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[Hammer278]

I think Raikkonen would only bother if it transpires that the Renault is quick enough to win races.

I dont see why Hulkenburg is mentioned so many times. If he didn't get that magical pole in Brazil, I doubt anyone would even remember he existed. Flash in the pan, anyone?

Pretty harsh, he trounced everyone in GP2 in '09 and there were quite a few current F1 drivers in that field.

I think Hulkenberg was mentioned around 10 times in the forum before Brazil. He was Mr Anonymous until then. Many drivers have done very well in lower classes and then not shone at all in F1. These days people only take notice if you're giving your established teammate a hard time in every race or you're beating him. Hulkenberg was clear 2nd best, throughout except for Brazil.

[myownalias]

Not read the seven pages that came before but I'd just like to comment; it's a great loss for F1 to have Robert Kubica out of F1; he adds a lot to the spectacle of F1 and will be sorely missed. I really hope he does get back the full use of his hand and we see him back in F1 in 2012; it's unlikely he will be back this year! But I do wonder why teams allow their contracted drivers to pursue such dangerous pursuits outside of F1? especially when the season is just a matter of weeks away!

[McLaren]

I didn't realise his hand was partially severed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 389513.stm

[Hexagram]

I dont think Kimi and Eric Boullier are on great terms. Kimi stressed before that Renault were abusing his name for their own benefit and that he will surely 'Not be racing for Renault in 2011'. Will Eric swallow his ego and go to Kimi again? Doubt so.

Like I said, gonna take some big money and probably some bottom kissing.

Just read Alonso actually went to the hospital to talk to the doctors and try see Kubica. I didn't realise they were such good friends.

Won't it make Heidfeld a better prospect? No bottom kissing required, and much cheaper?

It depends if Renault can afford him or not. I know I would pick Kimi over Nick if money wasn't a problem.

[scotty]

I think Hulkenberg was mentioned around 10 times in the forum before Brazil. He was Mr Anonymous until then. Many drivers have done very well in lower classes and then not shone at all in F1. These days people only take notice if you're giving your established teammate a hard time in every race or you're beating him. Hulkenberg was clear 2nd best, throughout except for Brazil.

Actually he was mentioned a fair bit, there was quite a lot of hype going into last season. I disagree with your point about drivers getting recognised - just look at Massa's horrednous rookie season in 2002 and where he went from there. Brazil was significant because you don't just put a midfield car on pole in the wet by over a second without some pretty damn decent level of talent! But anyway it's a moot point cause for me the two contenders for the seat are Heidfield and Senna.

[FRAFPDD]

Give his seat to Bruno Senna, you know, the driver the team axtually has as their reserve


drivijg a HRT makes nobody look good, the nostalgia points you getbfor a senna in a JPS livery. im sure wed all like to see how good Bruno really is, so give him a chance, not like you cant drop him if he doesnt perform.

sauber have two rookies racing, infact even less experienced then a petrov-senna lineup, give sebna the god damn seat, i for one want to see what he can do with a decent car.

[Robert12010]

Give his seat to Bruno Senna, you know, the driver the team axtually has as their reserve


drivijg a HRT makes nobody look good, the nostalgia points you getbfor a senna in a JPS livery. im sure wed all like to see how good Bruno really is, so give him a chance, not like you cant drop him if he doesnt perform.

sauber have two rookies racing, infact even less experienced then a petrov-senna lineup, give sebna the god damn seat, i for one want to see what he can do with a decent car.

yeah id like to see senna in the other seat, so he can show what he is made of

[f1ea]

The only good thing that could come out of this mess is if Kimi were to race for Renault. he would be the great choice if he was up to practice, but he no longer is. Still, Renault need someone like him... although it will be hard to get. Kimi just might do it after the special conditions... but who knows. Renault will definitely prohibit rallying events for Kimi and all their drivers, which means Kimi might get turned off by that........

