Lotus Renault GP’s Nick Heidfeld meets more uncertainity
Although Lotus Renault GP has already signed Nick Heidfeld to replace the team’s injured driver Robert Kubica, yet there are reports that he can be dismissed by the team at any point in 2011.
Heidfeld earned the team’s seat after an impressive test drive at Jerez last week. He took Kubica’s place in the team after the latter met a horrific accident in Italy at the beginning of February during a Rally race. The driver was flown to the nearest
hospital in a very critical condition and has already undergone three major surgeries to his fractured leg, broken arm and elbow and completely crushed right-hand.
Although, the initial reports revealed that the driver might not be able to return to the track before the end of the 2011 season, there is also news that he is recovering much faster than expected.
Some of the newspapers even published that the team expects him to take the cockpit again near the end of the season. It was exposed by the media that the contract signed by Heidfeld allows the team to remove the driver at any part of the season, if the
team management wishes so.
When Heidfeld's lawyer Dr Stefan Seitz was asked about it, he refrained from disclosing the contract’s details but said, "This is a performance sport, with performance deciding who sits in the car at the end of the day."
Moreover, the two-time world champion and Kubica’s close friend, Fernando Alonso told the reporters last week that when he saw Kubica for the first time after the crash he feared that the Pole would not survive.
However, he reported now, "It seems that he is improving, the operations from a medical point of view have been successful. But we know that in F1 everything has to be perfect, so that is now the question about how he is going to go over the coming months.
We also know that Robert is not normal, he has a lot of inner strength and I am sure he will recover better than people expect now."
Although there are very little chances for the 26-year-old to make to the track this season, but the team still clings tight to the slightest hope of his return.
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