Why rookie Romain Grosjean is the perfect fit for Renault
When the , there was no need to guess who Renault would choose as his replacement.
has long been waiting in the wings and this weekend the 23-year-old is making his bow on the biggest stage in motorsport.
The flame-haired driver has been a constant presence in the corner of the Renault garage all season and, as reserve driver, he has also been clueing up at the driver meetings and post-race debriefs.
It is hard not to imagine that the looming shadow of Grosjean behind Piquet may have heaped more pressure on the out-of-form Brazilian.
After all, Grosjean has been groomed for this role for the last four years and having a French driver behind the wheel is important to .
In a climate of falling car sales and job losses, and with the French manufacturer's long-term future in Formula 1 still in some doubt, it now means a whole lot more.
Despite being born in Geneva to a Swiss father and French mother, Grosjean, who until recently also worked for a Swiss bank, races under a French licence.
He was signed up to Renault's driver development programme in 2006 and in 2008 he captured the GP2 Asian Series crown to indicate he was ready to join former champions Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Timo Glock on the F1 grid.
Now, he has made it he joins the fine lineage of French racing. The 23-year-old is the first Frenchman to pilot a Renault car since and exploits in 1985.
And he now sets about the task of becoming the first French world champion since 'The Professor' - powered by a Renault engine - won his fourth crown with in 1993.
For now Grosjean, who has also embraced F1 by having a glamorous girlfriend on his arm, is taking it all in his stride.
"I feel very good and very happy," said Grosjean as he faced his first media scrum in Valencia.
"I think we have to go step-by-step for the race. My expectation is to finish the race and not to make any big mistakes.
"Having Fernando Alonso's experience is a positive for me as he is one of the best, maybe the best."
Ahh, the Fernando factor. There is a suggestion in the paddock that driving alongside Renault's brilliant double world champion is something of a poisoned chalice.
But has welcomed his new team-mate - and even paid tribute to Piquet, who is expected to return to the F1 circuit in Spa as he looks for a seat next season.
"It's a good opportunity for to come into Formula 1 and to arrive without too much pressure," says the Spaniard.
"I already have a good relationship with him and hopefully he can help us score some important points for the championship.
"I also had a good relationship with Nelson. He's a good driver and I'm sure he will have more opportunities.
"Technically speaking we always had the same car, this has to be clear, but on the human side he was never happy with the team and it was difficult for him."
While Grosjean has no such problems in his relationship with Renault, his hardest task in the European Grand Prix and the next seven races will be getting as close as he possibly can to Alonso.
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