Renault sack Piquet

Brazilian driver and son of former three time world champion, Nelsinho Piquet Jr has today been officially sacked by Renault.

Piquet broke the news to his fans via his twitter messaging service at about 4:30pm GMT this afternoon.

In a statement on his website Piquet said... "I have received notice from the Renault F1 team of it's intention to stop me driving for them in the current F1 season. I want to say thanks to the small group who supported me and that I worked with together at Renault F1"

Piquet stressed in the statement that he was obviously disappointed at the news but at the same time happy to be leaving the team.

"I feel a sense of relief for the end of the worst period of my career, and the possibility that I can now move on and put my career back on the right track and try to recover my reputation of a fast, winning driver" (Click here to read full statement)

This news won't come as any surprise to F1 fans around the world and is something I even predicted just two races into the 2009 season. (Who should stay and who should go?) A continued bitter and distant relationship between the young driver and team manager Flavio Briatore has been widely reported, particularly in his native Brazil.

The Brazilian was expected to preform well at last weekends Hungarian Grand Prix and pick up at least a point in a season that has so far yielded none.
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Piquet had often complained throughout the season that because he was the number two driver he was being treated unfairly in not getting the same up-grades as teammate Fernando Alonso. For the race in Hungary his car was fitted with the same features and specification as Alonso for the first time in 2009. However Piquet could only manage an uncompetitive 12th place finish, while Alonso, who started from pole, retired when his wheel came lose after a crocked pit-stop.
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Televison pictures caught Italian team principle Briatore leaving the Hungaroring, briefcase in hand and a look of disgust on his face after Fernando Alonso was forced to retire sustaining suspension damage from the lost wheel, despite the fact Piquet was still running.

Since then an already sour relationship between Piquet and Briatore appeared to hit rock bottom with the Brazilian driver responding to comments made by Briatore to an Italian magazine last week when the team principle commented, that he didn't believe the 23-year-old had what it takes top be a great F1 driver.
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Piquet argued that all the Italian cared about was money rather than racing. "Flavio is a business man, but he doesn't understand sh*t about F1. He's my manager, but in his role of team boss he doesn't respect me. He only thinks about money."

Renault test driver, Romain Grosjean has been waiting in the wings of the team garage all season and is thought to be the number once choice to replace Piquet whether at Valencia or Spa (depending an ongoing appeal on a ban handed to the team after Hungary)

The French driver won the 2008 GP2 Asia series and currently lies second in this season's main GP2 series driving for Spanish constructor Barwa Addax. Ironically the man he looks to be replacing in the Renault seat also came second in the GP2 series a year before graduating up to F1, losing out on the title to World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

If Grosjean does make the jump up to F1 for the remainder of the season he will be the second rookie to do so after the introduction of Spaniard Jaimie Alguersuari who replaced Frenchman Sebastian Bourdais for the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend, again in relation to poor performances.

The Pressure on the youth of F1

With another young prospect shown the door in 2009 before a career has even had a chance to get started questions will no doubt start to be asked about the age and experience these guys have and whether too many are taking the step up too early, something Martin Brundle eluded to when commentating last weekend.

However, all sports around the world today are dominated by youth over experience. As we have seen with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alsonso, there have been some success stories of youngsters taking the reigns and gaining the experience on the track quickly. At the other end of the spectrum you have Bourdais and Piquet with more sure to follow in their wake.

There is no doubt that every driver in F1 is there because they are the best at what they do! So whats the problem? Are drivers like Boudais and Piquet the washouts?

Quite possibly, but you must also look at the expectation of the teams and the people behind these young men that are constantly in their ear.

The pressure was always going to be on Bourdais and Piquet this season because of their team mates results.

Bourdais spent most of last season in the shadow of a man in the running for this years world title, and after Sebastian Vettel got his maiden win at Monza last year people behind the scenes at Torro Rosso were no doubt asking why Bourdais couldn't deliver the same in 2009. Meanwhile Piquet, as well as living up to his fathers name, was realistically never going to be able to out drive the quality of double world champion Fernando Alonso week in week out whether he had the same car or not.

Combine this with the favouritism of one driver that has dominated this sport for decades, something Renault team principle Flavio Briatore is famous for and you can understand why drivers let their heads drop and don't deliver the performances that are expected of them. Did Piquet ever really have a look-in over Alonso during his Renault career?

You look at the examples of Hamilton and Vettel who have the arm of the team, at times constantly around their shoulders looking after them, then the pressure doesn't seem as great.

Ron Dennis took special care and interest in Lewis Hamilton throughout his graduation and rise up the ladder to F1, helping to make him the driver he is today. Could things have been different for Piquet under a different team boss?

Following today's dismissal, that, lets face it has been all season coming, I can believe Nelson Piquet when he says's he didn't get the attention or support he deserved. It's the younger drivers in F1 that need the most support and attention to ensure they make it and it's the teams duty to look after their drivers.

If, as Piquet said in his statement, Flavio Briatore was his "executioner" then I feel very sorry for Romain Grosjean who will now fill the shoes of the Brazilian. All eyes will now be on the 23-year-old Frenchman to see how long it is until his head is too on the Renault chopping block.

However, it might not even be that long as it's understood that Renault are already lining up Robert Kubica for a drive in 2010. Good luck Romain!