The Blame Game: Boullier on Alonso, Kubica, and Petrov
Renault team boss Eric Boullier has taken a stab at the former Renault management team and current driver Fernando Alonso, blaming them for Renault’s disastrous campaign on and off the track in 2009. Boullier has been particularly critical of two-time World Champion Alonso and highly praises his current drivers Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov for the team’s current success.
Last year was a rough year for the Enstone outfit, who earned a meagre 26 points to finish eighth in the Constructors Challenge. Off the track the team wasn’t doing much better; they lost major sponsors and were handed a suspension ban after the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix race fixings came to light. And then there was Alonso’s back and forth saga on whether or not he would leave to join with Ferrari, spurring doubt and unrest amongst the team.
Boullier has been managing the team since Flavio Briatore was indefinitely banned from the sport after conspiring and fixing the race results at the Singapore Grand Prix. Alonso was given the lead after team mate Nelsinho Piquet was ordered to crash his car. Alonso went on to win the Grand Prix, his 50th podium and 20th win of his career.
Boullier said the ‘Alonso situation’ was an example of “very arrogant” drivers, and the kind of attitude that contributed to the team’s bad showing last year. The Renault team, suffering from sponsorship withdrawals, were teetering on the edges of Formula One poverty in 2009. They did not have the proper founding to put together a good car, and as a result Alonso and the team suffered in the points standings.
"No management to guide the team, and drivers which were not easy to work with, very arrogant and not pushing the team in the right way. That was clearly the main two components of what was wrong," Boullier said.
Since Boullier took over Renault, the team has performed much better this season and thanks to newly signed driver Robert Kubica, who was a podium place winner twice this year, the team is in fifth place standings for the Constructors Challenge. And that’s the type of results Boullier praises.
"The biggest strength is the devotion of the people," he said. "Competence, devotion and team spirit - this is very important, because it's when you can get the best from the people.”
Boullier deems the driver the most important element in motivating team spirit, and though he claims “I don’t want to criticise anybody,” it’s obvious that in praising Kubica’s leadership he is putting down Alonso’s.
"The key for me is that the driver pushes the team because he wants to win, he clearly wants to do the best he can. That will change the scenario completely. For me that was the biggest weakness of the team last year, drivers not committed."
Boullier is hoping the level of performance his drivers are giving this season will carry onto the next. Kubica signed with the company until 2014 but Russian rookie Petrov still has to earn his seat. But at the rate he’s going, that won’t be hard at all.
At last weekend’s Hungary race, Petrov came in fifth place ahead of teammate Kubica. It was his best finish and he made back-to-back points-scoring results following his 10th place finish at Hockenhiem two weeks ago. Petrov also had his finest qualifying performance in P7.
At the start of the season Petrov, 25, was inconsistent and ignited concern amongst the Renault team. It was no secret the team had begun seeking a high-profile sponsor who would no doubt bring in a high-profile drive. But Petrov has since proven his ability to maintain momentum at the same pace as his Grand Prix winning team mate and shouldn’t worry about losing his seat with the team next season.
Petrov is in 12th place in the title standings and will have no need to worry if he can keep it up, says Boullier,
“You don’t take a decision on one race result, but if he starts to shine like this and scores more precious points, definitely he will seal his future with us soon,” Boullier underlined. “I think he is getting closer and faster and starting to gain confidence; he knows he can get into Q3 and can race, and he is learning when to push, for example, when we have to overtake somebody at the pit-stops. He is getting there, clearly.”
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