After making his return to a formula one cockpit as a double-amputee at the weekend, former grand prix driver Alex Zanardi said at Valencia that he would test the hand-controlled BMW-Sauber again.
The 40-year-old Italian, whose open wheeler career was cut short when he lost both legs above the knee in a 2001 Champ Car smash, expressed disappointment at the Spanish circuit on Sunday when a technical failure struck after 19 laps.
“It’s unfortunate, but now I have unfinished business,” Zanardi said.
“If another opportunity presents itself, I would definitely not step back from taking it. We have a seat, controls, and a car, so why not?”
Although Zanardi’s best lap of 1.19.7 was considerably slower than the Valencia track record, it was scarcely one second shy of BMW-Sauber reserve driver Sebastian Vettel at Valencia in the same car.
BMW racer Nick Heidfeld commented: “I was surprised by how fast (Zanardi) went. Actually, I shouldn’t really say I’m all that surprised because I know how fast he was before.”
BMW-Sauber’s team manager Beat Zehnder, however, played down the possibility of another test for Zanardi.
He said: “I don’t really want to do this again. I prefer to think of this as a once in a lifetime experience.”
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
