de la Rosa is not looking for a test driver job in 2011

Pedro de la Rosa has said he does not want to return to being a full-time Formula 1 test driver.

After seven years spent being the test driver for the McLaren team, the Spanish driver finally returned to the starting grid this year with Sauber.
But after being fired and replaced by Nick Heidfeld, de la Rosa now serves as a tester for the future sole tire supplier, Pirelli.

The 1-year-old Spanish driver said he was "really happy" to return to being a test driver earlier this month in Spain, but his new comments reflect his desire to return to racing for an FXNUMX team.

“I hope to have a place on the F1 grid next year,” de la Rosa said in an interview with Dutch magazine formula1.nl.

“If my career as a Formula 1 driver was over I would regret it, but it wouldn't be the end of the world,” he added.

“One thing, however, is certain: I won't spend another year being a test driver. Even if there was only one place available on the grid, I would prefer that to the alternative of being a test driver. Racing for a bad team would still be better than testing,” said de la Rosa.

It is also rumored that, at thirty-nine years old, the Spaniard might be thinking about retiring, rather than spending his time in the back rows of the grid.
De la Rosa explains: “When you're at the beginning of your career, you settle for any car you can sit in. Then you become more selective, but at the end of your career you are happy with every offer you receive. Honestly, for me, there is nothing better than running,” added de la Rosa.

Meanwhile, his successor at Sauber, Heidfeld, has not yet been reconfirmed for 2011. The German told Auto Motor und Sport:
“Being a spare driver is not easy to accept, but when you arrive at a circuit and ask yourself why, you also understand that there is no one else for you to drive for. That I could be involved in the development of the car with Mercedes is something that eases the pain sometimes, but when you think about it it's terrible, especially when you're at work.”

“But this situation is definitely better than staying at home, because at least I have some distractions,” Heidfeld said.

Davide Cantire