About Hulkenberg... well there's 3 kinds of rookies;
1. Rookies that come and show NO signs of speed: Piquet, Bruno Senna, Bourdais (doesnt mean they are rubbish... just that for some reason there was not a hint of them being fast either in Q or in a race).

2. Glimpses of speed: Petrov, Chandhok.....

3. Glimpses of speed AND consistency: Hulkenberg, Vettel

Then there is Hamilton

[Gaz]

Give his seat to Bruno Senna, you know, the driver the team axtually has as their reserve


drivijg a HRT makes nobody look good, the nostalgia points you getbfor a senna in a JPS livery. im sure wed all like to see how good Bruno really is, so give him a chance, not like you cant drop him if he doesnt perform.

sauber have two rookies racing, infact even less experienced then a petrov-senna lineup, give sebna the god damn seat, i for one want to see what he can do with a decent car.

They'll surely let Senna and Grosjean Test, but its risky for a team to run two inexperienced drivers.

Kimi would be quick after settling in during testing

[scotty]

Apologies if repost:

Kubica informed to extent of injuries

By Simon Strang and Michele Lostia Monday, February 7th 2011, 11:17 GMT

Robert Kubica has been informed as to the extent of his injuries incurred during his rallying accident in Italy on Sunday, according to his manager Daniel Morelli, who also reported that the Renault Formula 1 driver had full 'cerebral function'.

The Pole suffered a partially severed right hand and fractures to his right arm and leg after a barrier penetrated the Skoda he was driving on the first stage of the Ronde di Andora rally.

The 26-year-old underwent a seven-hour operation at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure in an attempt to save mobility in the hand. Doctors treating him said it would be several days before it could be deemed to have been successful though.

"I have finally talked to him and Robert has shown he understands everything perfectly," Morelli was quoted by IVG.it. "His cerebral activity is intact and we are extremely relieved.

"This really gives good hope. Obviously he feels a lot of pain to his leg and hand. He'll need time."

The hand specialist Dr Igor Rossello who took part in the operation was cautiously optimistic about Kubica's progress since the procedure, describing the results as 'extremely satisfying'.

He was quick to point out however that it was too early to predict whether Kubica's hand function had been permanently restored.

"The night has been very quiet, the patient is stable," said Rossello. "The hand seems to respond well to stimulus, and vascularity looks re-activated. Late this morning we'll awake Kubica who, at the moment, is unconscious.

"It's too soon to say whether the operation went well and, as I said yesterday, we'll need between five and seven days to understand if the limb's blood supply is okay and a lot more time to evaluate its functionality.

"It was a difficult operation but the final result is extremely satisfying."

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said he expected Kubica to miss at least the first two months of the 2011 Formula 1 season. Speaking to the BBC, Boullier believed the Pole would not drive an F1 car until at least the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

Boullier also reiterated in an interview with ANSA that Renault backed Kubica's decision to take part in the event, despite its close proximity to the start of the new F1 season.

"Rallying is what Robert loves to do," he said. "We knew the risks and so did he. We didn't want a robot or a corporate man for a driver. It was agreed together."

This is reassuring. I like the last little line there too.

[What's Burning?]

Apologies if repost:

Kubica informed to extent of injuries

By Simon Strang and Michele Lostia Monday, February 7th 2011, 11:17 GMT

Robert Kubica has been informed as to the extent of his injuries incurred during his rallying accident in Italy on Sunday, according to his manager Daniel Morelli, who also reported that the Renault Formula 1 driver had full 'cerebral function'.

The Pole suffered a partially severed right hand and fractures to his right arm and leg after a barrier penetrated the Skoda he was driving on the first stage of the Ronde di Andora rally.

The 26-year-old underwent a seven-hour operation at the Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure in an attempt to save mobility in the hand. Doctors treating him said it would be several days before it could be deemed to have been successful though.

"I have finally talked to him and Robert has shown he understands everything perfectly," Morelli was quoted by IVG.it. "His cerebral activity is intact and we are extremely relieved.

