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Vitaly Petrov has told Renault that they can rely on him to perform this season as the team prepares to head into the 2011 F1 season without Robert Kubica.

Kubica?s rally accident is likely to keep him out for a large chunk, if not all, of the current campaign and had led to Renault bringing in Nick Heidfeld as his replacement.

Despite the difficult circumstances the team finds itself in, Petrov insisted it was vital that Renault continues to push forwards and said he was keen to show that he can be relied on after a debut season filled with mixed results.

?Robert was an important part of the team, but I think the team should move forward because we cannot get frozen at one point,? he told the official F1 website. ?With Nick, an experienced driver has joined us so that gives hope. Let?s put it this way: life is like that - sometimes very unpredictable and cruel.

?My first year was quite difficult so it was very important for me to have a strong team-mate. This year we have lost Robert but we did find Nick, who comes with a lot of experience. But I also have much more experience than last season, with one year of Formula One under my belt and knowing much more, so the team can also work and rely on me.?

Prior to his accident, Kubica had set the pace during the opening test of the season in Valencia, while Heidfeld was also quickest on his day of running with the team at Jerez ? which proved to be enough to secure his place in the team while Kubica is absent.

However, despite the pace shown by the R31 Petrov said it was important not to read too much into the times as all people can do while testing continues is guess about the relative performance of the cars.

?Forget about the lap times,? he said. ?Don?t even look at them. Last season we didn?t see that Red Bull would be so fast in the tests. Everything will be clear at the first race - until then everything is guessing, as everybody can be at the top of the time sheet at the tests if he so wishes - that?s no miracle.

?But we don?t need that. We are working on our programme as everybody else does. We are trying to get as much data from the car and the tyres as possible - and lap times don?t mean a thing.?

Labels: Eurosport, Iaposll, Petrov, Renault, Yahoo

Albeit two days later than had been expected, Lotus Renault GP has confirmed that Nick Heidfeld will substitute for his former BMW-Sauber team-mate Robert Kubica at the Enstone-based outfit during the F1 2011 World Championship campaign ? and the German admits he is ?extremely motivated and can?t wait for the season to begin?.

Even before he had sat inside the cockpit of the R31 at Jerez last weekend, Lotus Renault GP team principal Eric Boullier had revealed that Heidfeld was the favourite to replace Kubica until the Pole is well enough to return following the serious hand, arm and leg injuries he suffered in a high-speed rallying accident on the Ronde di Andora in Italy earlier this month.

Although there had been some speculation that Kubica was pushing for Force India F1 refugee Vitantonio Liuzzi to step in for him instead [see separate story ? click here] ? and Lotus Renault GP?s silence in the wake of Heidfeld?s ultra-impressive test outing in Spain only served to add fuel to the rumour-mongers? fire ? the team has now made its choice.

?I would have liked to come back to F1 in different circumstances, but I?m proud to have been given this chance,? enthused ?Quick Nick?. ?Everything has happened so quickly, but I?ve been very impressed by what I have seen so far in terms of the facilities and the dedication of the people at Enstone.

?I really enjoyed the test last week at Jerez, and I?ve already settled in well with the guys at the track. I have a good feeling for the car, which is quite innovative. I?m extremely motivated and can?t wait for the season to begin!?

The 33-year-old will partner Vitaly Petrov at Lotus Renault GP this year, and will drive on two of the four days of the upcoming Barcelona test. Boullier is convinced that Heidfeld will repay his faith with interest.

?The team has been through a very difficult couple of weeks and we had to react quickly,? the Frenchman acknowledged. ?We gave Nick a chance at Jerez last week, and he really impressed us. He?s quick, experienced and very strong technically with his feedback and understanding of the car.

?We always said the priority was to have an experienced driver in the car, and we feel he is the ideal man for the job. We are pleased to welcome Nick to the team, and look forward to a strong start to the season with him and Vitaly in Bahrain.?

Labels: Eurosport, Heidfeld, Lotus, Renault, signs, Yahoo

Kubica’s accident appears to have polarised opinion within the paddock between those who consider allowing such activities irresponsible and those who consider them essential.

Three-times world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, a man who regularly raced in sports cars during his F1 career, said he was more inclined these days to consider such activities irresponsible having been a team owner himself.

His argument is that teams and sponsors pour millions of pounds into racing every year and hundreds of people depend on that for jobs.

“You’ve got to look after that investment,” Stewart said. “It’s quite a challenge to stop drivers doing the things I believe are unwise leading up to a F1 season. Skiing is the one you would immediately think of.”

Yet Ferrari annually raise eyebrows by allowing their highly-paid drivers to ski every year at their pre-season trip to the Italian Dolomites.

And speaking on Monday at the launch of the MVR-02, Virgin team principal John Booth admitted he had recently taken his two drivers skiing as well.

