Alonso set to rejoin Renault this week

Monday 10th December 2007

Fernando Alonso's return to Renault is expected to be confirmed within the next 48 hours.

According to reports, the Spaniard has agreed a £70m, three-year contract. However, the deal contains an opt-out clause that would enable Alonso to leave the team in twelve months' time.

Alonso's return to Renault, two years after he left Flavio Briatore's outfit, became a likelihood when the team escaped punishment at last week's World Motor Sport Council hearing.

'It is a pleasing outcome for Alonso, who maintains his status as the second-highest earner on the grid behind Ferrari's world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, five weeks after being dismissed by McLaren,' says The Daily Mail.

After months of uncertainty and speculation, all the final pieces for the 2008 driver line-up are falling into place.

Nico Rosberg has committed himself to Williams, leaving Pedro de la Rosa the favourite to partner Lewis Hamilton at McLaren next season.

However, Alonso's return to Renault puts a question mark against the future of Heikki Kovalainen and Giancarlo Fisichella. With Renault also keen on promoting Nelson Piquet junior, both drivers could yet leave the team.

'Kovalainen has also been touted as Hamilton's next team-mate. He is the preferred choice of the Hamilton camp and is seen as a good team player who would not cause undue disturbance in the way the temperamental Alonso did,' reports the Mail.

'Kovalainen would appear to be in a two-way fight with McLaren's experienced test driver Pedro de la Rosa. A veteran of 72 grands prix over eight years, he represents the safe option and is popular within the team.

'As a Spaniard, he would also satisfy several of McLaren's sponsors, who stand to lose out from Alonso's departure.'

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f1 | Alonso | Renault

Michael suggests a sabbatical for Ralf

Michael Schumacher has suggested that his brother Ralf takes a sabbatical from F1 and re-evaluate his future.

The younger of the Schumachers left Toyota at the end of the 2007 season and is currently without a drive for the new season.

Although linked with teams at both ends of the grid, it seems unlikely that the 32-year-old will find a race seat.

Schumacher did test for Force India at Jerez, but his time in Spain was marred by errors and technical problems.

His sibling and seven-time World Champions believes that Ralf should be careful of joining a team near the back of the gird.

"I don't know all his options, but before he drives like he did yesterday it is better to think about if it makes sense to drive knowing you can only come last," Schumacher told Auto Motor und Sport.

"I think there are more reasonable, safer, wealthier and nicer options for him. I told him personally that there are so many nice things outside of F1. But I don't know all his options. There are other cockpits which are not taken, so he might see other options."

Schumacher recommended that his brother ought to consider taking a break from the sport.

"If he can get a good result then he should. He is able to bring good results and he is motivated to do so.

"But it is different for me. I would not be so motivated to race, and if it doesn't fit then maybe he should stop and have a break. He is young enough to stop, re-evaluate the situation and come back.

"I have to say my experience in coming back in Barcelona showed I did not have trouble coming back. I did not lose a bit, so he can do it too."

Source: http://www.planet-f1.com

Technorati tags :
f1 | Michael Schumacher | Ferrari

Ferrari announce new Massa contract - Remaining with Ferrari until the end of 2010

In a short statement this morning, the Ferrari squad announced that Felipe Massa will remain with the team until the end of the 2010 season. His existing deal was set to expire at the end of the 2008 season.

The news puts an end to rumours that the Brazilian could move to Toyota next season as a replacement for Ralf Schumacher.

Massa is heading to the season finale and his home event in Brazil this weekend fourth in the championship and aiming to repeat his 2006 Interlagos success.

Kimi Raikkonen is under contract until the end of the 2009 season, as announced last year at Monza.

The following is a statement from Ferrari.

"Ferrari announces that it has extended its agreement with the driver Felipe Massa through to the end of the 2010 racing season.

"Massa has been contracted to the Scuderia since 2001. To date, he has taken part in 34 Grand Prix for the team. He has won five times, had sixteen podium places and finished 25 times in the points. He has secured eight pole positions and the same number of race fastest laps, with a total of 166 points scored."

E.A.
Source Ferrari

Brazilian GP preview: Williams F1

Williams F1
Brazil takes centre stage this weekend for the much anticipated 2007 FIA World Championship showdown. As three drivers fight for the Drivers’ crown, this weekend’s race promises to be the most compelling of the season. São Paulo’s Interlagos track is the venue, with the Carlos Pace Autodromo celebrating its 25th anniversary in Formula One, having welcomed the sport for the first time in 1973. With the battle for the other Championship positions still on-going, AT&T Williams will be drawing on a wealth of experience attained in Brazil. The team has won one in five of all Brazilian Grand Prix entered, set 34% of all fastest laps and secured one in three pole positions.

