Robin Frijns does not know if he will be able to combine his Sauber third driver duties with a race seat in another category this year. Speaking exclusively to GPUpdate.net, the Dutchman admitted that finding sufficient sponsorship remains an issue.
Frijns, who claimed the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 title, was signed as Sauber's reserve pilot after a strong showing at the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test last November. Although he would ideally like compete in the GP2 Series alongside his new role, he does not currently possess the required budget to secure a full-time seat.
"Everybody knows that GP2 would be the most logical step for me," Frijns explained to GPUpdate.net. "The problem is, I do not have the money. Another year in the World Series would be totally illogical. But I don't even have the budget for that. I could only compete in the World Series last year with the money I won for claiming the Formula Renault 2.0 title."
Frijns, whose position with Sauber will see him attend every Grand Prix this season, does not yet know if he will be able to take part in any Friday practice sessions, but says he is due to discuss the option with the team in future weeks.
"That I do not know," Frijns said of any potential practice outings. "I will be at the Sauber factory late in January, then we'll see. Whether I am allowed to driver in a few Friday practice sessions is not yet certain, that should all be discussed. I will spend a lot of time with the team this year and go to all the briefings. I will learn a lot from this."
Last December, Frijns tested a DTM car for Mercedes at Estoril in Portugal. Although he is open to racing in the series, he says a deal is not currently on the horizon.
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