Drivers eye empty Renault seat of Robert Kubica for the 2011 Formula 1 season
After Robert Kubica’s tragic accident during a rally event in Italy, it was revealed that the young Pole won’t be able to compete in the 2011 Formula 1 season at all. This means that Lotus Renault GP requires a new full season driver for the upcoming season
and as a result, drivers like Nico Hulkenberg and Tonio Liuzzi have expressed their interest in replacing Robert for this season.
Kubica went through a major operation which might help him recover fully. However, most of the doctors stated that he might not be able to compete in Formula 1 ever again since his nervous system is not going to function as efficiently as it used to.
However, Nico Hulkenberg recently signed with Force India as their reserve driver for the 2011 Formula 1 season but one of his managers stated that they are still open to any option and if Renault approaches them, they will definitely think about it.
“We have a contract with Force India and we will not take the initiative to contact Renault. If Renault should contact us we will start thinking about that, but we are not doing that yet. Hopefully Robert gets well soon,” Timo Gans, one of Nico’s managers
told the media.
On the other hand, Tonio Liuzzi, who lost his Force India seat this year despite the fact that he had a contract with the team which was valid until the end of 2011, is also keeping his hopes high for a seat at Renault.
“It's obvious that when Renault should be sure that Robert won't be able to step in the car, this chance might be open and I hope to be chosen instead of somebody else,” Liuzzi told the media.
Other than that, the two reserve drivers in Renault, Romain Grosjean and Bruno Senna, might step in as a full season driver for the team, but that would not be a very good option. According to Flavio Briatore, Renault’s ex-boss, the team needs a more experienced
driver in the team at the moment.
“The difference is that it is not going to be for one race but probably all of the first half of the season. So it has to be an experienced driver. The team has come forward compared to last year, so they will need someone who knows how to race at the front,”
said Flavio.
It is going to be a tough decision for Renault, but the team should consider hiring someone more experienced since the team is expected to perform very well in 2011, and they would need the best driver to score the best possible results for them.
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