Renault eyeing Raikkonen to replace Petrov in 2011?

Despite having seen the Red Bull Racing door slam shut in his face, former F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen could yet be thrown a lifeline for a return to top flight competition in 2011, it seems - with Renault
Renault is evaluating the possibility of replacing inconsistent rookie Vitaly Petrov with former F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen in 2011, sources suggest – with Force India ace Adrian Sutil allegedly also in the running should the Finn prove unattainable.

Raikkonen is currently competing in his maiden campaign in the World Rally Championship with the Citroën Junior Team, having been released by Ferrari last year and having proven unable to agree terms with either former employers McLaren-Mercedes or reigning double world champions Mercedes Grand Prix.

Opinion is divided as to whether the 18-time grand prix-winner has gone for good or is sticking to his original plan of merely taking a sabbatical from the top flight to indulge his second love of rallying, but the recent confirmation that Red Bull Racing will retain both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber next year looked to have closed the door. Red Bull was previously viewed by many as his most likely destination should he return, as the Citroën Junior Team is similarly sponsored by the Austrian energy drink.

Now, however, authoritative Italian magazine Autosprint has reported that Renault is interested in bringing Raikkonen back in 2011 – and in fact the 30-year-old was previously linked with the Enstone-based outfit last September. It is claimed that the Eric Boullier-led concern is not altogether convinced by Petrov, the first Russian ever to compete in F1 but a driver who has generally struggled in qualifying and proven erratic – if extremely rapid on occasion – come the races.

To-date, the man dubbed the 'Vyborg Rocket' has notched up a mere six points from the opening eight grands prix of the 2010 campaign, compared to the 73 tallied by team-mate Robert Kubica. The 25-year-old's sole points-scoring finish to-date has been seventh place in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. It is understood that Renault will only renew Petrov's contract should he score 25 per cent of the points total of Kubica; he currently sits at 8.2 per cent.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/2010 01:11PM by RebelWithoutaCause.

Kimi wont be interested sadly, he will continue dirivng WRC.

I reckon so, he's getting on very impressively, even considering his crashes. I think he's in the top 10 atm ?

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NickKK Wrote:
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> I reckon so, he's getting on very impressively,
> even considering his crashes. I think he's in the
> top 10 atm ?


yes kimi is 10th in points (he didnt take a part in 1 rally), after crashes in few first rallies, he has started doing well and last weekend there was one rally that was driven on tarmac and he almost did beat Sebastian Ogier (2nd in wrc standings)...only lost 2,3 seconds and it was kimi's first ever rally on tarmac.

When you post news, please post only 80% of the article, then post your source. Then add YOUR OWN comments. We are more than just a site to copy and paste from an F1 new site. Posting only 80% of the news article means we will not be breaching copyright, posting all of the article without quoting the source is a breach of the original sites copyright.

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I would be surprised if Renault dumped Petrov as well.

While he has been erratic (his race in Montreal was dreadful), he has shown good speed, particularly at tracks that he knows (such as Istanbul)

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X (@ed24f1)

i'll be very surprised if after all the sponsorship from russian oil, petrov be fired from renault... he brought a lot of money :/

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Petrov has shown speed and imo has done no worse than Grosjean or Piquet ...

Though the way Renault are going (up!) they need two top drivers. Had they had two top drivers I fully believe they would be sitting ahead of Merc in the standings. This year the car is being improved at a rate Mclaren would be impressed with. Kimi in the car next year would be an awesome addition but he looks like he's enjoying WRC.

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

Petrov has kicked Piquet and Grosjean's ass majorly

Thing is, Russia and Petrov were only approached as after the fiascos with Renault, they had lost a lot of Sponsorship and revenue.

But they've shown that amid the crisis, they still managed to make a great car for this year, and so that alone will attract sponsors for 2011.

We don't know, but it could be speculated that with other income, the Russian need is no longer vital. They can ditch Petrov, assuming his money bought his seat, and fill it with a driver they wanted as priority over income.

My vote is that Heidfeld might get it.

Petrov will be snapped up by Sauber to replace De La Rosa, giving Sauber the Russian money they desperately need.

