Mar.19 (GMM) Pedro de la Rosa has suggested that it is no excuse for his McLaren colleague Lewis Hamilton to cite time constraints for refusing to join the F1 drivers' union GPDA.
Hamilton, undoubtedly now the most talked about formula one driver globally, last weekend resisted pressure from GPDA chairman de la Rosa and director Mark Webber to join the safety-oriented body."If you are part of an important organisation you have to be committed, and I really don't have time for that at the moment," he said.But De la Rosa told the Spanish newspaper Diario AS that he would not expect Hamilton, as a GPDA member, to be overly active.But "it is very important that they are on board," the 36-year-old explained, also referring to other high profile non-members like reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen."It is not about what they can contribute as a member or what ideas they have, but mainly because we have to be a united association."When we are missing members like that it weakens us, so it is a matter of making sure that our voice has enough muscle," de la Rosa added.
