De la Rosa has been a reserve driver for the Woking based team between 2003 and 2009, briefly racing for the British squad when Juan Pablo Montoya was ousted in 2006. At the end of last season, the 39-year old managed to secure a racing deal with BMW Sauber-Ferrari, yet he didn't manage to make the season finale due to lack of consistent results.
There are currently 9 vacancies in the 2011 Formula One entry list – the real number is smaller than that, as some drivers are already partially confirmed for next year – yet De la Rosa admits most of those seats are reserved for drivers benefiting from financial backing.
“I am trying hard to be racing, but if it doesn't happen it is not the end of the world,” said De la Rosa in a recent interview with Spain's Diario AS sports newspaper. “I am calm because I know what I'll do if I don't find a team to race with. If in the end I have to be a reserve or a tester, I will, but first I will try everything (to race).”
There are currently two pieces of information that suggest a potential McLaren comeback for De la Rosa. First of all, the British team doesn't have a regular test and reserve driver, Gary Paffett fulfilling those duties – in parallel to his DTM commitments – only because there is no one else available for the job.
Secondly, according to the same Diario AS newspaper, it seems that Lewis Hamilton has already asked his team to take De la Rosa back, in case the Spaniard is free to sign in early 2011. De la Rosa is currently under contract with Pirelli for tire testing the 2011-spec compounds, but it is believed this deal will end on December 31, when Romain Grosjean will take over from the Spaniard.
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