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Posts tagged ‘Robert Kubica’

8
Mar

2010 team previews: Renault

If the R30 goes as well as it looks with its classic black and yellow colour scheme, Renault should have no issues in 2010!

Renault have had a disastrous couple of years in F1, but they are back with a new owner in Genii Capital, driver lineup in Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov, and team principal in Eric Bouiller. Will they fare any better?

Renault R30

The Renault R30 looks great with it’s black and yellow livery, that harks back to the days when Rene Arnoux was battling Villeneuve in a Renault with a similar colour scheme, but it’s not just the paint job which has changed on the Renault from last year’s R29.

Renault R30 - like or loathe?

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The main changes are the result of accommodating the much larger fuel tank for the 2010 rules and re-optimising the car without KERS.

The car has also undergone intense aerodynamic development, with the rear of the car being considerably reworked to allow the car to make the most of the ‘double- decker’ diffusers that were first seen last year.

One possible drawback with the Renault is it’s engine. Like Red Bull Racing, the R30 uses the Renault RS27 engine; while this engine is very good on fuel economy – something very important in 2010 with the refuelling ban, it is down on power in comparison with most other engines, and it also lacks reliability.

Drivers

Robert Kubica was billed as the next big thing, and he has shown good pace, but it has never quite materialised into the championship challenging performances we have expected. His results at BMW Sauber were sporadic, and he has never had the consistency he will be eager to find in 2010.

Vitaly Petrov may be bringing as much as £13 million to Renault in sponsorship money, but the first Russian ever in F1 shouldn’t be dismissed as purely a pay driver. Petrov finished 2nd in the GP2 championship last year, and has been also relatively successful in GP2 Asia. As with all rookie drivers, we will have to see if that translates into good F1 ability.

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31
Jan

Renault unveil R30 (Gallery & Video)

Renault have today unveiled their 2010 car: the Renault R30, at Valencia.

As expected, Robert Kubica is joined by Vitaly Petrov who will be Renault’s second driver and Ho-Pin Tung the reserve alongside Jerome D’Ambrosio. (More in a separate story soon).

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Renault go retro

The old livery is back! As we predicted, Renault have gone retro, and returned to the classic yellow and black livery they used from 1977-1985, and boy does it look good! Along with some images of the new car, we have attached some of the original yellow/black Renault’s, to demonstrate just how retro Renault have gone.

You will notice a distinct lack of a title sponsor – financial services company ING prematurely left the team when the ’spygate’ scandal came to light, and so did insurance company Mutua Madrilena

What do you think of the livery?

Images (C) Renault/LAT
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17
Jan

Gallery: Robert Kubica's first appearance at Renault

First pictures have been released showing Robert Kubica at the headquarters of his new team Renault, at the team’s factory in Enstone.

The 2010 Renault challenger, the R30 is going to be launched on January 31st, but Renault have yet to announce Kubica’s teammate.

Images (C) Renault/LAT

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16
Dec

Kubica's earlier confirmation at Renault may have been premature

Robert Kubica’s management has asked for clarity of the Renault-Genii deal to assess the Pole’s position for 2010.

This could mean that Kubica is interested in shopping around if the deal isn’t to his liking. The clauses of his contract are unknown but with this deal there may be a loophole which allows him to leave.

If Kubica isn’t satisfied with Renault’s plans then he is fast running out of options. It’s early to call just where each team will be in terms of performance but the only team likely to be ahead of Renault and with a free seat is Mercedes GP.
Mercedes however, are allowing the Schumacher rumours to get very strong. There is still a lot to overcome to sign Michael as he hasn’t yet asked to be released by Ferrari but these rumours just refuse to go away.

Also waiting in the wings for the seat is Robert’s former BMW-Sauber teammate Nick Heidfeld. Heidfeld has beaten Kubica in 2007 and 2009 but for whatever reason it is Kubica who is the more highly rated. Mercedes seem to want two German drivers but if he does come on the market he will be hard to resist.

The new teams would be a big step down but ideally it would only be for a year. Massa’s and Webber’s contracts are up at the end of next season so he could fight for one of those seats (he is friends with Alonso and was approached by the Italian squad to stand in for Felipe Massa after his accident so Kubica could work well at Ferrari).

