So they gave it to long-time test and reserve driver Luca Badoer, who was unable to score a single point for the Scuderia in back-to-back races at Valencia and Spa. Giancarlo Fisichella was the next on the list, as the Italian was also offered a reserve driver job with Ferrari for 2010 as a bonus.
However, following his cruising to the San Marino GP win on Sunday, MotoGP reigning champion Valentino Rossi unveiled he was also targeted by Ferrari in recent weeks. According to the Italian rider, the Maranello outfit was interested in fielding Rossi for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but he respectfully declined the offer.
The reason was quite simple. Apart from the pain he still feels in his neck – following his crash at Indianapolis – Rossi insisted it would be crazy to debut in F1 without some prior testing of the car. And that's prohibited by the FIA under the current regulations.
“To enter Formula One without testing is more risky than fun. Without testing it would not have been logical. You can't go there and do everything to understand the car in three days. I don't know if I could have finished the race with my neck,” said Rossi in an interview with Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The MotoGP action will resume on October 4th, at Estoril Circuit, one week after the kick-off of the Italian Grand Prix in F1. However, with 4 races to go in the MotoGP this season, Rossi decided to focus solely on his retaining the title in 2009, as he's now 30 points ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo in the overall classification.
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