(from autosport) Pedro de la Rosa has been voted on as the new chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, autosport.com has learned. The McLaren test driver will step into the role vacated by Ralf Schumacher, who left Formula One at the end of last year. As revealed earlier, de la Rosa was the preferred candidate for GPDA directors Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso, and duly accepted the position after a unanimous vote in Friday's meeting at Albert Park. When asked by autosport.com after the meeting about how pleased he was to be offered the role, de la Rosa said: "The guys supported me, so I am happy to get the role. "At the end of the day, I have been a GPDA member since I began racing in F1. The guys wanted me as chairman and it is great. It is great they have that trust in myself." De la Rosa made it clear, however, that he had no plans to change the current philosophy of the GPDA, and that he would be working in harmony with the FIA over safety matters. "We will continue the work the GPDA has been doing in recent years, and work closely with the FIA on safety grounds," he said. "It is nothing new. We are not going to do anything radical." However, de la Rosa did say that he would increase efforts to try and recruit younger drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen onto the body. "That is one of the big aims, to recruit all the drivers, everyone. We all have to be part of it because we are working on safety, and safety is for everyone. "We are talking with them (Hamilton and Raikkonen). I will increase my talks and efforts to get them on board."
Useless guy in charge of useless committee. Perfect! GPDA is like a toothless tiger with little control over what happens.
+1 plus wasn't he the jerk that was telling Alonso that Mike Coughlan was supplying Ferrari information?
I hear you, but they have helped over the years to make many circuits safer. And they certainly had "teeth" when JYS was in charge - Anyone have any pix of the "mobile surgery" thing that went AWOL a few years later? - That was JYS' doing if I remember correctly. I was however surprised to read that KR and LH are not "members" - They've got to be "united" to grow teeth IMHO..... I wonder if thats covered in Lewis' new contract.... As always, just my 02c, Cheers, Ian
Can't see the latest group hanging out together in a hotel room and playing tunes on the piano...eh, Ian/Ron ??
Max Mosley and the FIA don't give a fig about what GPDA has to say. He has asked Coulthard to shut up and do something else a couple times in the past few years. Maybe GPDA was more relevant till the 80s but now Mosley/Ecclestone/Herbie Blash/Charlie Whiting completely control F1 between themselves. No one gets a look in.
Definitely true. In the old days the guys used to stay in the same hotel, hang out by the pool, play pranks on each othe. Today nothing. Zero interaction. Was it Elio who was a master class pianist? I remember they locked themselves in a hotel ballroom during a driver's strike in the early 80s
