Opinion: Why Nick Heidfeld is the only man to fill in for Robert Kubica
by Jack Lamure on Feb 8th, 2011After what's been a pretty dark few days following Robert Kubica's rally accident we've finally had a bit of good news in the last 24-hours or so. The first was that the injured Pole is making excellent progress following surgery, with the head of the intensive care unit where he is being treated saying that "Robert's medical evolution is excellent: he is able to drink and to execute small movements with the hand."
The second came today and, whilst nowhere near as important as Kubica's well being, still provided some cheer here at Badger. It came from Renault boss Eric Boullier, who stated that Nick Heidfeld is among those being considered to fill in for Robert. As we see it, Nick is the only man available capable of keeping Kubica's seat warm whilst also helping Renault progress from last year's strong display.
Credit: Sauber Media
The other men in the frame are Force India refugee Tonio Liuzzi and Renault reserve driver Bruno Senna. The former should be ruled out following what was an inconsistent 2010 season in which he failed to match the performances of Adrian Sutil. As for Senna, whilst we have every respect for the lad (he was impressive in F3 and GP2) his single, troubled year at Hispania doesn't qualify him for this job. His only point of reference is the un-developed Dallara that the Spanish team ran in 2010, and whilst he wasn't by any means embarrassing he did find himself beaten by Christian Klien on two of the three occasions that the Austrian was his team-mate. Hardly the stuff of champions.
And even if he had shown well Senna lacks the experience the team so desperately needs to move forward. With the inexperienced and inconsistent Vitaly Petrov in the other seat a driver with plenty GPs on his C.V is the order of the day. Nick fits that bill, having started a whopping 172 F1 races. He's a skilled development driver who would be unfazed by racing for a big team (after all, he competed for Williams in 2005 and for BMW between 2006 and 2009) and would take no time at all to get up to speed. He proved that when he jumped in a Sauber for the final few races of last year, quickly getting on Kamui Kobayashi's pace and scoring six points in the five races he contested.
Nick has already had contact with the team, having sought Petrov's seat whilst the Russian's position remained unclear over the winter. That he didn't get it is a shame in itself, but that's not what we're here to talk about now.
From what we're hearing, and briefly saw in testing, the new Renault is a bit special, capable of fighting for wins this year, and it will take a proven driver - the type Kubica provided them with - to make that count. Whilst it would be nice to give a youngster a shot that can't be the team's focus - their focus must be on the driver who will be most competitive in the shortest amount of time. In the clear light of day the choice between a near-rookie and a bloke who's closing in on 200 grand prix, with 12 podiums and 225 points to his name, should be pretty open and shut.
It's a horrible situation for Nick to be in - as former team-mates he and Robert (or 'Wobert,' as he so endearingly called him) were friends, and the German wished him well via his website on Sunday. He won't want to get the chance this way but unfortunately this is racing. We hope that, whilst Kubica makes as speedy a recovery as possible, Heidfeld is the man selected to fill his boots. That's no easy task, but Heidfeld is the best placed to do it.
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Comments and Discussion
I'm in 100 percent agreement.
I wouldn't bet against the team asking Robert who best could fill his shoes and i'd like to think that Nick is the driver he'd nominate due to how well they worked together at BMW.
Not to mention the fact that the race Robert won, Nick would've won instead had he not allowed his team mate to pass!
Like you said; going by how quickly Heidfeld got up to speed in last year's Sauber there shouldn't be an issue with him being at all rusty.
There is another possibility though: Nico Hulkenberg might have a clause in his Force India contract that allows him to race for another team if there were to be a seat available in 2011. He wouldn't be as effective a replacement since he too was prone to silly mistakes in 2010, but got away with them to an extent due to the other rookies making bigger ones. And got that pole in Brazil which for some people made everything okay and labelled him a "star of the future".
But still, i wouldn't be surprised if Nico got it.
Fingers crossed for Heidfeld though.
Heidfeld is too slow to be a front runner.
Renault should test with Senna- he is the reserve driver and deserves to have a shot. Many rookies made their name like this.
Come on Badger, why do you emphasise only the coldness of logic
and disregard the warmth of sentiment: Senna in a JPS-styled Lotus Renault ... the stuff of legends! I thought you were all about the fun after all ...
It's Jimmy Von Weeks' opinion - personally yes I agree having Senna in a JPS lotus is magical... an also a little unnerving - maybe Mansell Jnr could get in with HRT too...
Heidfeld is a good driver, and a safe bet. But he is not great and he has already reached its peak. Last year he was outpaced by Kobayashi. I would do a test between Heidfeld and Bourdais. I think Bourdais has experience and has more space to develop if he is listened. In a test we can compare the speed of Bourdais and Heidfeld and then take a decision
I like Bourdais more than most but really don't see him getting anywhere near F1 again. He seems to be on his way to Indycar.
@Willi Gauda, I apologise for my cold logic. Unfortunately I'm probably Badger's least sentimental member of staff (and may also be a big Heidfeld fan).
Heidfeld has been around far too long to be any better than what he is.
A journeyman driver.
Give Senna a go.
What a stupid statement to make. Heidfeld too slow to be a front runner yet he has taken about 14 podiums and a pole position. Also outscoring the excellent kubica 2 out of the 3 seasons they were team mates. Come on, Get real. Nick is a very talented and fast driver and the stats from all his races back this up. He beat Raikkonen, Massa, Webber and Kubica when team mates. That is an impressive list...
Imperial Tobacco (owners of the John Player brand) must be rubbing their hands gleefully at the prospect of Bruno Senna getting the seat. Because that will mean that historical comparison pictures are brought to the fore; lots of free advertising!
I'm surprised nothing's been said about the Renault/Proton paint job to be honest, because F1 folk immediately associate the Black/Gold colour scheme with the John Player Special's.
The cold logic is sound! Its probably what i would do if i was in charge! but Senna is the man, he deserves a chance, Heidfeld has had plenty!
While I wouldn't say Heidfeld is slow (he's aquitted himself VERY well compared to his teammates over the years), the fact that he's had an opportunity with a big team (BMW) during which in which he didn't set the world alight compared to Kubica. I just don't see him as capable of carrying the team. Yes Damon Hill did just that, but he was still new and hungry.
My preference is Senna. As Tiff Needell said on Twitter a few days ago, the lack of experience doesn't matter - they've been setting up their GP2 cars for years and win races for a reason. Plus Senna has experience from last year, albeit in a dog of a car, but he'll know the circuits and the paddock environment so he can get on and focus on the car.
I was lying in bed this morning mulling this over, Senna's too much of a risk.
The team seem pretty convinced that this year's car is going to be right up there, if not the pace-setter.
The bit people seem to forget in their rose-tinted day-dreams is the fact that Renault have Petrov in the other car. While Vitaly does have pace, he also has a reputation for bumping into things, he's still learning.
As is Senna, whose first season's F1 doesn't really count for much due to the car being so far off the pace and frequently breaking down.
Vitaly needs a team mate he can learn from, a team mate who can complete race-distances.
With all this in mind, if the Renault is a very quick car, the only way they're going to challenge for wins is to have someone in the other car with a reputation for being dependable; a proven track-record. Neither of which Senna has. Putting him in the car for the season could destroy Bruno's career and any hope Renault has for wins or championships.
Alternatively Petrov might turn out to be spectacularly good this year and his team mate's identity will be completely irrelevant!