Lotus Renault GP in no hurry to name Robert Kubica’s replacement
Lotus Renault is in no hurry to name their replacement for Robert Kubica. The team will be testing at Jerez with Vitaly Petrov, Nick Hiedfeld and Bruno Senna, and the second driver for the 2011 season will be decided amongst Bruno Senna and Nick Heidfeld.
Considering the experience of Heidfeld, it is highly likely that Lotus Renault will go with the German rather then Senna, who just debuted last year in Formula 1 with Hispania Racing Team (HRT).
Lotus Renault’s team boss Gerard Lopez said that the team has plenty of time before the racing starts in March. He said that his team will analyze the drivers during the testing at Jerez and Barcelona and then come up with a decision.
He further stated that the decision will be taken considering the progress of Kubica's recovery. If the Polish driver showed good recovery within the next month, the team will then go for a young driver line-up.
However, the doctors in the Santa Corona hospital - where Kubica is being treated - said that Kubica may take more than a year to recover from the injuries he sustained from the crash in Italy.
If this is the case, then Lotus Renault will definitely go with a more experienced driver like Heidfeld.
Lopez also confirmed that his team had been in continuous talks with Hiedfeld and the driver will be testing at Jerez and Barcelona. He said that the team will test with Petrov as per the schedule and then both Hiedfeld and Senna will be given a chance to
prove their worth for the team.
Commenting on who might make it to the driver’s line-up in the team, Lopez said that it would depend on the current form of all the players. He believes that Hiedfeld's talent isn't hidden from anyone and he has proved in the past that he can win races for
his team.
On the other hand, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Senna didn’t get much of a chance with stronger teams in Formula 1. However, Liuzzi has the experience with him, which will be required to be a part of Lotus Renault.
Lotus Renault will have to consider the best possible option for the driver’s role as they have developed a strong car this year and the team is expected to do well with its aggressive design for the upcoming season.
Although the team was below par in the last season, Kubica helped them to secure fifth position in the overall constructor’s championship. The Pole himself had a strong season with a relatively weaker car and finished eighth in the driver's standings, one
ahead of the legendary Michael Schumacher.
Even if the team hires an experienced driver, they will certainly miss Kubica as he worked hard with the technicians during the off-season to develop a race winning car.
However, the team is left with no choice and they will have to come up with a replacement very soon in order to prepare for the first race; the Bahrain Grand Prix, which starts on the 13th of March.
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