Jaime Alguersuari has ruled out following his former Toro Rosso teammate Sebastien Buemi to Le Mans. The pair were axed at the end of last season, leaving Swiss Buemi with the reserve role at Red Bull and a one-off drive in the fabled Le Mans 24 hour race. 21-year-old Alguersuari, on the other hand, will remain in the paddock this year thanks only to his new British radio co-commentary role, amid rumours he could become Pirelli’s test driver.
Le Mans, he insists, is not an option.
“No, that’s avoiding F1,” he told the BBC. “I am working for the radio and I will do some go-kart races to help with my physical training. Racing elsewhere is just starting another career. It’s doing something that’s not F1.”
It is clear Alguersuari is keeping his diary clean in the event an opportunity arises to quickly return to the grid.
“In F1 you never say never. Anything can happen,” said the Spaniard.
The BBC is also acutely aware of its acquisition’s real ambition. Radio 5 Live controller Adrian van Klaveren said: “We are going to make the most of Jaime’s first hand experience right now knowing he could well be driving for one of the teams again in the near future.”
Meanwhile, Alguersuari slammed his former bosses’ explanations as to why he and Buemi were ousted.
“I respect the situation that they don’t want my work anymore, but what they’ve said is absolutely not acceptable,” he told the Daily Mail. “They said we are good drivers, but we are not winners. It doesn’t make sense if you give me a car that is not capable to be in the top ten.”
