» De la Rosa in the wilderness…

Having completed his final test duties for tyre maker Pirelli, Pedro de la Rosa now flies back to his native Barcelona with an uncertain future.

The 39-year-old was dumped by Sauber in the latter stages of his comeback season with the Swiss squad – having amassed a single points’ finish all season – and joined Pirelli in what was effectively a straight swap with its (then) test driver, Nick Heidfeld.

But with no more testing to do, “The truth is I don’t know what will happen next,” he admitted to the RAC1 radio station.

“In January the contract with Pirelli ends and my priority is to find a seat in Formula One,” he added.

De la Rosa is one of a number of drivers linked with the sole remaining race seat at Hispania Racing – who are believed to be interested in his services – but it is believed he does not bring enough sponsorship backing to secure the drive.

“If I don’t race I would be happy to continue in F1 as a reserve driver,” he continued, but admitted that he is “not close to any teams, even McLaren”, with whom he spent several years as their test and reserve driver.

[Original image via AUTOSPORT]