Renault in no rush despite Räikkönen interest - owner

Renault team owner Gerard Lopez insists the Enstone based outfit is in no rush to confirm the identity of Robert Kubica's teammate for 2011.

The big news in F1 this week was team boss Eric Boullier's claim that 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who moved from Ferrari to rallying this year, has enquired about driving for Renault next season.

Renault was already looking at its options for 2011, given that Vitaly Lopez's presence has not resulted in an influx of Russian sponsors.

Also questionable has been the rookie's performances, where despite a run of better results at recent events, Petrov notably struggled at Monza last weekend.

"I doubt Monza is the place where he has done enough to justify his seat next year," Lopez, boss of Renault's Luxembourg based majority owners Genii Capital, is quoted by Press Association.

At the same time, he admits there are "a lot of drivers" knocking on the door for 2011, Lopez said.

"If we weren't to keep Vitaly, we've options, both people who are in Formula One and people who left and would be happy to come back.

"When you are lucky enough to have a seat nobody wanted last year and everybody wants this year, you take your time," he added.

"But for now Vitaly is our second driver and we are trying to do everything we can to make sure he stays our second driver."

Source: Motorsport

Renault bets on Räikkönen

The financier Gerard Lopez wants the Finnish former world champion and Citroen driver today in the world rally championship, alongside Kubica

The owner of Capital Financial Genes that has control of the Renault Formula 1 team, the financier Gerard Lopez, dreams of a park-pilots for next year with Pole Robert Kubica and Finland's Kimi Raikkonen, world champion in 2007 who put behind him Formula 1 for the moment and is working in another specialty, facing the world as an official rally driver for the French Junior Team of Citroen. The chances that the former Ferrari driver acceptance are very scarce. Also because Raikkonen has repeatedly argued that he sees 2010 as a year of apprenticeship in the rallies in preparation for a season in which he will point up.

Renault F1 also affects the 27-year old German Adrian Sutil, who after four years the Force India wants to change shirt and sees the Anglo-French team the only alternative to its current roster. Everything - the ambition for Raikkonen, the possibility of Sutil - suggests that Russian Vitaly Petrov will be replaced: it would contribute to the collection of points in the constructors' championship. That for the Renault F1 mean significant economic revenue.

About the experience of Raikkonen in the rally, many are considering it bad due to lack of results of some significance. However, the former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi has recently defended the Finn: "I am convinced that what Kimi is doing is really in rallies valuable. Imagine what it means for a pilot to start anew in a specialty that is the exact opposite of what he has always competed. For what he's doing, for the courage to face a challenge so hard to him, I admire him. "

Kimi Raikkonen was born in Finland in 1979. He made his debut in Formula 1 Grand Prix of Australia in 2001, with Sauber. He played 157 races, winning 18 and winning in 2007 with Ferrari, the title of world champion. In F1 also has 16 pole positions and 35 fastest laps in the race. Last year he announced his intention to leave F1 for rallies when he was vacated by Ferrari. He was granted with Citroen Sport the chance to contest the championship with a sedan C4 World Rally Car. His best result so far has been to rally of Jordan, where he finished eighth in the overall standings. *

Source: Auto.it
Courtesy: stranezze

*Note (by Fran): this text was clearly written before the Rally of Turkey, where Kimi finished fifth.*