Jarno Trulli has blasted the current pay-driver trend in Formula 1, choosing Renault as a prime example as to why teams should choose talent over money.
The Italian, who has a contract with Caterham for 2012 but is under threat of loosing his seat, possibly to Vitaly Petrov, doesn’t believe the Russian, nor his teammate Bruno Senna, did enough to warrant their seat on talent alone, instead earning it through financial backing.
“[Robert] Kubica is a great driver who can get the very best from the car,” Trulli wrote in his column for La Repubblica. “Because of that they were a dark horse. When Robert was out, that was the end.
“Petrov was not in a position to lead the team, and Senna showed that he was not good enough.”
Nick Heidfeld was replaced by Senna after just 11 races. Trulli is of the opinion that the points difference between Heidfeld and Petrov proves that experience is better than employing a pay driver.
“With his experience, Nick [Heidfeld] scored almost as many points (34 to 37) as Petrov even though he [Heidfeld] did only half the season.
“There is no rule, but it is true that those who pay are less accustomed to suffering. They are less committed,” he added.
“Hiring them is a business decision but in my opinion it’s not worth it.”
Renault, soon to become Lotus-Renault, recently announced an all new driver line-up for 2012 featuring Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.
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