However, if only a year-long deal is wanted then Robert would be wise to stay where he is. Renault has a good team of people; they know how to win despite the slump of recent years and would greatly benefit from having him as team leader.

Kubica’s management has said they will at least need a few days to consider what has happened but with the silly season jigsaw beginning to slip into place they could run out of time.

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14
Dec

Schumacher – he will, won't he?

Michael Schumacher

It’s the one question on everyone’s lips – will Michael Schumacher return in 2010 with Mercedes?

And while there has been no official announcement, the rumours just won’t go away.

Does Schumacher want to race in 2010? The answer has got to be a solid yes.

The seven-times champion was gutted not to be able to fill in for Massa last year, and his passion for racing is obviously burning as bright as ever. A simple no would have put an end to all the rumours, but as there has been none, he must want to return.

In fact, all his quotes point to a willingness to get back behind an F1 car. With comments like:

“Who knows? Anything can happen.”

and earlier this year he said:

“From now to the end of the year, my neck injury will be healed to the point where I could drive again. I have nothing to prove to anyone, not even myself. I still slightly regret having retired three years ago but there’s no reason whatsoever for me to definitively announce that I will not come back.”

The major stumbling block seems to be his ties to Ferrari and their sponsors. But Ferrari appear to have now cleared the way for Schumacher to join the Mercedes F1 team.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said Schumacher’s role was “not binding”. He added:

“If he takes another road our agreement will no longer be valid. You can’t work with a competitor and with us at the same time. I still haven’t spoken to him about it. He is only a dear friend, not a team member. He is a consultant for our road cars.”

Mercedes are wanting to create a German superteam, and with Rosberg already in place, there’s only one seat to fill.

Before the Schumacher rumours started, Nick Heidfeld was tipped for the seat after BMW announced they were leaving F1, before selling the team back to Peter Sauber.

And it seems Heidfeld had pinned his hopes on a drive with The Silver Arrows, and he’s admitted to turning down other deals. He said:

“I have already turned down concrete opportunities and we are continuing to give other possibilities a lesser priority.”

It’s been a frustrating time for Heidfeld, who after learning BMW were leaving the sport must have been buoyed by the news on Mercedes. And now he’s hoping Schumacher will decide to stay on the sidelines. He said:

“I am not shy of my opinion about the speculation surrounding Michael’s possible comeback.

However, there is still a spare seat at Renault, which would see Heidfeld back with Robert Kubica if that move came off.

And it’s been a bad day for Mercedes, however, after a row over 90m euros in sponsorship money has developed with German consumer products firm Henkel.

It is understood that the team, then Brawn GP, believed it had a deal with the company earlier this year. However, Henkel now claims that the contract was put together by an ex-member of staff who was acting without the company’s authorisation. Henkel filed a law suit over the issue in November.

And so back to Schumacher, although I’m not going to put my neck on the line, he will be back, won’t he?

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13
Dec

Kovalainen spotted at Renault base

Heikki Kovalainen

According to an ‘internal source’ at the Renault F1 Team, Heikki Kovalainen was spotted at the team’s base at Enstone on Friday, provoking rumours of the Finn’s return to the french team he raced for in 2007.

Kovalainen’s father has said that the announcement as to where his son will be next season will be made next week, which coincides with when Renault are expected to name their second driver to team up with Robert Kubica.

28-year-old Kovalainen has been in F1 since 2007 where he raced for Renault before moving to McLaren for 2008 and 2009, before being replaced by Jenson Button for 2010. Kovalainen has raced in F1 52 times, collecting 105 points but only one race win.

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11
Nov

Baguette to test for Renault.

Bertrand Baguette

2009 Formula Renault 3.5 series champion Bertrand Baguette will test for Renault in Jerez next month – his first time in an F1 car. The Belgian driver will take to the wheel on December 1st.

Baguette said:

“This will be a great first for me. It’s all my childhood dreams come true and, at the same time, it’s every racing driver’s ultimate goal.

“It’s thanks to Renault that I was able to get into single-seater racing, by winning a programme set up by Renault in Belgium to discover up-and-coming young talent from karting.

