In addition to the fact that he brings a lot of experience to the table, the German driver proved himself quite quick last Saturday – although many believe Renault was behind the whole thing by putting him on low fuel and super-soft tires – and several media reports hinted that he will be confirmed as Kubica's replacement from as early as this Monday.
Since the deadline came and went, rumors started to appear on this topic once again. And probably the most interesting one regards the other driver that will supposedly be evaluated by Lotus Renault this weekend in Barcelona, former Force India's Vitantonio Liuzzi. According to sources, the reason why Renault delayed the signing of Heidfeld was because Kubica is reportedly pushing for Liuzzi to come and replace him at Enstone.
Needless to say, that rumor doesn't make a whole lot of sense, especially because if one of the two drivers would be closer to Kubica, his name would have to be Heidfeld. After all, the duo spent a bunch of years being teammates at BMW Sauber, while Liuzzi's only connection with the Pole is that he came and visited him in the hospital following his crash two weekends ago.
As far as Heidfeld is concerned, some voices in the F1 paddock suggest that he would be the right addition to Renault at the moment. And one of his main supporters is actually his countryman and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel.
“In Jerez I think he worked well with that team and he's one of the few honest guys in F1. He deserves this chance,” said the Red Bull racer.
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