Senna steps up for Lotus as Heidfeld exits

Lotus-Renault have announced that Brazilian Bruno Senna will replace Nick Heidfeld for the remainder of the season after reaching a settlement with the German which sees him leave the team with immediate effect. Heidfeld had been dumped by the team prior to the Belgian Grand Prix, leading to tensions and threats of a court battle. Senna, 27, was called up to replace Heidfeld at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, where he drove to a 13th place finish. Lotus-Renault said on Friday that an "amicable settlement" had been reached with Heidfeld which "enables both parties to bring the matter to a close and concentrate on their respective sporting challenges in the future". Eric Boullier, the Lotus Team Principal and Managing Director, said: "Our separation process was already a painful one, and neither of us wanted to go through another legal hearing." "Obviously I'm disappointed to be leaving Lotus Renault GP in the middle of the season," said Heidfeld. "I thought I could still make a big contribution to the team, but I have to see things as they are and I want to turn my attention to the future. "We have taken the right decision by choosing to end our collaboration today. One thing is for sure - I’ll be back racing at the highest level soon." Heidfeld's departure paves the way for Senna, the nephew of former world champion Ayrton Senna, to step up as race driver alongside Vitaly Petrov for the remainder of the season. A statement said: "Lotus Renault GP is pleased to announce that Bruno Senna has been named as a race driver alongside Vitaly Petrov for the remainder of the 2011 Formula 1 season. Romain Grosjean remains the team’s third driver." Senna made his F1 debut last year when he drove 18 times for the modest Hispania (HRT) team.