Heidfeld and Kubica, as I said all along, are the new Berger/Alesi! :D


Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it

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Don't forget Nick was prime candidate to take the second seat in January this year, and Boullier likes him.

But Petrov had the cash, so was more viable.

With that issue gone, will Merc release Nick?

OR does he head for Sauber for the mid season, get in shape, get some miles in outing Pedro.

THEN as a long trick, Renault uses this as a catalyst to swap Petrov for Heidfeld for 2011.

Petrov is still in F1, maybe 'loaned' by Renault, meaning they still get some revenue for making his debut.

Renault wins big time here, and Petrov could learn the ropes in a low profile outfit. He isn't poor, far from it, just wild, much like Massa.

Massa still is, but he has moments of brilliance. For a rookie, Petrov has shone. They all make mistakes.


Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2010 03:34AM by danm.

I don't know if Heidfeld would be that much of a better bet than Petrov.

If you are going to develop a young driver, you shouldn't just kick him out to the side once he has a couple of bad races (like they did with Grosjean).

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X (@ed24f1)

no, but let him learn in a team that wont matter if he makes mistakes.

renault is a big name. they have a good car, and a real chance to beat the works mercedes. in business terms, this is big bucks.

kubicas point ratio proves it is possible. imagine 2 x kubicas score, a la bring in solid and consistent heidfeld. something they need to beat mercedes with. consistency from the no.2.

loaning petrov would be ideal, and doesnt reject him. but for a better than anticipated renault car, the seat is a bit too prestigious for a rookie to be learning in when it could be more profitable with a different driver. give petrov a year out of the spotlight, i think he could do well and come back when matured.

petrov to return to renault in 2012 or something, with webber. with kubica on to ferrari or red bull.

i think renault surprised even themselves this season, and petrov could be an issue. if the car continues to be faster than mercedes, it will rekindle that performance clause.


Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2010 06:01AM by danm.

Silly season 2010, sponsored by Dan.

If they were to loan him, the best place would probably be the 13th team, along with an engine deal. If its ART, it makes even more sense considering its a French team.

However, I still can't see it happening. Firstly, when have Renault/Benetton cared in the past about having a weaker second driver? Secondly, Petrov has shown in Turkey that when he learns the tracks and gets more experience, he can get the car in the points.


I was also disappointed that Renault didn't take Glock, Trulli, Kovalainen, Heidfeld etc. at the start of the year, which would have given us another strong car, but Petrov has been improving, and I think that he will remain there.

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X (@ed24f1)

kimi is a real racer, and like montoya when he left he has got a taste for a more enjoyable form of motorsport then f1. i dont think he will come back, he has achieved his goals. But Renault might be a top team next year.

If renault are so into getting into this kinds of drivers, i would prefer Juan Montoya than Kimi Raikkonen.

RebelWithoutaCause Wrote:
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> If renault are so into getting into this kinds of
> drivers, i would prefer Juan Montoya than Kimi
> Raikkonen.


would be really nice to have Montoya back but he has been gone too long (5 years next year) and I'm sure Renault would prefer world champion over Montoya.

I thought Petrov had issues with the money. His family was getting the loan but they had issues securing their part of it so they couldn't raise the $15 million, was the last I heard.

Yeah, I thought most of the Russian money Petrov "promised" didn't appear at all - so few Russian companies were interested in sponsoring him in the end that Putin even put in a letter of recommendation. Megafon, that Russian mobile company, haven't even continued their sponsorship of Renault this year (as far as I know). I think the only hugely notable Russian sponsor - if not the only one - is, of course, LADA - which in turn is the property of AvtoVAZ which Renault partially owns. And as already been said, Renault's merit has been steadily winning new sponsors for the team as the season progresses - I seriously doubt Renault will consider Petrov's position based on his backing alone. If they were to keep Petrov for any particular sponsorship-based explanation it may well be to continue to build on their image in Russia, maybe unlock more of the Russian market for themselves at some point, but more-over continue to have a very good excuse to continue promoting AvtoVAZ who are in desperate need for more sales...

I'd like to think that Petrov has done enough to be valued on his abilities (Canada aside, but then everyone goes through bloody awful races) and could stay on at Renault next year - certainly if not there then somewhere else in F1. I do hope so, but I guess we'll see.