Boullier: Heidfeld not the leader we wanted

Renault team principal Eric Boullier has expressed some disappointment over Robert Kubica’s stand-in, Nick Heidfeld.

The German had been drafted in at the last minute to replace the injured Kubica. Renault saw the experienced Heidfeld as the best replacement for the Polish driver, over other options which included reserve driver Bruno Senna.

However, Boullier admitted the team have had to rely on teammate Vitaly Petrov for the performance, whilst Heidfeld has focused on the development of the car, rather than a leadership role they had hoped of him.

“He has not provided the leadership we wanted,” Boullier is quoted as saying by Sports.fr. “He hasn’t taken hold of the team.

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“We rely more on Vitaly for performance, with Nick more suitable for the development of the car,” he added.

The 34-year-old has often been outperformed in qualifying by the younger, less experienced Petrov, but Heidfeld still maintains a two-point advantage in the standings.

It’s expected Senna or even Romain Grosjean could be lined up to replace the German if things don’t improve soon. It was recently announced that the Brazilian would replace Heidfeld during FP1 with Boullier saying the ‘time is right’ to give the 27-year-old a go in the R31.