Piquet may have three races to up his game
Discussion
The only surprise is that Flav's giving him another 3 races - wonder how much sponsorship money Jnr's bringing to the team
F1-live
Renault is still backing Nelson Piquet to up his game, but paddock rumblings suggest that the French team's patience will not last forever.
Indeed, it was rumoured at the scene of the Monaco Grand Prix that team boss Flavio Briatore is giving the struggling 22-year-old Brazilian only until Silverstone in July - three more races - to take a substantial step closer to the pace and performance of lead driver Fernando Alonso.
Moreover, the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell reports that Alonso's scheduled running at the test following the Canadian Grand Prix has been scrapped so that Piquet, whose father won three world championships, can be in the car on all three days.
The loudest related rumour of all at Monaco, however, was that Briatore considers Super Aguri's laid-off race lineup of Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato as genuine candidates for Piquet's seat if he cannot improve in the near future.
Briatore half-backed Piquet's unimpressive first outing at Monaco as a Grand Prix driver.
"Nelson's race was disappointing, but Monaco remains a difficult test for a driver and it is a very unusual circuit," he said.
F1-live
Renault is still backing Nelson Piquet to up his game, but paddock rumblings suggest that the French team's patience will not last forever.
Indeed, it was rumoured at the scene of the Monaco Grand Prix that team boss Flavio Briatore is giving the struggling 22-year-old Brazilian only until Silverstone in July - three more races - to take a substantial step closer to the pace and performance of lead driver Fernando Alonso.
Moreover, the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell reports that Alonso's scheduled running at the test following the Canadian Grand Prix has been scrapped so that Piquet, whose father won three world championships, can be in the car on all three days.
The loudest related rumour of all at Monaco, however, was that Briatore considers Super Aguri's laid-off race lineup of Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato as genuine candidates for Piquet's seat if he cannot improve in the near future.
Briatore half-backed Piquet's unimpressive first outing at Monaco as a Grand Prix driver.
"Nelson's race was disappointing, but Monaco remains a difficult test for a driver and it is a very unusual circuit," he said.
He was only 3/10ths off Alonso in qualifying session 1, but 0.3s was the difference between 7th and 17th. For his first time at Monaco in an F1 car 0.3s off a double world champ isn't bad.
He then crashed on dry tyres when everyone else was on wets or intermediates, tricky and proved it.
He then crashed on dry tyres when everyone else was on wets or intermediates, tricky and proved it.
clonmult said:
Monaco is a huge test of the driver, and its a little off knocking Piquet, especially when Alonso put in such a truly stunning and breathtaking performance worthy of a world champion .....
If Alonso had got his act together and been a little patient instead of using the rest of the field and the barriers as target practice, he would have been on for a top 5 finish. Renault need to stop thinking about winning races and start thinking about podiums, etc.As for Piquet it's not just Monaco that has formed my opinion that he's a bit s
t:Australia 20th on grid, crashed
Malaysia 13th, finished 11th
Bahrain 14th, retired
Spain 10th, crashed
Turkey 17th, finished 15th
Monaco 17th, crashed
Not very good is it? And before all the defendants start talking about Heikki and his struggle last year - At the same point last season, he had 4 top 10 finishes, 3 points on the board and a highest grid position of 8th.
The only race I remember him actually making on-track errors out of those races was his first, in Australia...
So, Nelson needs to buck his ideas up, sharpish. It's made even worse for him having Alonso doing soooo much better in the other car.
Still, maybe all this is justice for Nelson's father being such a total and utter penis
Kovi had a mare of a first race last year
but recovered pretty well !
Sepang is scored a point
Bahrain finished 9th
Spain he scored 2 points
Monaco retired with engine failure ?
In fact he only failed not to score in five races during the 2007 season
Finished 7th overall
Still time for Piquet to pull his socks up - i actually like him - they did an amazing job of setting up their own team and winning with it in F3 and GP2 - but perhaps he can't work without the comfort of the family around him ?
but recovered pretty well !
Sepang is scored a point
Bahrain finished 9th
Spain he scored 2 points
Monaco retired with engine failure ?
In fact he only failed not to score in five races during the 2007 season
Finished 7th overall
Still time for Piquet to pull his socks up - i actually like him - they did an amazing job of setting up their own team and winning with it in F3 and GP2 - but perhaps he can't work without the comfort of the family around him ?
I can't see him being in the team by the end of the season.
You don't get into F1 without being a first class driver, and I don't think Piquet is especially bad. A combination of a car that isn't too great/easy, driving alongside a proven world champion and your team superiors putting lots of pressure on you isn't going to help things along.
