Boullier coy on second Renault seat

Robert Kubica is all signed up to compete with Renault this year, but the identity of his team-mate remains a subject of speculation. Vitaly Petrov is one driver strongly linked to the seat, but new team principal Eric Boullier admits that there are other options including German veteran Nick Heidfeld.

Boullier has suggested that a driver such as Petrov bringing funding to the team would be a welcome addition, especially on the back of his strong GP2 campaign last year. However, he is keen to ensure that the Anglo-French team can hit the ground running with both drivers able to fight for championship points and is therefore also looking at some of the F1 veterans such as former BMW Sauber driver Heidfeld.

"Definitely it’s a different question because he has spent so many years with Robert," Boullier told the Press Association. "The question mark is if we want to put them together again or not. But he is on the list."

With Renault and Boullier in no rush to sign the second driver, Kubica will be charged with the initial running of the new R30 in Valencia on February 1.

Kubica meanwhile had a short and disappointing Monte Carlo Rally debut yesterday when his Renault Clio R3 suffered an engine failure ahead of the very first stage of the rally.