Grosjean Ready to Replace Piquet at Valencia

We're quite sure some of you are getting a bit tired of this, but the latest rumors coming from the F1 paddock suggest Brazilian driver Nelsinho Piquet is very close to making his Formula One exit prior to the Valencia race three weeks from now. Like all the other reports on the subject in recent weeks, there is no confirmation of such a move from either Renault, or Piquet.

The rumors started to get even more serious when Renault's boss Flavio Briatore chose to walk away from the Renault garage during last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. Apparently, the 59-year old Italian found it unnecessary to continue watching Piquet struggle while in 12th place, considering that Alonso's DNF after only 15 laps practically killed the race for his team.

With the prospect of Piquet being sacked by Renault for the remainder of the 2009 season, all the attention was switched to potential replacer Romain Grosjean. The Swiss-French driver, currently competing in the GP2 Main Series, admitted he is now ready to make the step to F1, although such a discussion was never held between him and the Renault representatives.

“I was focusing on the GP2 weekend which was the main point so let's see what's going on,” said Grosjean for GP Week during the Hungarian event. As for the prospect of making the F1 grid in the near future, he said “Yes I think so. If you have the chance you will say yes. The car is getting much better and I think there are some more updates coming, so it's a good time for the team.”

The 23-year old GP2 driver also made it very clear that some F1 outings for Renault in 2009 would only help him get more acquainted to the Formula One action in the prospect of a full 2010 drive. Which means Piquet if out either way!