Flavio Briatore has rubbished suggestions
Nelsinho Piquet is on ever-more perilous ground at
Renault, insisting the
Régie ‘needs' the Brazilian and praising his young protégé's ‘talent'.
Piquet has failed to impress thus far during his rookie
Formula 1 season in 2008, drawing a blank from the opening six grands prix of the campaign and three times falling victim to the dreaded Q1 drop in qualifying.
Rumours are consequently growing that the 22-year-old has just three races left to save his seat [see separate story –
click here], with
Super Aguri refugees
Anthony Davidson and
Takuma Sato and GP2 Series race-winner Romain Grosjean seemingly all in the frame to replace him should his performances not improve – and fast.
Briatore, however, has quickly moved to pour cold water on any such speculation.
“Nelsinho definitely has talent,” the Italian is quoted as having said by
sportnet. “He is a part of the team and we need him. I have no doubts about that.”
Piquet's evident despair was captured on camera after he slid into the crash barriers during last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix – yet another mistake in what has been a calamitous beginning to his
F1 career.
Renault's executive director of engineering Pat Symonds, however, echoed Briatore's conviction that the son of former three-time world champion Nelson Piquet
will come good, in much the same manner as did the similarly under-pressure
Heikki Kovalainen twelve months ago.
“At this time last year a lot of people were thinking Heikki was entering his last few races,” the Briton told Renault's
podcast this week.
“With a driver or a sportsman it's about self-esteem and believing in yourself. All Nelson needs to do is to turn that corner and believe in himself and it will happen again.”
