Hi folks. I thought this might be worth a new thread but will be happy if a moderator feels this should sit in an existing thread instead. Eric Boullier seems to consider Robert Kubiça as being perhaps the biggest factor in his Renault team's slump during 2011. Here is a link to Autosport's lead article: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96846 Or for the full article: http://plus.autosport.com/premium/feature/4110/renault-season-of-false-dawns/?v=1 As has often been the case with Boullier; once again, I find myself slightly perplexed by his statement. Of course, Renault suffered considerable loss from their 'lead driver', but I am surprised at Boullier saying it was so significant! Certainly, I don't think it reflects well on the drivers he actually chose after Kubiça's nightmarish rallying incident…
I think blaming Kubica for the failed front-exiting exhausts is a bit much! Maybe his experience would have helped in testing, but by the time they got the car on the track in February then surely the chassis has been homologated, and the rest of the car designed around the concept. Yes, losing him wasn't helpful, but I don't think their season would have been significantly different with him. Maybe he'd have scraped a win rather than a podium in the first couple of rounds, but that's pure speculation. I can't really see the motivation for saying all of this either. To my understanding, Kubica's Renault contract expires at the end of 2012, and saying these things surely won't convince him to sign a contract extension, when potentially Massa's seat at Ferrari may become available, or if Ricciardo and Vergne fail to impress, he could even replace Webber at Red Bull.
could money on developing the car in 2011 have been hampered by the team paying Kubica full wages during his injury? if so.. its Boulliers fault
I think I share your thoughts here Canary, especially the two sentences I've highlighted. Well, I suppose it's a possibility, at least to some extent. Money or otherwise, I question Boullier's management skills and apparent inability to prevent himself from making public gaffes like this. Every time he opens his mouth, it seems; it backfires as much as an out of date Renault exhaust system. Perhaps Boullier is the original EBD? The Exhaust from his mouth is hot air: it Blows oxygen on every little flame and Diffuses nothing!
I don't think drivers salaries are included in the RRA, so unless Renault are so tight on money they barely have enough to 'max out' the RRA, I can't imagine this was an issue. I can't see Renault cutting it that fine, despite their well-reported issues with financing.
Boullier is the problem at Renault at the moment, nothing seems to be going right for this team. In my opinion Raikkonen is going to have a tough time, he has a short fuse anyway... and that was shown many times in one of the best teams on the grid. So I wonder how he is going to do in a 5th best car. On Kubica, I don't have the slightest idea of how he is going to do at all.
Boullier should come forward and take some of the blame for last season. Blaming Heidfeld for a fire that could have easily injured him was unacceptable.
Of all the team bosses, I think Boullier has come across as the least professional this year, I can't think of another boss who has conducted themselves as poorly this year.
Typical bullshit from Eric Boullier. He calls the shots at Renault and should take responsibility for all of the problems Renault faced.
Kubica is fully to blame for his accident, but Boullier gets the award for really messing up the team
You think that's bad... Boullier blamed their lousy result in Singapore on the tea lady for forgetting the chocolate Hob Nobs. Quite justified too if you ask me.
I think this is more of a compliment of Robert's talents than blaming him for their poor season. Imagine the season Ferrari would've had if Alonso had been injured pre-season and replaced by Heidfeld. People would be saying similar things about Alonso. The bit where he mentions the front exiting exhausts being developed differently is priceless though.
Yes, AG; I agree that this is what he was trying to do. But diplomacy is not in his tool-kit. Compliments need to be seen in isolation, rather than to invite or provoke immediate comparisons. For instance, if he was talking up Kubiça's value to the team, his actual words also send out a message that he considers the other drivers he chose were poor because they were incapable of doing what he thinks Kubiça could have achieved! This sort of double-talk does not go down well in the paddock. It does not come across as supportive and does not instil confidence in a team who feel their drivers may be undermined at any moment. More and more he is being perceived as not the bloke a driver wants to drive for, which has inevitable repercussions for the whole team.