“We took Jerome [d’Ambrosio] and Timo [Glock] skiing a couple of weeks ago,” Booth said. “We said ’OK guys, stick to the piste blah blah blah.’ So we got to the top of the lift, the gates opened and they were just flat out.

“They were everywhere. And that’s how they are. That’s what makes them so good. It’d be difficult to stifle that, wouldn’t it? You can’t wrap them in cotton wool.” Some teams try.

It is understood that McLaren’s two British drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, must seek permission if they wish to pursue any sort of dangerous extra-curricular activity. A request to go rallying would not likely be granted.

Over at Red Bull, Christian Horner said last December he would consider banning Mark Webber from mountain biking after the Australian broke a second bone in as many years falling off his bike.

Ultimately, each team is different although whether attitudes will harden in light of Kubica’s accident remains to be seen.

The Pole remained in an induced coma on Monday, woken only briefly to speak to family and friends, as doctors at the Santa Corona Hospital near Genoa rested him ahead of possible further operations to fractures of the shoulder and elbow.

Professor Mario Igor Rossello, part of the team who carried out the seven-hour operation to save Kubica’s right hand on Sunday night, cautioned that it would be a while yet before it could be deemed successful.

“The hand is warm and this means the operation went well,” Rossello said.

“We need at least six days to check if the circulation of the blood in the limb responds as it should.”

That leaves Renault in an awkward position. Boullier said on Monday that he would not make a decision on Kubica’s replacement until he knew how long he would be out for. However, with the second of four winter tests starting in Jerez on Thursday, time is of the essence.

Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean are Renault’s two reserves waiting in the wings, but Boullier is believed to favour signing a driver with greater experience.

Nick Heidfeld, with 172 grands prix behind him, has that in abundance while there has been a groundswell of support for 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen to return.

The Finn’s manager, Steve Robertson, was unavailable for comment on Monday night.

Labels: crash, decision, defend, Kubica, rally, rallying, Renault, Robert, Telegraphcouk

With Robert Kubica extremely unlikely to take any part in the 2011 Formula One season following his accident in a rally in Italy a seat with a top team has become available with the first race a little over a month away.

Kubica demonstrated the potential of Renault's new R31 at last week's test in Valencia when he posted the fastest time and the team will find it difficult to replace the 26-year-old Pole, who is regarded as one of the best on the grid despite only having one grand prix victory so far.

With the Russian Vitaly Petrov confirmed in the team's second car, with only one error-strewn season behind him, Renault may well look beyond their five-strong pool of test and reserve drivers despite the team principal, Eric Boullier, saying last week that the recently signed Bruno Senna would step up if a race seat became available.

"I will give the one who is ready, and Bruno is the most ready driver," Boullier said. That was in reference to piloting a contemporary Formula One car, which Senna did with little success for Hispania Racing last season.

Of the others in Renault's pool, Romain Grosjean contested seven grands prix for the team in 2009 as a replacement for Nelson Piquet Jr but failed to impress, Fairuz Fauzy drove in a handful of practice sessions for Lotus last season, and neither Jan Charouz nor Ho-Pin Tung has more than a few testing miles to their names and they are way short of being ready.

Another option could be a bold approach to the Force India team for the loan of their reserve driver Nico Hülkenburg. The young German qualified on pole position for Williams in Brazil last year during his rookie season but failed to keep his drive when he could not bring any sponsorship to the team.

He was highly rated by Sir Frank Williams and is managed by Willi Weber, who guided the career of Michael Schumacher. It is thought that Force India are unlikely to accommodate any approach as they plan to use Hülkenburg during Friday practice sessions as they did with Paul di Resta, who has a race seat this year, last season.

Experienced drivers are few and far between. The Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi is being touted for the remaining seat at Hispania but will now be hoping for a call from Renault. The veteran German Nick Heidfeld is also available after losing his Sauber drive last year in favour of the GP2 runner-up Sergio Pérez, who came armed with a fistful of Telmex dollars.

Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, was talked about as a replacement for Petrov in the off-season but the Finn drives for Citroen in the world rally championship and would be hard, and expensive, to extricate from any contract. There is also the question of his desire. He never enjoyed the strict, disciplined lifestyle expected of the modern F1 driver and the sport has not got any more relaxed since he was dropped by Ferrari at the end of the 2009 season.

Jacques Villeneuve, tried to enter his own team over the winter but his entry was rejected by the FIA. The 1997 world champion still harbours ambitions to be behind the wheel and was believed to be considering piloting his own entry had it been accepted.

Senna is the short-term option but there is a feeling at Renault that their new car is a contender. It would appear that only Renault's stricken Pole could have made the R31 such a thing.

Labels: Contenders, Guardian, Kubica, Renault, replace, Robert, scarce