Heidfeld will be replaced by Senna... ?

[RainierSassetti]

Nice move for him. I hope he drives well so he can get a race seat next year. Seeing him in a Williams next year would be win-win for FW and himself.

BTW, it will be a nice sight seeing the Senna helmet in the dark car in the dark race track (Singapore)

[Captain Hammer]

You'll love to see my face when he wins the Brazilian GP.

And I'll love to see your face when he doesn't.

You can count on it.

Count on what? Senna not winning?

You said it. Not me.

I'd love to see your face when Petrov loses that seat and ends up in a Virgin for the rest of his career when Lotus needs more money that he can't deliver.

He won't. If Renault are cash-strapped, then relasing Petrov would be the equivalent of playing Russian Roulette with a semi-automatic.

[David AGS]

Signing Senna has also led to Renault signing 4 sponsors: All from Brazil!

http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport ... 58199.html

[TomWazzleshaw]

Signing Senna has also led to Renault signing 4 sponsors: All from Brazil!

http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport ... 58199.html

I wonder if the two are connected in any way

[eagleash]

Signing Senna has also led to Renault signing 4 sponsors: All from Brazil!

http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport ... 58199.html

I wonder if the two are connected in any way

The 2 out of the 4 that are Brazilian Companies you mean?

[mario]

Signing Senna has also led to Renault signing 4 sponsors: All from Brazil!

http://en.espnf1.com/renault/motorsport ... 58199.html

I wonder if the two are connected in any way

The 2 out of the 4 that are Brazilian Companies you mean?

As you say, last time I checked Gilette wasn't founded in Brazil...

That said, the deals with the Brazilian companies is hardly surprising - Embratel, for example, has long been a personal sponsor of Bruno Senna (and part of the reason why he got a seat with HRT in the first place). The other deals are more interesting, and you do wonder whether those were also brought in by Bruno - if so, then it would explain why Renault were so eager to push Heidfeld out (and makes a mockery of Bruno's claims that his deal with Renault had nothing to do with sponsorship...).
Still, as others have said, it does look as if Kubica's chances of returning to Renault are declining with Renault's increasing reliance on pay drivers - Petrov has improved considerably over last year, and Bruno's healthy sponsorship package, given that the team would otherwise be in poor financial shape, might well secure him that seat for next year too.

[eagleash]

I wonder if the two are connected in any way

The 2 out of the 4 that are Brazilian Companies you mean?

As you say, last time I checked Gilette wasn't founded in Brazil....

& Auden McKenzie are from Ruislip, Middlesex, UK.

[AndreaModa]

I could have sworn I'd already seen Gillette logos on the car this season though...

When Renault said they were happy with Bruno's effort over the Belgian GP weekend, they weren't referring to his driving!

[AdrianSutil]

Give him time, he will improve.

[Captain Hammer]

I could have sworn I'd already seen Gillette logos on the car this season though...

That's correct - Gilette appeared on the front wing at Spa.

When Renault said they were happy with Bruno's effort over the Belgian GP weekend, they weren't referring to his driving!

Why do people assume that Renault is only invested in Senna for the money? For one, sponsors tend to attach themselves to talented drivers because they represent the best chance of breaking into the sport, thus giving said sponsors more exposure. Gone are the days when playboys who fancied themselves as racing drivers could buy a seat on the grid - the tiered system of feeder series means that no matter how much money they have, drivers have to show a certain degree of talent before they're eligible for a Superlicence, much less being considred by a team.

And secondly, Gilette was the only sponsor to join Renault in Belgium. OGX, Embratel and Auden McKenzie will only join them from Monza. No doubt they wanted to assess Senna's return to the cockpit before agreeing to sponsor the team - which means their commitment was not a condition of Senna getting the drive. Moreover, Embratel attached themselves to Hispania last year as a sponsor of Senna. I find it very telling that they did not immediately join Renault.

[Klon]

And secondly, Gilette was the only sponsor to join Renault in Belgium. OGX, Embratel and Auden McKenzie will only join them from Monza. No doubt they wanted to assess Senna's return to the cockpit before agreeing to sponsor the team - which means their commitment was not a condition of Senna getting the drive. Moreover, Embratel attached themselves to Hispania last year as a sponsor of Senna. I find it very telling that they did not immediately join Renault.

It is fairly obvious that this was due to Heidfeld since the assurance of Senna driving was not given with Heidfeld considering his legal options. Now that he has retreated, so to speak, the sponsors have their assurance they will get Senna, so they pump their cash into Renault.

[DanielPT]

And secondly, Gilette was the only sponsor to join Renault in Belgium. OGX, Embratel and Auden McKenzie will only join them from Monza. No doubt they wanted to assess Senna's return to the cockpit before agreeing to sponsor the team - which means their commitment was not a condition of Senna getting the drive. Moreover, Embratel attached themselves to Hispania last year as a sponsor of Senna. I find it very telling that they did not immediately join Renault.

It is fairly obvious that this was due to Heidfeld since the assurance of Senna driving was not given with Heidfeld considering his legal options. Now that he has retreated, so to speak, the sponsors have their assurance they will get Senna, so they pump their cash into Renault.

This. The sponsors were waiting for the case to be solved. If Senna didn't had sponsors he would not be at Renault as a test-driver in the first place. If we look at their drivers 'stable' we clearly can understand how they work.

[Captain Hammer]

It is fairly obvious that this was due to Heidfeld since the assurance of Senna driving was not given with Heidfeld considering his legal options.

Why would a company best-known for making razors sponsor a man best-known for his beard?

Anyone with half a brain knew that Heidfeld and Renault were going to settle. There is simply no way that either of them would want Heidfeld to drive for Renault if Heidfeld got an injunction to race. It would be a compeltely toxic environment. Sponsors would be intelligent enough to recognise that.

And if you actually look at where the sponsor logos are going on the R31, it's pretty obvious that there are not major deals.

[Klon]

Anyone with half a brain knew that Heidfeld and Renault were going to settle. There is simply no way that either of them would want Heidfeld to drive for Renault if Heidfeld got an injunction to race. It would be a compeltely toxic environment. Sponsors would be intelligent enough to recognise that..

Life Lession #189: Never count on people to do the sensible thing, it is going to backfire horribly one day.

[DanielPT]

Life Lession #189: Never count on people to do the sensible thing, it is going to backfire horribly one day.

Seconded.

And if you actually look at where the sponsor logos are going on the R31, it's pretty obvious that there are not major deals.

No, they are not and that even makes them more like waiting on how things went with Heidfeld and have a commitment from the team before making the deals. After all they needed to make sure their cash was well spent and placed within the right driver for their target market (the Brazilian one).