Sutil eyes 2011 Renault seat alongside Kubica

Adrian Sutil has declared his interest in completing Renault’s formula one driver lineup for 2011.

The Enstone based team on Wednesday announced it is retaining Robert Kubica, but no mention was made of the Pole’s current teammate, the Russian rookie Vitaly Petrov.

Although having performed solidly so far in 2010, it is Petrov’s millions in funding that ultimately secured him the seat, including the alliance with carmaker Lada.

But it is rumoured that Renault is working on a major sponsorship deal with MasterCard for 2011, in a bid to be able to secure the best possible teammate for Kubica as the team eyes a return to championship contention.

German Sutil, 27, recently said he would be happy to stay at Force India next year, but is now quoted by Germany’s Sport Bild: “Renault for me would be more than just an alternative.”

Sport1.de reports that Sutil had his first contact with Renault team boss Eric Boullier at Valencia two weeks ago.

Timo Glock, Nick Heidfeld and 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen are also being linked with Petrov’s Renault seat.

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