Who might Renault turn to next?
By Scott, Monday 26 May 2008 @ 21:54 :: Nelson Piquet :: #8
It has been a difficult beginning to Nelson Piquet's career as a Formula One racing driver. His team-mate has out-qualified him at every race so far, and amassed nine points, compared to none for Piquet. Now to be fair, he is up against two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, and the Renault team are going through a difficult period, struggling to find speed in their car.
Even taking into account the obstacles Piquet faces, it's still difficult to argue that he's doing a good job. Having failed to finish four out of six races this season, he hasn't been making any notable progress in his attempts to close the gap to Alonso. And Piquet's boss, Flavio Briatore, is not a man known for his patience. It's therefore somewhat surprising that Piquet has generally been supported in public, but this could be explained by rumours suggesting he was awarded the drive due to commercial reasons.
Public support isn't something you can rely on from Briatore, even as an inexperienced rookie. Just ask Heikki Kovalainen about the comments made to the media following his debut Grand Prix. Whilst Briatore's initial stance may have been somewhat out of character, don't expect unlimited patience to be shown, as indications begin to emerge that Piquet may not survive for much longer.
Personnel from Renault were very clear that Piquet needs to raise his game, during a recent team podcast. Then there are the rumours currently doing the rounds that title sponsor ING is less than happy with the team's current performances, and is demanding swift improvements. On top of this, Motorsport Aktuell is reporting that Alonso's testing time, following the Canadian Grand Prix, has been cancelled in order to give Piquet three days worth of running in the car. Rumours state that he's been given the opportunity to turn his performance around. Should he fail to do so within three races, Renault will look elsewhere.
Should Piquet be replaced, current favourite to fill the void is Takuma Sato. The Japanese has been without a drive since the collapse of Super Aguri, but he remains very popular back home. In fact, there were reports of protests taking place outside Honda's headquarters, such was the level of upset that he has been left without a place on the grid. Given this degree of popularity, Briatore would be hopeful of securing additional finance, should he chose to employ Sato. In their previous guise as Benetton, the team enjoyed title sponsorship from a Japanese company (Japan Tobacco) for many years.
Current reserve driver Lucas Di Grassi shouldn't be ruled out of the equation either. Hailing from Brazil, he could be seen as a logical replacement for compatriot Piquet. Di Grassi is intelligent, and already familiar with the team. Whilst unlikely to match the pace of Alonso, he's well known for his calculated approach to racing. There's every chance he'd prove capable of bringing the car home, and picking up points.
Briatore has proven to be someone who likes to spring a surprise, and is always on the lookout for the next big thing. If you want a championship with a record of producing talented racing drivers, then look no further than the World Series by Renault. Former champions (from its various formats) include none other than Alonso, Kovalainen and Robert Kubica. And the man leading last year's championship, before being snatched away to race elsewhere, was a certain Sebastian Vettel.
The 2008 World Series is currently being dominated by Giedo van der Garde, a former Formula Super A world karting champion. Briatore would have to do some wheeling and dealing to secure the Dutchman's services, however, with him being part of the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme. This is something van der Garde has been with since 2006, although he's been contracted to two other Formula One teams (Super Aguri and Midland) since joining.
Another possibility is Anthony Davidson - Super Aguri refugee number two. He is someone with extensive Formula One testing experience, and a good reputation for helping to develop cars. Davidson also began to get the upper hand over team-mate Sato, during the latter half of the 2007 season. His feedback, used alongside information provided by Alonso, could help push Renault back towards the front. Like van der Garde, though, he's unlikely to be able to contribute significant finance.
Romain Grosjean is already a Renault contracted driver, and someone many have been tipping to take a full time race seat with the team in 2009. He has won both the Swiss and French Formula Renault Championships, as well as the Formula 3 Euroseries. After taking the GP2 Asia series title in dominant fashion over the winter, it was expected he'd prove difficult to beat in the main series. Despite this, not everything has gone as expected, and he currently lies third.
Should Grosjean switch to Formula One mid-season, he wouldn't be throwing away a certain GP2 title. And although born in Switzerland, he races under a French license, a fact likely to appeal to Renault. Grosjean has proven able to adapt quickly to new machinery, and Briatore may view this as a good opportunity to give him some running ahead of a full campaign in 2009.
It's worth bearing in mind that it took Kovalainen until the Canadian Grand Prix, last season, to get truly on the pace. So the chances of Piquet turning his season around haven't disappeared by any stretch of the imagination. He was given a contract for a full season of racing, so it seems reasonable for the rookie to be allowed to fulfil this. But Renault appear to be losing patience, as has been shown by recent remarks made in public. There seems to be a reasonable likelihood that Briatore has already started drawing up a list of potential replacements, so should performances not improve soon, we could see Piquet heading for the same fate as JJ Lehto, Jos Verstappen and Jarno Trulli.
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