Editing Renault in Formula One (section)

==== Team sale amid Kubica promise (2010) ====
[[File:Kubica Malaysian GP 2010 (cropped).jpg|thumb|231x231px|[[Robert Kubica]] driving for Renault at the [[2010 Malaysian Grand Prix]].]]
In 2010, Renault sold a majority stake in the team to [[Genii Capital]], a [[Luxembourg]] based investment company.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ausmotive.com/2009/12/16/renault-stay-in-f1-kind-of.html|title=Renault stay in F1, kind of|work=AUSMotive|publisher=[[WordPress]]|date=16 December 2009|access-date=1 October 2010}}</ref> However Renault still retained a 25% share in the team and continued as an engine supplier. [[Red Bull Racing]] confirmed they would be using Renault engines for {{F1|2010}}. [[Robert Kubica]] was signed as Alonso's replacement on 7 October 2009,<ref>{{cite news|title=Kubica to race for Renault in 2010|url=http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/10/10065.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009233241/http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/10/10065.html|archive-date=9 October 2009|date=7 October 2009}}</ref> but following the shareholding deal, Kubica and his manager Daniel Morelli asked for clarification on the management structure before committing to the outfit.<ref>{{cite news|title=Robert Kubica not sure to stay at new-look Renault|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8416180.stm|date=16 December 2009 |work=BBC News }}</ref> However, in the new year, clarification was sought and Kubica was ready to commit to the outfit.<ref>{{cite news|title=Robert Kubica will stay with Renault Formula 1 team|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8439373.stm|date=4 January 2010 |work=BBC News }}</ref> On 31 January, [[Vitaly Petrov]] was signed to be Kubica's teammate, becoming [[Russia]]'s first Formula One driver.

On 5 January, [[Éric Boullier]] was announced as the new team principal at Renault, replacing [[Bob Bell (motorsport)|Bob Bell]], who would return to his former role as Technical Director.<ref name="boullier">{{cite news|title=Boullier joins Renault as team principal|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80738|last=Noble|first=Jonathan|work=autosport.com|publisher=Haymarket Media|date=5 January 2010|access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Vitaly Petrov in the Senna corner.jpg|left|thumb|[[Vitaly Petrov]] in the Senna corner at the [[2010 Canadian Grand Prix]].]]
At the opening round in [[2010 Bahrain Grand Prix|Bahrain]], Petrov retired with broken suspension while in the pit lane on lap 14, and Kubica finished in eleventh place.

Kubica took his first podium with the team, with a second-place finish in [[2010 Australian Grand Prix|Australia]]. Petrov retired from the race, after spinning off the circuit.

Kubica finished the next 3 races in the points, a 4th place in [[2010 Malaysian Grand Prix|Malaysia]], 5th place in [[2010 Chinese Grand Prix|Shanghai]], and 8th place in [[2010 Spanish Grand Prix|Barcelona]]. Petrov meanwhile scored his first points in Formula 1 in China with his 7th place, it could have been more, but he spun off whilst in fourth, yet he still recovered to bring some points home.

After setting fast times on Thursday and the fastest time in Saturday's practice session, followed by 2nd place in qualifying, Kubica finished in 3rd place in [[2010 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]], just 1.6 seconds behind the winner. Petrov retired in the closing laps of the race but was still classified 13th.

[[Vitaly Petrov]] was out-qualified and out-raced by [[Robert Kubica]] at almost every race. However, Petrov did find considerable form at the {{F1 GP|2010|Hungarian}} when he out-qualified Kubica for the first time and finished the race 5th. However, in [[2010 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgium]], Petrov made a mistake that ended with a crash in the first session of qualifying when he explored the kerbs at Liege corner, claiming he was testing to see how wet they were and if they were usable on his flying lap. His failure to set a time placed him 24th on the grid, though a gearbox penalty to Sauber's [[Pedro de la Rosa]] promoted him to 23rd. However, he went on to finish ninth, resulting in three consecutive points finishes in a row. In [[2010 Singapore Grand Prix|Singapore]], Petrov was running seventh before being pushed off by [[Nico Hülkenberg]], whilst Kubica was forced to make an unscheduled stop late in the race with a puncture, before going on to recover almost every place he had lost.

Rumours had tipped {{F1|2007}} World Champion [[Kimi Räikkönen]] to replace Petrov for {{F1|2011}}, but the Finn angrily rejected claims he would join the team, stating that he was upset Renault was using his name for their image and that their actions meant he would not race for them.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/angry-raikkonen-rules-out-f1-return-with-renault/ |title=Angry Raikkonen rules out F1 return with Renault |work=motorsport.com |publisher=GMM |date=5 October 2010 |access-date=6 October 2010 |archive-date=11 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011073814/http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/angry-raikkonen-rules-out-f1-return-with-renault/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>