"This really gives good hope. Obviously he feels a lot of pain to his leg and hand. He'll need time."

The hand specialist Dr Igor Rossello who took part in the operation was cautiously optimistic about Kubica's progress since the procedure, describing the results as 'extremely satisfying'.

He was quick to point out however that it was too early to predict whether Kubica's hand function had been permanently restored.

"The night has been very quiet, the patient is stable," said Rossello. "The hand seems to respond well to stimulus, and vascularity looks re-activated. Late this morning we'll awake Kubica who, at the moment, is unconscious.

"It's too soon to say whether the operation went well and, as I said yesterday, we'll need between five and seven days to understand if the limb's blood supply is okay and a lot more time to evaluate its functionality.

"It was a difficult operation but the final result is extremely satisfying."

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said he expected Kubica to miss at least the first two months of the 2011 Formula 1 season. Speaking to the BBC, Boullier believed the Pole would not drive an F1 car until at least the Spanish Grand Prix in May.

Boullier also reiterated in an interview with ANSA that Renault backed Kubica's decision to take part in the event, despite its close proximity to the start of the new F1 season.

"Rallying is what Robert loves to do," he said. "We knew the risks and so did he. We didn't want a robot or a corporate man for a driver. It was agreed together."

This is reassuring. I like the last little line there too.

Although I think Boullier is being unrealistic in his optimism, I support the sentiments. In the end it's just a sport and the primary desired outcome is for Kubica to be able to live a long rewarding life without unbearable encumbrance due to his injuries. Everything else is secondary, personally I doubt he'll be back this season, but I'd love to see him back in the sport 100% at the Bahrain grid in 2012.

[zurich_allan]

Seriously, does nobody read? Nah, I'm quite aware I tend to write long, drawn out, boring posts so understand if anyone missed it... noticed a few more people were asking the question as to why Renault allowed Kubica to race in the rally - from my post yesterday answering the question:

As for the issue of 'why was he racing something else other than F1?', Kubica has always had it written into his Contract that he's allowed to race in other series as a fundamental clause of anything he signs. He's never hidden that. Teams can add in 'no-compete' clauses, technically called restrictive covenants, but there's a problem in that those types of clauses are actually from a strictly legal perspective unenforceable, verging on illegal as they breach competition laws. There's almost an element of the old 'gentleman's agreement' about them. There are complex scenarios in which they are legal and enforceable, but more often than not a judge in a court will not uphold them when it comes down to it. Prima Facie, they are illegal. I can expand if anyone wants, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to know the boring, technical ins and outs...

[What's Burning?]

Seriously, does nobody read? Nah, I'm quite aware I tend to write long, drawn out, boring posts so understand if anyone missed it... noticed a few more people were asking the question as to why Renault allowed Kubica to race in the rally - from my post yesterday answering the question:

As for the issue of 'why was he racing something else other than F1?', Kubica has always had it written into his Contract that he's allowed to race in other series as a fundamental clause of anything he signs. He's never hidden that. Teams can add in 'no-compete' clauses, technically called restrictive covenants, but there's a problem in that those types of clauses are actually from a strictly legal perspective unenforceable, verging on illegal as they breach competition laws. There's almost an element of the old 'gentleman's agreement' about them. There are complex scenarios in which they are legal and enforceable, but more often than not a judge in a court will not uphold them when it comes down to it. Prima Facie, they are illegal. I can expand if anyone wants, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to know the boring, technical ins and outs...

I read an article not long ago that the internet has shortened our collective attention span.

[Hexagram]

We'll know in a week or two if the hand is healing as expected. It's disgusting to think it was partially severed.

It is totally out of his control if he can race again though, all the desire and will in the world won't make his hand heal back to normal or to a useful state if it is too badly damaged.

I'm sure though if there is even a slight bit of movement in his fingers he will work his arse off to get the strength to a level high enough to control an F1 steering wheel again and that would be epic.

[bud]

Then there is Hamilton

WTF