Pedro de la Rosa to Sauber
Pedro de la Rosa has been confirmed as the other Sauber driver alongside Kamui Kobayashi.
The Spaniard spent 6 years as the test driver for the McLaren team, and represented the team briefly in 2005 when Juan Pablo Montoya injured his shoulders in a tennis game. His highest scoring position in the Formula 1 was in the Hungarian Grand Prix 2006 when he came in second behind then Honda driver Jenson Button. He returned to his position as a test driver when Fernando Alonso came into the McLaren team.
The McLaren team wished de la Rosa well in his departure.
"Pedro has never made any secret of his continued ambition to race in Formula 1, so we were never going to stand in his way should an attractive opportunity come his way," Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal and chairman of FOTA said. "On the contrary, we wish him well. He's been a fantastic team player for the past seven years, has contributed a huge amount to our successes in that time, and will remembered by all at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes as not only an esteemed colleague but also as a good friend." A very happy de la Rosa said, "I am extremely happy about this, especially because I have been pushing for it for so many years. The reason I became a test driver was because I always wanted to go back racing. My motivation for testing was to keep on believing in myself and believing that this could happen. So I am extremely happy. I have learned a lot from working with a super team like McLaren Mercedes, and if I am here, it is thanks to them. They have helped me grow as a racing driver and I am a lot better now than when I joined the team back in 2003."
