Er no, he clearly says he can. I mean why are we even debating this? That's crystal clear in his words and is implied in Renault's statement failing to mention Kubica.

I see it that way too: Kubica is free to go and I doubt it's a game playing at this point - unlike us Morinelly/Kubica knew exactly what the contract says and had admitted already he was talking to Mercedes so saying like it is to the press might seem like a change for us but it doesn't really changes the dynamics of the situation at all. It's all at the Mercedes-Schumacher and Mercedes-Kubica fronts. Unless they wants to renegotiate contract with Renault and plays the 'should I stay should I go' games with them.

Kubica is taking risk to place himself in a weak position if he fail to move out of Renault.

Why? So it's not ok for Kubica to look around now but it is ok for Renault to look around and sell 75% of their operation to Lopez? Renault made the first move, they were the one's who backed out of their committment they made.

Kubica and Morelli are just being prudent, if someone changes the deal, you don't sign up to the new deal willy nilly, you gotta re-examine your options.

Glad you're staying, now sort out your drivers. As for Dave Richards, he doesn't seem to be particularly well liked or trusted.

Kubica Signed his contract. If he push too hard, then his act can be a cause of bore.


Naturally he can within the agreements that reached by the both parties and the both parties are expected to handle the contract with good will.

Not sure I follow you, but it interesting that in terms of the contract, given how quickly the sold off 75%, one has to question if Renault were contemplating doing this prior to entering the contract with Kubica and didn't tell him on purpose, in which case were they acting in good faith?

Oh that's crystal. Err, not. Morrelli simply CLAIMS that he can and Renault say nothing, thus imply nothing. I don't think its as definate as you make out that Kubica can move, so that's why were still discussing it. Crystal?

So he is lying and Renault must be also be too dumb to realise as they haven't confirmed Kubica when they could already? An interesting theory. Let's examine another possible theory... you're wrong.

It would appear that the new investors want this team to run as it has done (crashgate withstanding of course). It is essentially still The Renault team, if not on paper quite the same incarnation. I think both Renault and the new investor Genii plan this to be the way to carry on. Not sure why Kubica should be bothered about the partnership, unless he doesn't want to end up contracted to a team that all of sudden is no longer Renault in a couple of years.....

I think RK has been put in a horrible position. The team is not the same team he signed up for - being that it will be run new management so if he stays there is definite uncertainty especially if the CEO of renault doesn't particularly care for their involvment in F1. If he jumps ship he will be viewed in a negative light I'd imagine.

Just a crap situation to be put in.

According to www.confidential-renault.fr Bob Bell will no longer be team manager.

http://translate.google.fr/translate?hl=fr...ault.fr/?id=361

I began to really like this team when they hired Kubica and announced "pure racing" approach. And now they were bought by some venture capital firm, talk about "green ideas", replace their managers and look for a pay drivers. It doesn't look good.

I'm not sure the situation is any worse than when he signed. It might even be better - unlike Ghosn, Lopez is a racing fan.

I had to agree if Genii were to purge Bob Bell from his team. I would not be surprised if Bell stays on but not as the head of the team. Never the less if Genii wants to keep team in tact then better not to change anything at all for a while. See how Ross Brawn operated when he stepped into Honda. He did everything about HR very carefully and slowly.

Let's just say that situation is already written in stone. Let's pretend that Mercedes signed and announced MS as their 2nd driver, and that Robert is staying at what should we call them? I guess Renault still.
Genii group has their 75% ownership of the team and is "letting" Renault make the shots as far as racing is concerned.

So here we are a third of the season in and RK and his teammate have finished every race either out of the points or DNF due to mechanical problems. If all of a sudden the Genii group decides to push Renault out and say "ok Renault people, you've had your try, you failed now GTFO!!!"

Or what if they decide to do the same thing that happened with Midland, sell it to somebody else. Can we count on Renault to then buy out the 75% back and take full control of the team? Or can we count on them saying "Yeah you're right Genii Capital you do whatever you want, here's the remaining 25% of the team for $1 do what you please. Hey Bernie we're sorry but we tried to stay in but we got kicked out, you got beef? Go talk to Mr. Lopez, we're still going to provide engines to the teams for the remainder of the season and then we'll revise our situation in participation of F1 after the season concludes"

What if.....indeed.

If a company is sold it doesn't mean all the contracts that form had are no longer valid. I don't know what Morelli is on about.

Is it so hard to understand that in contract was exit clause? Renault knew about it. Morelli is just saying that they might use that exit clause.

No, only those that have a change of control clause:

http://employment.practicallaw.com/5-107-5884

A contractual provision which gives a party to an agreement enhanced protection if the controlling shareholding of the other party is transferred. In commercial contracts a change of control clause will often give the party who is not subject to a change in ownership the right to terminate the agreement in the event of a change of control of the other party.

It's a boilerplate clause for the type of contract Kubica would have signed. Something akin to a clause like this (it of course can be much more detailed) is what Morelli is talking about.

possibilities.

1. Genii stays put for coming decades (let us say) and have ambition to become WCC.
2. Genii is fanatic about F1 but now they are looking which way they should go, sell or invest...
3. Genii is seriously planning to stay put but Kubica&co. think that he has greater chance to fail, or at least expecting big troublesome ride; Genii is an aggressive operator.
4. Genii is simply interested in putting Zero money into the team as long as possible and sel the team, meaning for Kubica the team is wrong choice, meaning that he is like Midland owner, who also preferred to stay in the back scene.
5. Kubica now just want to drive Merceds as he has Mercedes contract proposal on his table.
...

