FEBRUARY 1, 2001
De la Rosa left with little time
SPANIARD Pedro de la Rosa has been left with a rush to find a race drive for the 2001 season after being dropped by Arrows on Wednesday.
De la Rosa has been replaced at Arrows by Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi and the driver's only chance of lining up on the grid for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 4 is to go for a job with Minardi.
Minardi are the only team still to confirm their driver line-up for the 2001 season and the Italian team could also be tempted by De la Rosa's Repsol sponsorship.
Repsol said on Wednesday that Arrows had rejected their sponsorship offer and De la Rosa was subsequently replaced by the Red Bull-backed Bernoldi.
"It is a decision that I have to respect and they are fully within their rights to take it," said De la Rosa. "But I believe they have opted for quantity over quality.
"Now I am weighing up all the options that are open to me, but my intention is to continue driving in Formula One."
De la Rosa had been with Arrows for two seasons before his departure and he has also been linked with a test-driving role for French team Prost.
His manager Raimon Duran has declined to comment on De la Rosa's future but an announcement is expected soon with the Australian Grand Prix just over a month away.