Jean-Eric Vergne says he’s happy to hold the position of test driver at Ferrari, after being dumped from his Toro Rosso race seat at the end of the 2014 season in favour of two rookies.
The Frenchman says he would prefer to hold such a position at a highly-respected team like Ferrari, rather than running around at the back in a “Caterham or Marussia”.
“I know I gave my best and that’s why I have no regrets,” he told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. “And now I’m at Ferrari which is also a great opportunity for 2016.
“If I was not able to race this year, I think what I have is better than being at Caterham or Marussia and always being last.”
He was also pleased to secure the role of test driver over reserve – a position awarded to Esteban Gutierrez – despite the latter having a slim chance of racing for the team should either Sebastian Vettel or Kimi Raikkonen find themselves unable to compete.
“Honestly, I prefer having the job of working on the simulator and doing something useful, rather than being the reserve,” he added.
“Today, the role of a third driver is to be at the track without doing anything special. Not being able to help to the team would be frustrating, so I feel that mine is an important task.”
