Franck Montagny in discussion with Renault

Franck Montagny has revealed that he is currently in negotiations with Renault to be lined up alongside Robert Kubica in 2010, with Romain Grosjean being on the brink of losing his seat.

I can just tell you that there are… that it’s not false! he indicated on RMC’s microphone. There are discussions. I don’t want to say more because it would be inappropriate regarding the team and it’s too early to say more. But Renault’s decision will likely be made by the last weekend of the 2009 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. At the end of the week, we can discuss it a bit more, Franck Montagny specified.

The list of drivers linked to Renault is long, from Timo Glock to Lucas Di Grassi, including Kimi Räikkönen, Franck Montagny, Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna, Adrian Sutil, Heikki Kovalainen, or Jarno Trulli, it’s hard to keep track. Renault, through Kubica, has stated they want an experienced driver, which already eliminates Lucas Di Grassi. The team currently has a preference for Adrian Sutil and Heikki Kovalainen, followed by Timo Glock and Nick Heidfeld, not to mention Räikkönen… Frank Montagny is therefore behind all these drivers on the long list of candidates that Renault can boast of having.

Regarding Heikki Kovalainen, there is a good chance that he will stay with McLaren since Hamilton seems unwilling to have a high-caliber driver alongside him. It is known that the British driver is reluctant about the possible arrivals of Räikkönen or Rosberg. The cases of Kimi Räikkönen and Jarno Trulli seem unlikely but not impossible, with Räikkönen having high salary demands and Jarno Trulli being strongly linked to Lotus F1. Adrian Sutil, Timo Glock, and Nick Heidfeld are therefore in the lead, but no information has leaked regarding their potential negotiations with Renault.

Franck Montagny has the advantage of knowing the Renault team well, having been their test driver from 2003 to 2005. Since then, he has raced in seven Grand Prix for Super Aguri in 2006 and was a test driver for Toyota in 2007 in Formula 1. He raced in endurance events for Pescarolo and then Peugeot, finishing twice in second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also made notable appearances in ChampCar, the American Le Mans Series, and IndyCar, adapting very quickly each time.