Heidfeld and Senna set for Renault shoot-out
Kubica leaves intensive care
Nick Heidfeld and Bruno Senna are set for a testing shoot-out to replace the injured Robert Kubica in the Lotus Renault team with the pair to be evaluated during the Jerez test, which started yesterday.
Heidfeld, who raced for Sauber at the end of last season, had been seen as one of the favourites to replace Kubica.
Renault team owner Gerard Lopez hinted that Heidfeld or former Force India driver Vitantonio Liuzzi would drive for the team at Jerez, and 33-year-old Heidfeld has been given the nod to drive the R31 along with Senna tomorrow and on Sunday as the team seek a team-mate to partner Vitaly Petrov.
A Lotus Renault statement read: “Lotus Renault GP has revised its driver line-up for this week’s test session in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.
“Vitaly Petrov will drive the R31 on Thursday (yesterday) and Friday (today), as originally scheduled. For Saturday and Sunday, the team will give mileage to Bruno Senna and will also evaluate Nick Heidfeld, who is a potential replacement for Robert Kubica as a race driver.”
Senna, who along with Romain Grosjean is one of the team’s test drivers, is seen as another potential replacement for Kubica, but the team are understood to be keen to move for an experienced driver to partner Petrov.
The Russian and Senna competed in Formula One for the first time last season, with the Brazilian enduring a particularly tough time at the struggling Hispania team.
Heidfeld, on the other hand, has been in the sport since racing for Prost in 2000, going on to have spells with Sauber, Jordan, Williams and BMW Sauber and racking up 172 starts.
Meanwhile, Kubica has been moved from intensive care to a trauma ward as he continues his recovery from a crash on the Ronde di Andora rally.
The Pole is responding well to treatment in a hospital in Italy after suffering multiple fractures in Sunday’s crash.
The 26-year-old driver is scheduled to undergo surgery to his foot and upper arm today, before an operation on his elbow on Monday. The operations are expected to last around four hours each.