iSport F1 Pitstop: Last GP weekend, Robert Kubica showed why he is Renault’s biggest asset as they look set to leave behind the memories of a grim 2009 season. iSporter Gunjan Shah reports back on what is already turning out to be Renault’s revival season with their fifth consecutive points finish.
The R30 certainly managed to surprise me this weekend at Monaco. Robert Kubica surprised most paddock observers by lining up alongside pole-sitter Mark Weber as he split the Bulls during qualifying on Saturday. In Monaco, the driver has a more important role in determining the starting order and this is vital since on-track overtaking is far and few in between.
Robert didn’t have the best of starts as the five lights went off and immediately lost a place to the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel. He, however, ensured that Felipe Massa, who had a look on the outside going into turn one, didn’t manage to get past as well. After that it was just a matter of waiting and seeing if he could get past Vettel after the first round of pit-stops; but as was the case with Vettel’s drive, the Red- Bull crew made no error on the pit-stops and the two found themselves in the same order once they had stopped for fresh rubber.
Robert drove an incredibly well-balanced race and was never really under any pressure from Felipe’s Ferrari; even with as many as four race-restarts during the course of the evening. He really showed what a difference he is making to the team, as he earns their trust and respect by taking the maximum out of the car every time that he’s gone out on the track so far this season. As for the recent rumor mills which are suggesting that he has signed an option for Ferrari in 2011, I think that they are not entirely baseless and there might be some truth in it. However, I think that Robert should consider staying put at Renault, where he finds a team that is ready to re-invent itself around him; rather than jump ship to Ferrari, where he has to contend with Alonso, who is similarly having Ferrari rallying around him. (Tell us what you think - Should Robert Kubica repace Felipe Massa in Ferrari? Discuss in our iSport F1 Forum)
Contrasting to Robert’s drive, Vitaly had another race where he seemed to be beset by car problems once again. It really does look at the moment that however hard he may try, all the bad luck in the team is really being directed at him. I do find him being a really interesting driver, with a lot of raw talent. Given enough time and some luck, I am sure he is going to leave a mark on the team in the months to come.
This race saw Renault close the gap to Mercedes GP for the fourth place down to 13 points, which given the new scoring system, is not all that much. I would love to see Vitaly chip in with some good performances; clearly given that the R30 has moved upwards in performance and are in my opinion, at the moment, ahead of Mercedes GP in terms of overall race pace. It will be interesting to see if the team really means it when they say that they have updates for every race. It certainly looks like the awakening of a new era for the French manufacturer.
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