In anycase the owner change may alter the condition for which Kubica made his commitment beyond Kubica's consent. I can agree to Kubica if he observe such situation.

But if Genii is serious about it and decently wanting to build up his future with Kubica with more investment money and ambition, a troublesome attitude or operation based on un-rooted doubts will deteriorate any good potentials that lays in front of him and the team. So Naturally Kubica and the new owner should get together and talk about it.


My feeling is that Genii may refused to do so simply because he sees that the team with no Kubica is one way or the other worth much less. Hence stay silent for some time until Mercedes signs the second driver, so that Kubica has no more serious options.

It has been a messy episode. Could Flav still be a factor in the equation in some way?

No. He's still got a lifetime ban, remember? And even if he succeeds in getting it overturned, no-one is going to want to be associated with him. His case against the FIA centres on their failure to follow due diligence, and does not address the issue of his guilt. Which is practically a confession; if he was innocent, you think he'd fight the charges on those grounds, but he hasn't even mentioned it.

I know that his ban applies to direct involvement in F1, I was wondering if he still holds any shares or investments in F1/Renault. The FIA does not have jurisdiction over shareholdings so far as I am aware. As I said earlier this has been a messy episode and there is probably a very good reason why Renault has taken so long to make its first move away from team ownership. If Flav was a stakeholder it would go some way towards explaining the parent company's apparent procrastination.

I hope that the situation is resolved and the team can concentrate on getting ready for the new season. Uncertainty saps away enthusiasm.

Ho ho ho. One of us is wrong, but only one of us appears to be humble enough to be confortable with that possibility! You appear to be adamant that there was definately a contractual provision for an exit in the event of a change of ownership, and you appear to be adamant that Morelli has confirmed that explicitly. I am not convinced of the former and opposed to you on the later, but nevertheless I have a feeling that we will never know for sure because Kubica will probably stay at Renault anyway if MS signs for Merc. Still, puzzeled as to why you wish to enforce your thinking on me so agressively.

No but funny I was thinking of poor old Flav myself too, he must be gutted to see Lopez "walk away" with "his" team.

According to various media during the summer Flav was busy securing funds to take over the Renault team in the event that Renault would pull out, surely he had envisioned a sweet deal (mostly for himself) in which he ended up with the team for a bargain while cementing his position in F1.

Look at him now, his role in F1 is over, his team is sold to Lopez and all Flav gets to do is try and reverse his F1-ban on a technicality and Lamaze class with Elisabetta.

It never would have happened - if Briatore had bought the team, the FIA probably would have banned it on the sport and re-acquired the grid slot to be given out to someone else.

Yeah possibly, poor Flav he really didn't do himself any favours with his FOTA role.

I was thinking more that the team would be banned on the spot because of Briatore's lifetime ban. Nothing to do with FOTA, everything to do with fixing a race.

OK miscommunication, of course it wouldn't have materialised after Crashgate and the Flavio punishment, I was talking about this summer when Crashgate wasn't in sight and Flav was looking for funds to take over the team in case of a Renault pullout.

http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.p...&sid=125487

According to Auto-Hebdo Gerhard Berger will be the Team prinicipal in 2010.

Is that reliable stuff?

Auto-Hebdo are usually well informed but no sources for this.

Would be good though to see Gerhard back in F1

the same on GPU now
Berger tipped for Renault manager role

Berger did really good work in Toro Rosso last year. He said something like this "We don't know why we are so good but definitely we are"

Gerhard Berger to AMuS.

Berger had not heard a thing about this...
http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-...lt-1566818.html

Berger is way too much of a political animal.
Can't see Kubica working with him.

Exactly, no word about it.
But he also mentions that other teams had called him, just to have their proposals refused.

French reports say that Renault is likely to be run in its traditional colours.

ToileF1.com

I hope it's not that God-awful thirtieth anniversary one.

^ It will probably be similar to the 1981-1982 livery, I guess, so yellow and black with a sprinkling of white thrown in. And maybe with some red to acknowledge the Total sponsorship.

Rumours in polish press that Renault could sign Nicholas Prost as 3rd driver.

In some Brazilian sites press too.

Like this?

Berger was very good with his workings of Williams-BMW and later when he bought Torro Rosso and beat Red Bull

Eric Boullier was named team principal. Still want to know whats going on with kubica. Although I imagine since mercedes is a no go he will be sticking with renault.

I was gonna say. He has no better options.

Renault may well be the dark horse next year.

Give me one reason why the can be a dark horse?
I mean, BrawnGP is a total different story, they had Ross, and they had the car developed since 2007 with lot, lot of money from honda.
Renault had 2 WDC's, but on different circumstances (michelin)
And look at the grid, merc, macca and so on, I simply don't see chances that they could be in the top 4, not mentioning "dark horse".

Pure, blind luck in developing a hyper efficient aero package integrated seamlessly with the best triple deck diffuser on the grid?

No?

Damn.

I wouldm't say dark horse of 2010, but they should be better than they were this year. I hope Heidfeld joins the team, so Renault can have two consistent points scorers which could be proved important in fight against williams for 5th place in constructor championship. Imo Mercedes GP, Redbull, Ferrari and McLaren are going to be stronger or as strong as they were this year.

Any news about new sposors, i didnt read into details about gravity deal, are they gonna be also sponsor or just co-owner?