Petrov F1 seat in jeopardy? IndyCar may want him
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| Petrov on hot seat again? Perfect for IndyCar. They can use Russian Petrov if they decide a race in Moscow fits their agenda |
(GMM) Vitaly Petrov has lashed back at suggestions he will not be racing with the Renault team in 2012. With a contract already in his pocket, the rumors began to swirl in Monza two weeks ago but the Russian insisted: "My contract is safe for next year."
But in the last few days, new speculation has suggested team boss Eric Boullier could be planning to keep Bruno Senna for 2012 and pair him with GP2 champion Romain Grosjean.
As for 27-year-old Petrov's signed deal, Boullier said: "You have contracts, but there are some exit clauses for every party."
In Singapore, Petrov once again insisted he feels secure for next season.
"I think everything's fine, it's just bullsh*t in the newspapers," he told reporters.
"As I said at the beginning of the season, we signed for two years and I don't see the reason I need to be worried."
Petrov said it was not unusual for his boss Boullier to talk about the possibility of breaking a contract.
"I think it's everywhere in the world that a contract can be finished not just because of a bad season or I did less points.
"The contract can finish by another thing like money or things like this. So this is why he said it.
"But if you ask him a different question maybe he can answer you differently also," added Petrov.
09/21/11 (GMM) Renault's team boss has added fuel to speculation Vitaly Petrov might be ousted at the end of the season.
It was reported last week that not only Russian Petrov but also his 2010 teammate Robert Kubica could be overlooked for the Enstone based team's race seats next year.
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said that, instead, Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean might be regarded as the favorites, despite the fact Petrov has a valid contract.
Petrov, 27, said at Monza: "My contract is safe for next year."
But his boss, Frenchman Boullier, told Britain's Daily Mail: "You have contracts, but there are some exit clauses for every party."
He is keen to find a place in F1 for his countryman and new GP2 champion Grosjean, who is managed by Boullier's own Gravity stable, while Brazilian Senna is now regarded as a better bet than Petrov in terms of sponsorship potential.
Boullier told the newspaper it is "too early" to talk about 27-year-old Senna with regards to 2012.
Senna though is obviously keen to hang onto his race seat, having replaced Kubica substitute Nick Heidfeld two races ago.
"The best way for me to be racing next year is with the results on the track," he said.
"The objective is to keep having strong results and fix my place in formula one, and the key to that is to keep improving and learning."