By Phil Huff
January 12 2009

Ex-Honda test and reserve driver Anthony Davidson was close to a deal to drive for Honda Racing F1 in 2009, the Englishman revealed at the weekend, but now accepts that his Formula One career may well be over.

"I was in serious talks of not only trying to get a race drive for this year with the team, but as the bare minimum as the reserve driver," explained Davidson to the Autosport show crowds. "Talks were progressing really well, and the deal was almost done just with a few weeks to spare before the announcement, and it now leaves me in a very similar situation to what Jenson (Button) faces now."

Honda's intention to withdraw from Formula One leaves the future of the entire team in doubt while a buyer is found. Currently Jenson Button has a contract in place, but no team to drive for. With fewer teams on the grid, and all places seemingly contracted, the situation looks bleak for Davidson.

"I think in terms of Formula One drives it is looking very, very slim at the moment," added Davidson. "You should never give up, but I am realistic as well and I have learned that over the last year. Working with Super Aguri really put me in a good position for now, for these times, because it was always a kind of rocky road anyway."

Whilst some ex-F1 drivers have returned to lower series' such as GP2, Davidson wishes to remain a professional at the top level, and is eyeing up a return to Le Mans.

"I love all kinds of racing," says Ant, "and I wouldn't think twice about having a go in something else. I've done Le Mans before and that's a race I am very much interested in doing again. I promised myself I would always come back and do it again after 2003, so it is definitely a race I have got my eye on."

Despite being unable to reveal any specific details, he is certain that he'll remain in work. "A lot of things are up in the air at the moment, a lot of them I can't talk about at this stage, and that's driving as well as projects that are coming up in the future that don't involve driving," he vaguely explained. "And no, it's not commentating, but that is one of them. So hopefully I will be able to do some more [BBC] Radio Five Live work, because I very much enjoy that. But there are some projects that I have got my eye on as well that don't involve driving very much, let's put it that way."

Davidson joined BAR Honda as a test driver in 2001, remaining with the team through to the end of 2006. During that time he'd secured two single races with Minardi, and filled in for an unwell Takuma Sato at Malaysia. In 2007 he joined the Honda funded Super Aguri team alongside Takuma Sato, racing through to the May 2008 when the Super Aguri team collapsed after Honda withdrew their funding. He returned to test briefly for Honda Racing F1 later in the year.