De la Rosa to test Force India in Spain Tuesday 18 November at 05:56 : Nov.18 (GMM) McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa will test with the Force India team on Tuesday and Wednesday at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya
The Silverstone based team's 2008 car in Spain is still being powered by a Ferrari engine, but a major technical collaboration for next year and beyond was recently concluded with McLaren-Mercedes
Force India is yet to officially announce its race driver lineup for next year, despite team boss Vijay Mallya's declarations that Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella will be staying in 2009
However, Mallya subsequently admitted that he will from now on take McLaren's advice in all areas, including drivers
De la Rosa, 37, is a veteran of more than 70 races, and despite fulfilling the role of McLaren's primary test and reserve driver for several years, harbours a desire to return to the grid
The news of de la Rosa's two-day Force India test was reported widely in the Spanish press, including in the sports newspaper Marca, as well as Diario AS, El Pais and El Mundo, and by the news agencies EFE and Europa Press
The Spaniard is already in Barcelona, where on Monday he tested McLaren's KERS-equipped hybrid 2008 car, the newly-named MP4-23K
On Monday he also met with Force India officials, where the details of his test were discussed, including which sponsors will be displayed on his car, helmet and overalls |