GPWizard F1 Forum
F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: John S on September 25, 2010, 09:40:03 AM
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With so many conflicting rumours around the 2nd Renault seat for next year I was struck by the following para's below from a longer article about Vitaly Petrov on Crash.net. I know it's always possible to add 2 and 2 to get 5 but sometimes the obvious questions may lead to the best speculations.
Why for instance is Heikki & Lotus keeping quiet about the driver line up for the team? Why, if it's true, has Adrian let his option lapse? And last but not least why no confirmation of Renault engines for Lotus, when we all know they have ended the Cosworth contract?
My best guess is still Sutil to Renault and Petrov to Lotus, the second option of Heikki to Renault is a smokescreen IMHO and if Adrian cannot be put in the Renault then Petrov will stay on.
Sutil has apparently allowed his option with Force India to lapse while he waits for possible openings at Renault and Mercedes.
The German would bring valuable backing to Renault, courtesy of long-time sponsor Medion, and current team owner Gerard Lopez has hinted that finding a well-heeled driver would take priority over a big name. While that potentially rules out Raikkonen - and includes Sutil - it also suggests that Petrov may be kept on board in order to foster links with the largely untapped Russian market.
Kovalainen refuses to confirm his plans for next season, despite being tipped to remain at Lotus courtesy of a contract signed in Monza two weeks ago. The Finn endured a difficult time with the regie in his first F1 campaign, before being traded to McLaren in exchange for Fernando Alonso. Now with Lotus, Kovalainen has emerged as a more relaxed driver than in his first three years, and the results that have come from that have made him a tantalising prospect for a few teams.
“I know where I want to be, that’s all I can say," the Finn told the press conference at Marina Bay, "Let’s leave it at that at the moment and just focus on the coming weekend. I think there is a lot of potential [at Lotus] and I think it will get better. The car will get quicker, so I see it is a very strong future for the team.”
Extracts from a longer piece on Crash.net, Sept 24.