Hamilton will have to wait for his F1 debut

British starlet Lewis Hamilton will have to wait until 2007 for his first taste of a Formula One race after McLaren confirmed Pedro de la Rosa will finish the season.

Hamilton had been hoping to be given the nod at the Brazilian GP, but was left disappointed as the Spaniard will partner Kimi Raikkonen on October 22.

"After the disappointing race we had in Suzuka, I am looking forward to getting back on track and working with the team to finish the year on a high," de la Rosa said.

Norbert Haug, vice-president of Mercedes motorsport, McLaren's engine supplier, added: "We certainly want to end a difficult season with a good result for Kimi and Pedro.

"We have won four out of the last eight Grands Prix here; a fifth would be a good conclusion to a season in which we wanted to finish first and finally ended up third."