Pedro de la Rosa is hoping his role as Pirelli's test driver will help him land a race drive, but the Spaniard concedes his knowledge of the Italian tires will not be a determining factor to secure a drive for 2011.
"It's not going to be a determining factor. It's not going to get me a drive, but it could get me close to one," de la Rosa told Spanish radio network Onda Cero.
The Spanish driver has been signed as Pirelli's development driver after he was sacked from the Sauber team, with which he had raced during the 2010 season. De la Rosa admitted he is trying to continue racing next year, and said he was open to a future with the Hispania team if the project looked solid enough.
"I'm in touch with the [team owners] Carabantes and we talk a lot and in fact they inform me about how the project is going," he said. "If the project is interesting and ambitious I would be glad to be with them. They know it, but at the moment there is no rush."
De la Rosa, who was replaced by Nick Heidfeld for the final five races of the season, said the decision seemed stranger after Sauber decided to sign Mexican Sergio Perez to partner Kamui Kobayashi next year.
"It's weird, but I'm not going to judge other people's decisions," he said. "I have my opinion about it, Peter Sauber knows it, which is what counts to me. I respect the decision, but that doesn't mean I agree with it. Now I'm moving on with Pirelli."
However, de la Rosa applauded Perez's selection by the Swiss squad: "He's a good choice for Sauber. He's a good driver, with a good record and with the important backing from Telmex."