Piquet's future remains uncertain

Source : www.autosport.com
By Jonathan Noble

Nelson Piquet's future with Renault remains uncertain after team boss Flavio Briatore said he could not confirm who would be driving his second car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Piquet was surrounded by rumours that he could be dropped after the German race, having failed to score the necessary points that would have contractually guaranteed his slot with the team.

But despite Piquet expressing confidence over the weekend about his future, Briatore declined to confirm the future of his Brazilian driver following the Nurburgring event.

"I don't know," he told AUTOSPORT when asked about if Piquet would be driving alongside Fernando Alonso at the Hungaroring. "Maybe I am in the car myself..."

Piquet wrote on his Twitter feed after the German race that he had been told by Renault that he would be given the same performance updates that Alonso had on his car in Germany for the Hungarian race - suggesting that he will remain on board,

"The team have promised that me and Fernando will have the same car for the next race," he wrote.

Piquet told Autosprint magazine last weekend that the team had not given him the same conditions as team-mate Alonso so far.

"My contract is complex, with many points agreed only verbally," he said. "Renault promised me the same conditions as Alonso's, but I've never had them. During the winter I tested for 2,000 kms, while Alonso did 4,000 kms.

"We've had insignificant problems, bad luck, that compromised many results, but they forget that at Renault. I understand Briatore being unhappy, but it's not only my fault. This is a difficult job, I try to keep my head cool, without putting too much pressure on myself."

Renault's third driver Frenchman Romain Grosjean has been most strongly linked with a step-up to an F1 race seat if Piquet is dropped, although he has struggled for form in GP2 since his big accident at the Monaco Grand Prix support race.

Brazilian Lucas di Grassi has also been linked with the drive, but he made it clear on Tuesday that he was fully focused on winning the GP2 crown.