Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Rossi not leaving F1 ambitions behind

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Alexander Rossi missed out on an F1 race seat with Manor Racing but the American hopeful will not relinquish his Grand Prix racing ambitions.

Manor's recruitment of Indonesian driver Rio Haryanto, following its signing of Mercedes protégé Pascal Wehrlein, left Rossi and 2015 Manor regular Will Stevens out in the cold. But Rossi will be doing all he can to reclaim a spot on the 2017 grid.

“There are no [F1] race seats open, but at the same time I’ve been involved in F1 for so long that I believe I deserve to be on the grid," he told Motorsport.com.

"So I’m going to try to keep my foot in the door this year in some capacity, for sure, and I’m going to try to put something together for the future.

"F1 still remains the focus, whatever I end up doing this year. But I need to be racing, I need to stay competitive."

Rossi insisted that his good relationship with Manor, despite the British outfit's decision to recruit Haryanto, remained intact.

"We are still in very close communication about the future. Our relationship is strong and I have a lot of respect for those people.

"It was quite a big disappointment to not get the drive after what we had accomplished in 2015. It seemed to go quite well and everyone seemed pleased with the results, so I thought that I was in a strong position, but obviously the sport doesn’t always work like that."

Rossi's most probable opportunity for remaining active this year include racing in Indycar, but the American may also be looking at a competitive WEC drive.

"I need to be racing this year and I will be racing this year. What? I don’t personally know yet.

"I don’t have any issues racing on ovals if that opportunity presents itself. There’ll be a learning curve just like anything, but in terms of a personal apprehension about ovals, I don’t have any of that.

"We’ve had some discussions but we’re also looking at things in other disciplines, like WEC. We’re looking at all the options."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.