The reason is that the Frenchman was championed by the disgraced former boss Flavio Briatore. The Italian manager was handed a lifetime penalty by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) as a result of his involvement in the crash-gate, and it seems that Renault will try to get rid of every kind of link with the 59-year old, including former clients.
Polish driver Robert Kubica seems to be already signed by Renault, as the official confirmation of the deal is expected to surface in the media during the course of this week. Although the majority of the reporters were waiting for a sign from Renault on Tuesday, French daily L'Equipe revealed an official statement from the Enstone based team will be made later today.
The 24-year old is to replace Fernando Alonso at Renault, as the move is considered of top priority for the French manufacturer. As for his future teammate, Renault don't seem to eager to have that equation solved by the end of the season, as “it is understood that Renault is prepared to wait much longer – for instance until January of next year – to confirm the identity of the second driver,” as reported by the GMM news agency.
Among those on Renault's list for the 2010 lineup are also Timo Glock, Kubica's current teammate at BMW Sauber Nick Heidfeld and also Adrian Sutil. However, the last of those drivers already hinted that he wants to stay at Force India – Mercedes, now that the team has provided him with a point-scoring car in the series.
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