Robert Kubica The Highest Commodity

Is it really only May? It is, and the start of ’silly season’ may have begun already for one driver anyway at least. The talk is around BMW-Sauber driver Robert Kubica and who wants him? BMW-Sauber have him this year and have an option on him for 2009, but now Ferrari and Renault have started early and are knocking on his door.

Kubica has driven his BMW ‘to the max’ so far this year and has out driven Nick Heidfeld in just about every race so now his stock is beginning to go up substantially. This hasn’t escaped the eyes and ears of Ferrari and Renault and they have begun poking him to see where he’s at with BMW.

This could all be ‘bogus’ and a ploy on the part of Kubica’s agent Daniele Morelli to ‘up’ his salary and it probably is, but 2009 is an option year for Kubica and maybe a better offer will swing him one way or another.

Problem is, Ferrari have Kimi Raikkonen and don’t plan on sending him packing any time soon. Renault have Fernando Alonso and they hope to not have him packing any time soon either. Where would this leave Robert Kubica then? BMW-Sauber, that’s where.

Kubica is showing a great talent with his aggressive driving style and will to win and with the stats to back him. This doesn’t jive with being a second driver to anyone. BMW-Sauber have a no number one driver policy and so far it works for them. Ferrari and Renault on the other hand have a history of number one drivers and blatantly so, despite weak attempts on their part to convince us they don’t. Felipe Massa is suffering with this and Fernando Alonso certainly wouldn’t take driver equality or number two status under any circumstance.

So this leaves Robert Kubica as a number two driver at both Ferrari and Renault. The end result as I see it is that Robert Kubica’s salary goes up for 2009 at BMW-Sauber and Ferrari and Renault go looking elsewhere if they want to replace Felipe Massa or Nelson Piquet.

Mario Theissen has said he isn’t worried right now as he expected Kubica to be a strong driver and have suiters come looking. He has until somewhere around September to sign Kubica.

There are a few under performing drivers early this year, giving way maybe to an all out early ’silly season’. Nelson Piquet is probably the most under performing of the bunch, but David Coulthard, Adrian Sutil, and to a lesser extend Timo Glock aren’t raising too many eyebrows either. I leave out Sebastian Vettel simply because of bad luck.

It’s only May and five races into the season, but is it too early to talk?

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