Formula 1: Robert Kubica signs with Renault till 2012
Robert Kubica has just signed to stay on with the Renault F1 team till the end of the 2012 season. With the season almost halfway through, it was strange to see speculations relating to the Polish driver with potential race seats at Mercedes GP and Ferrari. The transfers in the Formula 1 grid are often reserved till the end of the season when the Championship results are panning out, but considering the stellar performances that Kubica has put in 2010 goes to show the skill and talent of the driver. So before any of the other teams could pounce, Eric Boullier made the smart call and put pen to paper and confirmed that his prized possession was going nowhere.
At the end of last season, it seemed that Robert Kubica was without a race seat as it was announced by BMW that they would exit Formula 1. As Fernando Alonso was leaving for Ferrari and having lost their team principle Flavio Briatore earlier in the season to a ban for race fixing, it seemed like a bleak time for Renault. But as the season got underway in 2010, Renault was the surprise package of the year as they have already taken two podiums with Kubica.
Like Alonso’s season last year at Renault, it seems that they are able to produce a car around their top driver’s needs. Alonso was out-qualifying and out-performing his then teammate Heikki Kovalainen. So it seems like déjà vu as Kubica has now left his rookie teammate Vitaly Petrov. This was a strategy that had allowed Michael Schumacher to dominate the Formula 1 scene for years. He always preferred to drive with a weaker driver as his teammate so that the majority of the team’s efforts can be focused on its prime driver. But in the modern age of Formula 1 racing, it seems that the teams try and get a hold of the top two drivers to race within the team. This might look good on paper but it often leads to tussles between teammates and splits the team a part.
Alonso’s drive last season landed him a seat at Ferrari as he replaced Kimi Raikkonen at the Italian outfit. From what the rumour mills were generating this year, it seemed that Kubica might have a chance of putting on the red overalls as well. After their season had started going downhill, Ferrari had reportedly told Filipe Massa that his drive for Ferrari will be reviewed until the race at Silverstone. If he failed to perform, they would not renew his contract for 2011 and offer the seat to Kubica. But in June, Massa signed a contract to stay on with the team till 2012. With the contract freshly signed, news of Mercedes GP starting to take a deeper interest in the young pole started to appear. After disappointing to make a mark in his much anticipated return, it seemed that Michael Schumacher’s return was to be short-lived. But before the teams had a chance to pounce, Kubica secured his future at the Renault team.
Kubica seems to be at home at his new team as he now has the entire team working solely around him. He spoke very positively about the progress of the team that had a disappointing season last year despite the stellar performances from Alonso that made headlines. But once the race fixing scandal around the Singapore Grand Prix started to emerge, it seemed that the team would fall apart and might not even be competing in the 2010 season. After having axed Flavio Briatore as the team principle following his ban, Renault also sold 75% of its stake in the team to Genii Capital and only held on to 25% of the share of the team. The team did make it to the grid in 2010 and it seems that they are headed in the right direction. The new team boss Eric Boullier seems to have brought a very forward moving and positive attitude that is infecting the entire team and they are hopeful that with Kubica now an integral part of the team, they will be competing for top honours in the Championship.
Tags: