Alexander Wurz Career Test Pilot?

[OSTKURVE]

Why is Alexander Wurz still deligated to being a test driver? He hasn't had a seat since his days @ Benetton. I remember reading on Autosport.com that he had been offered a seat @ a time but he chose the remain a Mclaren test pilot.

Why would he want to remain in the shadows if he had the opportunity to race again?

[kipper]

I can imagine that it would be tempting to remain as a test driver. Firstly, I am unaware of the team that Wurz was offered a seat at, but I'll wager that it wasn't as competitive propisition as McLaren. Also, having driven some fairly poor cars at Benetton, I can imagine that the motivation for returning to the situation would be fairly low. Secondly, by perfoming well in tests, it creates a positive comparison for Wurz in relation to Hakkinen, Coulthard, Raikkonen and Montoya, which could have helped him get a more competitive race seat, akin to Olivier Panis moving from back of the grid Prost to BAR due to a stint as a McLaren test driver. Also, there would have been the chance of being promoted to a McLaren race seat for a couple of races if circumstances dictated it. In addition, I imagine that Wurz was well paid for his services at McLaren, which may mean that a move else where is less attractive.

[Knowlesy]

I suppose the team that offered Wurz a drive was a less attractive proposition than driving a McLaren and contributing to potentially winning cars.

If it was a top seat he turned down you'd be dissapointed, but it wasn't. It was something like Jaguar wasn't it?

[BootsOntheSide]

Panis may not have shone at BAR, but he still ended up with a lucrative seat at Toyota, and remains involved on presumably a good salary, so I think Alex would have been wise to take the risk of returning to racing at some stage. If he wanted to race competitive cars, he would have options in other championships, perhaps in the DTM for Mercedes a few years back, as he drove touring cars before F1.

[Knowlesy]

Wurz moved to Williams with the hope of an eventual race seat, I seem to recall.

That would be nice to see!

But who would he replace if that were the case?

[ralf fan]

Originally Posted by knowlesy

But who would he replace if that were the case?

Frank has said Rosberg is likely to stay as they have been very impressed with him...... that leaves...er....

[Bononi]

Oh no !!! Stop that...

[Rennen]

Originally Posted by OSTKURVE

Why is Alexander Wurz still deligated to being a test driver? He hasn't had a seat since his days @ Benetton. I remember reading on Autosport.com that he had been offered a seat @ a time but he chose the remain a Mclaren test pilot.

Why would he want to remain in the shadows if he had the opportunity to race again?

Yeah but magazine scribes just hear rumours and turn them into stories, that's their game. Lots of drivers get offered race seats, "oh and bring 3 million with you" by the way! Wurz was probably earning close to a million dollars as a tester for McLaren, ironic that he left because he thought there was no prospect there for a race seat! Ops!

Whatever at least Wurz has had 3 full seasons as a Grand Prix driver, some testers have only had 2 races in car that bearly could make the grid!

[WebberForWDC]

Originally Posted by knowlesy

If it was a top seat he turned down you'd be dissapointed, but it wasn't. It was something like Jaguar wasn't it?

Well Jaguar should be able to tackle BMW and Mercedes. Even if build quality is initially inferior, by mass R & D, ultra aggressive styling, ultra aggressive model range, savage price undercutting of all model segments with stunning cars that leave the competition with almost zero sales, why would anyone want plain German car when the Cat's should have 10 times more style, more power, vastly superior image etc. Somehow Ford managed to bugger that up, very unfortunate.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by ralf fan

Frank has said Rosberg is likely to stay as they have been very impressed with him...... that leaves...er....

Is Wurz a better proposition than Webber though?

I mean his contract is obvioulsy much cheaper than Marks, but it seems Frank and Flavio found away around that.

[Born Racer]

some testers have only had 2 races in car that bearly could make the grid!

Did Ant not get offered an Aguri seat this year, as rumours would have had one believe? If he did, was it on the condition that he bring a load of money?

[OZ_HCR32]

Originally Posted by ralf fan

Frank has said Rosberg is likely to stay as they have been very impressed with him...... that leaves...er....

Honestly, im about 2 or 3 race meets away from seriously questioning "what n the hell is Rosberg doing in F1"

All the reports are he is a greta talent. But perhaps he needs to spend a bit more time, perhaps as a tester to develop and mature. So far this season he has not even had that moment wher ehe showed that he is blindingly fast, or a good racer. He has thrown the car off the track and been nowhere too often. Combine that with the fact that the car isnt great to start with and im left scratching my head with regards as to when was the last time he actually raced well, even if it was only for 20 laps until the car expired.

Do Rosberg a favour and give him a tester for a season whilst Wurz and Webber get the race seats. Rosberg isnt even showing a small trend of improving and gettign more consistant. I hope Wurz doesnt have to sit on the sidelines and watch a young guy throw the car into a sand trap trying to overtake a Midland car.

[kipper]

Whilst it is true that Rosberg is going through a bad spell, I am not convinced that Wurz would be able to achieve much better results. For sure, he is unlikely to make the rookie errors that Rosberg has been making but given the performance of the car (and indeed Webber's results), I would argue that he is not underachieving.

With regard to Wurz, apart from the 1996 Le Mans 24hrs and the 1997 British Grand Prix, his racing performances have not been sparkling and was often a fair way behind Fisichella. So although Wurz may not retire from as many races, I doubt whether he would achieve any significant results, especially given the limitations of the car. Therefore, in my view, it makes sense to let Rosberg gain racing experience of both the highs and lows, before the team (hopefully) takes a step forward next year.