Luca Badoer has vowed to do all he can to repay the faith Ferrari have shown in him by naming him as Felipe Massa’s replacement.
With Massa out of action following a horror crash during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was the man the Scuderia turned to as his replacement, but a neck injury has now put pay to the German’s comeback.
The Italian admits that his joy at being selected was tempered by disappointment that Schumacher’s comeback bid had failed.
“Since I’ve been a child I always wanted to race for Ferrari and now I’ve got the possibility to make this desire come true,” Badoer said. SkySports
“I’m really sorry for Michael, because I know how much he wanted to return, and I’m saying that as his friend and his fan. We’ve been in contact during the last days and we drove karts together at Lonato last week, so I followed him very closely in this attempt (to return).”
“Although this year’s rules foresee a drastically reduced mileage for us test drivers, I have prepared myself to be ready under any circumstances, just as I’ve been doing the last years too,” the 40-year old said.
“I’ve been in this business for quite a while and, after Felipe’s accident, I intensified my programme, so I’m sure that I won’t have any problems from this point of view.” Yahoo! Eurosport
Badoer has tested for the Italian team since 1998 and last raced back in 1999 for Minardi. Although he has started 48 Grands Prix, the 38 year-old is yet to score a world championship point.
“I am very unhappy that a problem means that Michael cannot return to racing,” explained Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo. “In the past few days, I have appreciated his great efforts and the extraordinary motivation which had spread through the team and fans around the world. No doubt his return would have been good for Formula One and I am sure it would have seen him fighting for wins again.” Formula 1
