Even though it means putting his racing ambitions on hold for the time being, Christian Klien remains adamant that his move to Honda offers both a new challenge and a new start.
Dropped by Red Bull Racing three races from the end of the 2006
Formula One season, Klien turned down an offer to stay with the drinks brand by moving to Champ Cars and immediately began scouting the
F1 paddock for opportunities. When it became clear that there were few race seats available, he plumped for the next best thing, pipping Gary Paffett to the third
Honda.
Although he admits that he will still drink
Red Bull, Klien admitted that he was proud at having kept his place in Formula One without the backing of the drinks company, and sees his multi-year contract with Honda as a potential route back into racing, especially with
Rubens Barrichello rumoured to be on the verge of retirement. However, for now, he insists his focus is on helping Honda challenge for the world title in 2007.
"Test driver isn't what I wanted to be, but the alternative was no job at all," he insisted in a press conference with the Austrian media, "There is no shame in being a test driver, and I want my contribution to count. But, in the medium-term, my goal is unambiguous - I want to race again, and win. If I do a good job this year, who knows what will happen?"
Klien resumes his testing role at
Jerez this week, partnering Barrichello in the plain black Hondas as
Jenson Button continues to recover from rib injuries sustained in a karting event in Japan.
