Pedro de la Rosa admits contact with Renault team after Kubica’s accident – Formula 1 news
The 40-year-old Spanish driver Pedro de la Rosa has recently admitted that he had contacted the Renault team after they were searching a replacement for the injured Robert Kubica.
His plans for 2011 are not sure but it is said that he will get a test driver seat at Pirelli.
After Renault’s driver Robert Kubica was severely injured in a rally crash last month, the Renault team started to look for replacement drivers. The team boss Eric Boullier said recently that three names are under consideration, Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna
and Vitantonio Liuzzi. Nick Heidfeld was taken on board after his performance in the Jerez test session impressed Boullier.
However, when asked about Rosa, Boullier said, “I talked a little with Pedro de la Rosa.” Rosa confirmed the talks and said, “What I said to Renault when they called me was I have experience, I'm fast and I don't need 200 laps to know what to change in a
car to make it competitive.” He has said recently that he would like to be in Formula 1 for at least the next three years.
Rosa said that physically he feels like more fit than before, fit enough to be a part of the grid. Rosa was talking about his past career and said that he had made some mistakes in the past by moving in to some teams.
He said, “The first was being tester with Jordan (in 1998) without getting many laps. The second mistake was signing for Jaguar (in 2001).”
Further he said that he would have gone to the team principal of Jordan, Repsol, and would have asked about the driving seat. He said about Jaguar that it was the biggest team at the time with the highest budget but with minimal technical support and development
zeal.
In 2010, he was Sauber’s driver alongside Kamui Kobayashi. He participated in 13 grands prix with Sauber after he was left out and Nick Heidfeld was given the opportunity. Rosa scored only 6 points and finished 17th in overall standings. Before that, he
has been associated with Jordan, Jaguar and McLaren since 1999.
Rosa is supposed to get a seat at Pirelli as a test driver, as Pirelli have a vacancy left after Nick Heidfeld’s contract expired. As Pirelli is being heavily criticised for its tyre development and they have shown intent to continue the development process
of the tyre entire season, Rosa will get to drive a lot of miles under the new rubber.
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