Maybe FB should be making noises along the lines of "I'm not concerned, it's his first year in F1, give him a chance to learn" rather than "shape up or ship out"?
You don't get into F1 without being a first class driver, and I don't think Piquet is especially bad. A combination of a car that isn't too great/easy, driving alongside a proven world champion and your team superiors putting lots of pressure on you isn't going to help things along.
Maybe FB should be making noises along the lines of "I'm not concerned, it's his first year in F1, give him a chance to learn" rather than "shape up or ship out"?
FourWheelDrift said:
He was only 3/10ths off Alonso in qualifying session 1, but 0.3s was the difference between 7th and 17th. For his first time at Monaco in an F1 car 0.3s off a double world champ isn't bad.
He then crashed on dry tyres when everyone else was on wets or intermediates, tricky and proved it.
well it is bad if thats 10 places difference, its all relative.He then crashed on dry tyres when everyone else was on wets or intermediates, tricky and proved it.
Muzzer said:
clonmult said:
Monaco is a huge test of the driver, and its a little off knocking Piquet, especially when Alonso put in such a truly stunning and breathtaking performance worthy of a world champion .....
If Alonso had got his act together and been a little patient instead of using the rest of the field and the barriers as target practice, he would have been on for a top 5 finish. Renault need to stop thinking about winning races and start thinking about podiums, etc.As for Piquet it's not just Monaco that has formed my opinion that he's a bit s
t:Australia 20th on grid, crashed
Malaysia 13th, finished 11th
Bahrain 14th, retired
Spain 10th, crashed
Turkey 17th, finished 15th
Monaco 17th, crashed
Not very good is it? And before all the defendants start talking about Heikki and his struggle last year - At the same point last season, he had 4 top 10 finishes, 3 points on the board and a highest grid position of 8th.
The only race I remember him actually making on-track errors out of those races was his first, in Australia...
So, Nelson needs to buck his ideas up, sharpish. It's made even worse for him having Alonso doing soooo much better in the other car.
Still, maybe all this is justice for Nelson's father being such a total and utter penis
latest little snipppet on crash.net suggests robert doornbos....
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/163910-0/d...
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/163910-0/d...
castrolcraig said:
latest little snipppet on crash.net suggests robert doornbos....
http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/163910-0/d...
i think Doornbos will only be there to satisfy ING for the dutch appearance. I don't see him as a serious contender for Piquets ride.http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/163910-0/d...
Tricky to say who would be a suitable replacement though. Sato and Ant are good, but neither will set the world alight I don't think. Ditto for Klien although he's contracted to BMW at the mo.
Grosjean would be an option for the last few races of the season - GP2 finishes early compared to the F1 and he's one to have caught my eye in GP2 this year.
People are dismissing Ant / Sato becuase they wouldnt set the world alight, but thats not what Renault are looking for really. If they wanted someone super-quick and able to take it to Alonso, they's have presumably kept Kovalainen. The facts seem to be that Alonso didnt want to go up against Heikki because he might have been a bit too quick.
Because of that, someone like Davidson would fit the bill IMHO, he'll be quick, will be keen to tow the party line to resurect his career so probably wouldnt trouble Alonso even if he was as quick, and should be a shed load more consistant than Piquet has been.
Because of that, someone like Davidson would fit the bill IMHO, he'll be quick, will be keen to tow the party line to resurect his career so probably wouldnt trouble Alonso even if he was as quick, and should be a shed load more consistant than Piquet has been.
Piquet would lose his head not long after I said he was doing a good job, wouldn't he?
In all races up until Monaco he has been only 0.003 - 0.3 secs off Alonso in almost all timed sessions (btw in comparison it only took the first practice session of the 2nd race for LH to turn in a faster time than FA). It's the mistakes in the races that have been hurting his self-advertising. I don;t think he will improve much in this dept eaither seeing as he wasn't doing too bad until recently.
I would be very interested to see how out-of-work Anthony Davidson would do against FA though... or for another great name to make a comeback - Senna!
In all races up until Monaco he has been only 0.003 - 0.3 secs off Alonso in almost all timed sessions (btw in comparison it only took the first practice session of the 2nd race for LH to turn in a faster time than FA). It's the mistakes in the races that have been hurting his self-advertising. I don;t think he will improve much in this dept eaither seeing as he wasn't doing too bad until recently.
I would be very interested to see how out-of-work Anthony Davidson would do against FA though... or for another great name to make a comeback - Senna!
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