Kubica Likely to Stay at Renault in 2011
When Robert Kubica announced the he was landing at Renault for the 2010 season after his BMW team folded after the 2009 season, it appeared that the French team had scored a coup. Kubica was comfortable and familiar with Renault, having started his career as a test driver for the team and then a member of the team's driver development programme in the early 2000s. Meanwhile, Renault would be getting a driver who had climbed to as high as fourth in the Formula 1 championship just two seasons prior.
However, Kubica's time with Renault has been far from joyous in 2010. Still reeling from the "Crashgate" scandal involving former driver Nelson Piquet Jr. that nearly drove the team out of the sport, Renault has struggled to provide a competitive car for Kubica this season. Kubica has made the most with the equipment that he has been given, rising to sixth in the driver's championship after this weekend's European Grand Prix while claiming a pair of podium finishes. Still, he hasn't been close to winning a race and it's clear that Renault is far behind Red Bull, McLaren or even Ferrari in terms of technology and equipment.
At one time, it might have appeared that Kubica would exercise his right to leave Renault at the end of this season and attempt to find a drive somewhere else. He was rumoured to be a potential replacement for struggling Felipe Massa at Ferrari, talk which ended when the team re-signed Massa for the 2011. Recent reports out of Italy also suggested that Kubica could replace Michael Schumacher at Mercedes, although that appears to be wild speculation.
With Massa returning to Ferrari and Mark Webber confirmed for a return to Red Bull, it appears that Kubica's options for finding a better team that Renault are dwindling. Despite their early-season struggles, Renault's performance has improved in recent weeks – including what would have been a podium finish in Valencia this past weekend being wiped out by a time penalty for speeding during a safety car period. It's little wonder that Kubica is apparently strongly leaning toward exercising his option and returning to Renault for the 2011 season.
However, it also appears that Kubica is hedging his bets, as Autosport reports that he has told the team that he is prepared to make a long-term commitment to Renault if they are able to show that they have the financial backing and technical capabilities to produce a team which can compete with the top teams like Red Bull and McLaren. It's not a given that this will happen, but recent signs point to Renault being in a much better position to meet these goals than they were 12 months ago.
The team's precarious financial state and trouble securing sponsors after the "Crashgate" scandal forced it to make a decision on a second driver behind Kubica that was based on financial considerations more than performance. This led to inexperienced Russian driver Vitaly Petrov being given the seat, as he was able to bring his own sponsorship money and financial backing to the team and essentially "buy" his spot. However, Petrov's one top-10 finish this season has shown that he brings little to the table in terms of making Renault a competitive force on the track.
This could be changing soon, though, as Autosport also reports that Renault is close to signing a major sponsorship deal, potentially with global credit card company Mastercard. Such a deal would allow Renault to not only spend more on research and testing but also to bring in a more experienced driver to partner with Kubica. Recent rumours have suggested that the team is interested in talking to former world champion Kimi Raikkonen to see if he is interested in returning to the sport after leaving to compete in rallying.
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