Nico Rosberg
Interlagos is a great circuit and I am looking forward to it. It’s a cool track, with a variety of corners and surface undulations. The past two races have been difficult, so I hope to finish the season well and to hold on to my present position in the Drivers’ Championship. São Paulo is also a place where you can have some fun in the evenings, so I would imagine it’s going to be a good weekend. I am going to Rio de Janeiro first for a PR day with Petrobras, so I’ll get to São Paulo early on in the week. It’s fantastic for Formula One to have a three-way battle for the Championship going into the last race of the season, which is not a situation that happens very often. Personally, I hope Lewis manages to win because he deserves it.

Kazuki Nakajima
I’m obviously feeling really excited about my first Formula One race. I’ve never driven at Interlagos before, so I’ve been doing lots of preparation work in the team’s simulator at Grove. I’ve also ramped up my training in the gym to help me cope with the pressures on my neck because it’s an anti-clockwise track. It looks like it’s going to rain over the weekend, so the weather is going to make the whole process quite tricky. I’m trying not to put any pressure on myself though. I’m going to take it at my own pace, work through each session step by and step and, above all, just enjoy it.

Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1
Interlagos is a well laid out track. It has a lot of gradient changes over the lap and two long straights which are crucial for overtaking. The performance of the car in the corners that precede the straights is the most important consideration when it comes to car setup. Lying 750 metres above sea level, São Paulo has the lowest ambient pressures of any circuit that we race at. With pressures around 930mbar, we lose around 8% of our normal downforce. Drag is also reduced by around 8%, but so is engine power, so top speeds remain the same. The grid line up is traditionally tight due to the low fuel penalty and short lap time. Coupled with a long pit lane, the strategy is a close call between a one and a two stop strategy so we will see a mix of both on race day. Bridgestone are bringing the Soft and Super Soft tyres to the race, but we may not get to use them as the forecast is currently predicting rain all weekend. As this is the last race of the 2007 season, we will be pushing hard to claim points in the Constructors’ Championship. We have had two races in a row where we haven’t scored points due to various circumstances, but we are aiming to change that in Brazil.

BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Alex Wurz has retired and we thank him again for all his hard work in developing the FW29 and contributing to the Constructors’ points for AT&T Williams this year. He is a great guy to work with and we wish him well for the future. As a result of Alex’s retirement, Kazuki will be in the car in Brazil making his Formula One debut. It’s a big weekend for him as part of his next stage of development.

Interlagos Circuit, São Paulo, Brazil
The 71 lap Brazilian Grand Prix will be a true test of durability, heightened by the fact that the race is run in an anti-clockwise direction. The 4.3km circuit consists of 13 medium and slow speed corners, nine left and four right, and has a blend of long, fast straights and gradient changes. With such a varied layout, set-up
compromises are inevitable, and the challenge lies in achieving optimal aerodynamic efficiency around the lap. Interlagos is a notoriously bumpy circuit, so not only is it draining on the drivers, but the cars must have a good mechanical balance for driveability. Combined with the bumps, the track is also particularly abrasive, so harder compound tyres must be selected to ensure their survival. Engines are also under intense pressure in Brazil, with the long straights demanding extensive periods at full throttle and high revs, while the high altitude and thinning air saps approximately 8% of overall power around the lap. Plenty of overtaking opportunities, combined with the area’s unpredictable weather conditions, will only enhance what is always an entertaining spectacle in Brazil.

Massa doubts he'll need to help Kimi in Brazil

Felipe Massa said on Wednesday that his Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen is unlikely to emerge with the world championship from next weekend's season finale in Brazil.

He became the first Brazilian since Ayrton Senna to win at home a year ago, but Massa promised to defer to the 27-year-old Finn next Sunday if it will help Ferrari secure the other 2007 title.

Raikkonen winning the title would require both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to strike major trouble at Interlagos, and Massa told a news conference in Sao Paulo on Wednesday: "I don't think that will happen.

"But if the miracle happens I'll be glad to help the team.

"I work for Ferrari, so I'll do what I can to help Kimi, but I'll drive to win the race.

"It would be great to win it for the fans again," he said.