“Since then, I’ve driven every Renault single-seater, from Formula Renault 1.6 to Formula Renault 3.5 via Formula Renault 2.0. Driving the Renault F1 R29 kind of completes the set as far as I’m concerned! The first few laps in Formula 1 must be really unbelievable, with a lighter, more powerful car that has just phenomenal cornering speeds.

“I’ll have everything to learn, not just the car itself, but also a new environment, lots of new parameters, a different way of working. The only thing I will be familiar with will be the Jerez circuit!”

“The most important thing for me is not really driving the fastest possible lap,” he added. “The aim of this day will be to work hard with the team and to carry out the test programme that Renault F1 Team is going to define seriously and professionally.

“Rather than my outright speed, it will be my ability to analyse the car’s handling and my communication with the members of the team that will be gauged. I can’t wait.

“I’m going to have to take things one step at a time and be cautious. It’s a terrific opportunity to be able to take part in testing with a team as prestigious as the Renault F1 Team.”

Renault have already signed one driver for the 2010 season – Robert Kubica, however more recently the rumours have circulated as to whether the Enstone based team will stay in Formula 1 for next season.

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4
Nov

Renault consider leaving Formula 1.

Renault's Romain Grosjean

Renault have called an emergency meeting on Wednesday to decide whether the team will stay in F1 as a team, switch to engine suppliers, or leave the sport completely.

Renault had their least competitive F1 season  this year since 2001 and finished the 8th best constructor in a season marred by the ‘crashgate’ scandal. Previously they have won 2 drivers and 2 constructors championships and have competed in 265 races since their debut in 1977.

It is thought that the emergency board meeting will be attended by Renault F1 bosses Bob Bell and Jean-Francois Caubet, but they will have no say in the debate about the team’s future.

If they were to leave they would follow Toyota out of F1 who announced their departure this morning and leave only one manufacturer team in F1 – Ferrari.

Renault have recently signed Robert Kubica to drive for the team in next year’s 2010 season as well as a new timing sponsor – TW Steel who they would let down if they left the sport.

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3
Nov

Robert Kubica set for Rallye du Var drive.

Robert Kubica

Pole Robert Kubica is set for his competitive debut for new employer Renault for whom he will drive in the F1 championship next season as he is set to have a go at rallying in the French rally ‘Rallye du Var’ behind the wheel of a Renault Clio.

Kubica, a one time Formula 1 race winner is moving from BMW Sauber where he spent all of his previous F1 career to Renault for next season. He is set to follow fellow F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen who entered his home rally in Finland earlier this year and despite crashing out in the final stage on day two, he described it as ‘good fun.’

On the prospect of participating in the rally, Robert Kubica said:

“It’s [the entry on du Var] not 100 percent certain yet, but there are very big chances”

“It will be only for fun – I’m not interested in times. I already asked for a video of the stages. I know some roads in this region and I realize how difficult task it will be for me.”

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31
Oct

Lewis Hamilton on pole for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates getting on pole in Abu Dhabi 09

Lewis Hamilton will line up alongside Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel for tomorrow’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit after setting an electrifying lap in Q3, more than 0.5secs faster than the rest of the field.

Hamilton set a 1:40.948 after the chequered flag had dropped in Q3 compared to Vettel’s 1:41.615. The fellow Red Bull driver Mark Webber will line up 3rd alongside Rubens Barrichello and World Champion Jenson Button will start 5th.

Hamilton’s teammate Heikki Kovalainen will start 13th, despite topping Friday Practice 2, although this is because he suffered a brake problem in Q2.

Elsewhere it was a reasonably impressive qualifying session in BMW Sauber’s last ever Grand Prix with Kubica and Heidfeld making it an all BMW 4th row. They qualified 7th and 8th respectively.

Ferrari had another nightmare with Giancarlo Fisichella in particular, who will start last on the grid and Kimi Raikkonen who will start an average 11th on the grid.

It was a disappointing session for Renault as both of their drivers failed to get through Q1. In twice former world champion Fernando Alonso’s final qualifying for Renault he qualified 16th. His teammate Romain Grosjean will start 19th.

The full classification is here.

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