Filippi hoped to be a reserve driver at Honda…

Luca Filippi admitted that he had harbored the hope for some time of securing the role of Honda’s reserve driver. In the end, it’s Wurz who will take this position, but the Italian was not too upset by this announcement.

Italian Filippi, who raced in GP2 in 2007, has just signed with Honda as part of their program for young drivers. He is expected to participate in at least two test events during the 2008 season.

The team has decided to sign Alex Wurz for the role of test and reserve driver, a position that Filippi would have liked to secure…

« After the second tests in Jerez in December, I had high hopes that I could secure the position I was most interested in, but in the end, it was Alex Wurz who was given the role, » said Filippi for Autosprint magazine.

« But the arrival of Ross Brawn changed a lot of things. »

In the past, Honda has promoted young drivers like Davidson or Rossiter, but Ross wanted an experienced one who already knew other teams. So it made sense to me: Alex was with Williams last year, which did better than Honda.

Filippi believes that despite his limited testing schedule, his role at Honda represents a great opportunity for him.

« We have a one-year contract that includes at least two trial days, even if the expectation is much greater, » he said.

« There is also a technical training course and a minimum of two days per month to be spent at the factory. And it is with these experiences that I will be able to gain experience. »

« Renault approaches the matter differently as its young drivers participate in races in lower-class formulas. Providing cars, tires, and the track is something else entirely. It is a big investment. »

« For the moment, I have to focus on the Asian tour in GP2, then on the championship in Europe with the ART team. I can’t take part in intensive testing sessions in F1 because they don’t want me to stray too far from my training and preparation within GP2, » explained Filippi.

« Drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have already demonstrated that one can come from GP2 and immediately establish themselves in F1. »