Haug: Senna demanded F1 drive

Bruno Senna turned down the chance from Mercedes to drive in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters 2009. The Brazilian turned down the offer as Mercedes could not guarantee a F1 drive according to Mercedes Motorsport boss Norbert Haug.
“We discussed it and he wanted to have a firm commitment to get into F1,” Haug said to Autosport.

“I spoke to Ross (Brawn) and Martin (Whitmarsh) and we said ‘yes, we can develop options, but we cannot guarantee it 100 per cent.”

According to Haug the commitment from Senna was an issue as well.

“The background is we tried it but if you want to jump into it you need to be hot, you need to dream day and night of it and maybe he did not dream day and night of it. But it is fair enough, that is okay.”

While the deal has been blown off, Haug does not rule out that they might co operate in the future.

“I fully respect his position but I do hope in half a year’s time he says, oh I should have done it.

But if we can still find a solution, and if after first practice in Hockenheim an F1 boss would have phoned to say you can drive my car, he would have been free to step out.”

“But I do not want to argue. Bruno is a good guy, a very flamboyant and good guy, he just chose a different path.