• Sauber

De la Rosa aims to prove critics wrong

Pedro de la Rosa said he is very happy to be at Sauber for 2010 © Sutton Images

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Pedro de la Rosa is hoping to prove his critics wrong by fighting for points over the course of the season with Sauber.

He was confirmed at the Swiss-based squad on Tuesday, after spending the past seven years as a test driver at McLaren. His last races were in 2006 when he substituted for the outgoing Juan Pablo Montoya. However, he still thinks he has what it takes and believes Sauber will be a dark horse this year.

"We need to set goals that are achievable," he told Formula One's official website. "However, I would be disappointed if we were not in a position to fight for points on a regular basis.

"How good will I be? We will see. I believe I can be a lot better than people expect and let's take it from there. We have four weeks of great testing ahead and I will gradually get back to speed."

Despite moving from one of the biggest teams on the grid to a much smaller outfit, de la Rosa believes the infrastructure left in place after BMW's ownership will help the team to remain competitive.

"I am very impressed by the factory, I am hugely impressed by the personnel and the wind tunnel," he said. "The wind tunnel I have seen here is really something. It is state of the art and a fantastic tool for the engineers to do a very good job."

He admitted that he had been in talks with other teams for a race drive but said he was very happy to have secured the role at Sauber.

"Well, I think the most important thing for a race driver is to feel like a race driver," he added. "The fact that I am back now means that I can feel like a race driver again. I can compete against other drivers and I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my system already. And that's the great thing about motor racing. It allows you to compete and that is why I am so happy to be back with such a competitive and underrated team as BMW Sauber."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.