FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[Jamie]

Bruno Senna is Not interested in a Mid Season F1 seat

Bruno Senna has said he would be reluctant to enter Formula One in the middle of a season with no testing experience.

This weekend in Hungary, new Toro Rosso recruit Jaime Alguersuari, 19, will become the youngest ever F1 rookie, with only two straight-line tests in Grand Prix machinery under his belt.

The 25-year-old Senna, who is not racing full time this year, had been similarly linked with the Faenza based team, but he told GP Week that it is ‘too late’ to be still aiming for a drive in the current championship.

"I'm in Miami, having some time off and waiting for the (political) mess in Formula One to resolve itself so that I can manage to have some productive chats with people," he said.

Senna added that an opportunity to jump into the sport now as a rookie amid the in-season testing ban would not be overly attractive.

"It would do more harm than good to jump in with no testing," the Brazilian insists. "It's better to wait and do things properly for next year."

Senna attended the recent British Grand Prix and reveals he has been in contact with some of F1's existing teams as well as the ‘new teams’.

[myownalias]

A very level headed and mature outlook from the Brazilian!

[headless]

Well it is better for everyone if they come in on a fresh start, but then again, if the guy he was going to replace then impressed, then Senna might not need to be the replacement in the end anyway!

[McLaren Fan]

A wise decision from Senna. He wants to be a Formula One driver, and it would have been easy to accept Toro Rosso's free seat; but he wants to enter the sport under his own terms and with suitable preparation before the season begins.

[NateDawg80126]

It is a very reasonable thing to say, but its not like drivers are in high demand mid season. The only team dumb enough to drop someone mid season and replace them for a rookie with no F1 experience is Torro Rosso, and they have their drivers already lined up anyway. I fully expect him to get a ride in 2010, the question really is who will he get a ride with? I am still dreaming that USF1 will drop this "two American drivers" crap and pick up someone with real F1 potential, someone like Senna.

[Jamie]

He needs testing and a bit of fans giving him the oomph, he can bring his fan base from the endurance series....

His fan base will be amazing....So i think T-Rosso would not boost his career. Brawn or anyone bigger would....

[EwanM]

Let's face it, it was far too big a risk.

He would have been thrown in at the deep end with an uncompetitive car. That would have seriously dented his confidence and his reputation, damaging his chances of a credible drive next season.

[Hexagram]

Let's face it, it was far too big a risk.

He would have been thrown in at the deep end with an uncompetitive car. That would have seriously dented his confidence and his reputation, damaging his chances of a credible drive next season.

[racechick]

Good decision Bruno. But please come next year.

[Hexagram]

Good decision Bruno. But please come next year.

[McLaren Fan]

With hindsight, 2009 has been a wasted year. I think most agreed he could have done with another year in GP2, and now that he's got no Formula One seat, he could have been gaining some needed experience.

[yamashek]

Well done Bruno, I agree with his decision too

[NateDawg80126]

With hindsight, 2009 has been a wasted year. I think most agreed he could have done with another year in GP2, and now that he's got no Formula One seat, he could have been gaining some needed experience.

I agree, for some reason nobody wants to run more than 2 years? Look at Di Grassi though, 4 years and hes still running GP2, and is probably a shoe in for a Campos F1 seat next year.

[TC off]

Really 2 seats were open mid season in my mind.

Piquet, now publicly achknowledging his future is in doubt. Surely this is just the setup for the fall that is to come and virtually inevitable.

And then of course Seabass. Wasn't happy with last years car and even unhappier with this years car. Communication issues and frustration within the team. His fate was sealed before the 2009 season began, it was just a matter of time.

Senna was smart to decline. Better safe than sorry. But at the same time like that, with the name he has, shows he isn't gambling too much by not accepting. Teams will always be there interested in him simply for the money he can bring in sponsor wise if he succeeds. Whereas if Alguersuari were to pass up this opportunity, he might not ever get another chance. It usually takes a significant amount just to get a "chance" to get in an F1 car, then you can't really blame the driver.

The problem lies with the FIA and it needs to put in a system to allow the young guns to get experience.

If teams want to cry, "well, they're testing aero parts! how come they get to do that and we can't?!" Then just throw him in a car that's a couple of years old. An F2004 is still the fastest beast alive folks. Besides, all they do is crank on max downforce like they did to Jeff Gordon when SPEED did the Trading Paint and he drove the Williams.

[7UpJordan]

When I clicked on this thread I was expecting to see an article on all the team bosses grumbling and moaning that they don't want Senna. But instead it's Senna himself deciding not to go for a seat.

In light of all the political bullsh!te currently going on and the fact he hasn't done any testing since December 2008, he appears to have made a very wise and mature decision.