McLaren acclaims test driver de la Rosa
Team reserve driver de la Rosa, now 38, has suggested he might quit the sport at the end of 2009 due to the ever-tightening restrictions on testing.
McLaren company CEO Ron Dennis, however, recently insisted that he is still a valued member of the team, and the Woking camp took their praise to a new level in Melbourne by issuing a statement heralding the driver's career.
"Thanks Pedro, we need you even more with the greater restrictions on testing and I feel privileged to work with you," Mercedes' Norbert Haug said in the statement, also featuring comments by Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen and team boss Martin Whitmarsh.
Whitmarsh said: "He is not only the best test driver in the business, he is also a fantastic bloke and an essential and much-loved part of our team."