The Spaniard has been the reserve driver for the Woking team since 2003 and participated in half a season of the Formula 1 championship in 2006 when Juan Pablo Montoya left the sport to join Nascar in the United States. He then achieved a second place at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

More recently, he has been linked to a racing seat at Force India, which has just signed a technical partnership with McLaren. He remains optimistic about his chances of securing a race seat.

« It’s classic, » he declared on the stage of the Autosport International Show about his desire to return to racing. « Why am I with McLaren? Because I want to be with the best F1 team and be the first on the list to become a racing driver. »

« It is true that at my age, my chances of making a comeback in racing are very, very slim. »

« So I have to be the best by continuing to test for the best team. Become an even more skilled test driver. It’s my only chance to come back, but one day I will return. »

However, de la Rosa speaks of his intentions to stay at McLaren for as long as possible.

« I love every minute. I have been with McLaren since 2003 and I have learned a lot. I work with the best engineers, » the Spaniard continued.

« Every day, I am better because of them. I love my job and I continue to believe that McLaren can win many more world championships in the future, and I hope to continue to be involved in each of them. »