HRT Not an Option for Pedro de la Rosa

Pedro de la Rosa has thrown himself out of contention for a driving role with Hispania Racing F1 Team, saying that the Spanish team is not an option for him in 2011. Previous reports coming from Spain suggested that the F1 veteran was considered one of 3 or 4 racers to be in the running for the second available seat in the team's lineup, alongside Indian racer Narain Karthikeyan.

However, with HRT making it no secret that they are searching for pay drivers to complete their lineup – rumor has it a racing seat will go in the vicinity of EUR10 million – De la Rosa has already scrapped Jose Ramon Carabante's team from its 2011 list.

“HRT is, for me, not an option,” said De la Rosa in a recent interview with Autosport, while testing for Pirelli at Abu Dhabi. “I don't know what the future will cover. I'm trying to find a race drive in Formula 1 as always, I will never give up.”

Well, if Hispania Racing is not on his list, then who is? Apparently, De la Rosa does take into account a potential extension of his current collaboration with Pirelli, while also evaluating the prospect of becoming a test or reserve driver for an established F1 team. Considering his decent experience driving on Pirelli tires this off-season, he would make a good asset for any team, the Spaniard argued.

“One of my strong assets is that I have been able to do the Pirelli testing, so I am fresh, I know a little bit about the tyres as well. More importantly, I did last year racing as well. As the reserve driver, if you have to step into a car you have to be prepared,” said De la Rosa.

The Spaniard drove for BMW Sauber Ferrari last season, being ousted by team owner Peter Sauber 5 races before the end of the season. He subsequently signed a deal with Pirelli and has been testing for the Italian tire maker ever since.