Where will FA end up??

[ben_watkins]

How could I forget to see this too..

http://www.f1technical.net/news/7805



http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64336

Alonso also cautious of Renault form..

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/64339

[bar555]

So the only thing yet to be anounced is Kovalainnen move to Mc Laren and 2008 front runners puzzle is completed . Another flying Fin......

[ben_watkins]

Yep..

In the BBC article they say..

"Finn Heikki Kovalainen, who had an impressive rookie season with Renault in 2007, is expected to move to either McLaren, where he would partner Lewis Hamilton, or Toyota.

Kovalainen, who is managed by team boss Flavio Briatore, was considered by the team to be good enough to challenge Alonso, and therefore keeping him was not in the interests of a harmonious team. "

Interesting that... So now where ever Alonso moves to I guess he'll have a clause in the contract saying he can't be racing with a team mate that is as good as he is.... or he'll throw his dummy out of the cockpit and try to blackmail the team principal....

[dumrick]

So the only thing yet to be anounced is Kovalainnen move to Mc Laren and 2008 front runners puzzle is completed . Another flying Fin......

As a McLaren fan, I would be delighted...

[Conceptual]

So the only thing yet to be anounced is Kovalainnen move to Mc Laren and 2008 front runners puzzle is completed . Another flying Fin......

As a McLaren fan, I would be delighted...

I think if Heikki goes to McLaren in 08, his market value for 2010 will be VERY high...

[Belatti]

Yep..

In the BBC article they say..

"Finn Heikki Kovalainen, who had an impressive rookie season with Renault in 2007, is expected to move to either McLaren, where he would partner Lewis Hamilton, or Toyota.

Kovalainen, who is managed by team boss Flavio Briatore, was considered by the team to be good enough to challenge Alonso, and therefore keeping him was not in the interests of a harmonious team. "

Interesting that... So now where ever Alonso moves to I guess he'll have a clause in the contract saying he can't be racing with a team mate that is as good as he is.... or he'll throw his dummy out of the cockpit and try to blackmail the team principal....

And more... who knows for sure that Nelsinho will not be as a pain in the *ss for FA like Lewis was?
This Piquet kid was as fast as Lewis in GP2 and fought for Championship against him in 2006.

[mahesh248]

So another Flyin fin at mclaren , i guess they cant win a championship with out a Fin ... hehe

[checkered]

I hope Alonso's

deal is negotiated in such a fashion that we'll avoid unnecessary drama in 2008. I guess the supposed preferred status can't be said in so many words in his contract as team orders are supposed to be forbidden. It'll be interesting to see how quickly the team will rebound and how high. In theory, the car could be engineered around Fernando, but not in the same fashion as earlier because of the control tyre. There were fighting words from Piquet Sr. earlier, but I guess Nelsinho will be pretty content in the knowledge that two years from now he'll propably be the No. 1 driver - and if Alonso is to attempt to go to Ferrari in 2010, he has nothing to lose in truly challenging his team mate in 2009 already.

It's a bit sad that both Fisi and Kovy have to leave now. Giancarlo had such high hopes for this season, leading a strong car for a championship challenge. Heikki has been loyal to a fault, going through the entire Renault driver development program, the first Renault F1 driver to go the whole nine yards and ending up driving only his rookie season there. Kovy's name has come up in discussing McLaren; I wonder how would Fisi do there? The problem with McLaren is that if you sign with them now, you're not absolutely assured you'll have a drive anyway. I'm a bit surprised Toyota is still in the frame. Is it truly so that the team can do no worse than with Ralf and Jarno?

It would've eased the driver market somewhat if Prodrive was already involved. There are a lot of question marks remaining even after Alonso's boomerang move.

[mini696]

Anyone know the length of Alfonso's contract?

[checkered]

Actually, everyone's just

assuming it's two years, since earlier on Renault said they were interested in only that. Notably, I don't think the length of Fernando's contract has been officially commented on after the announcement was made. It might even be that he got his way and can move on after just one season. None of my info is terribly factual, so keep an eye on it. But I can't remember seeing one official comment on his contract's length.

[Belatti]

http://www.f1technical.net/news/7802

Its 2 years for 100 millions

[checkered]

Edit: Belatti, my

bad, it's a two years' contract, though that info wasn't very prominently advertised. In fact, it's in the discussion section within the Renault Weblog:

Thanks D for your uninformed comments. The deal is a two-year contract, which disproves your conjecture!

...

D, you seem to be one of the unfortunates condemned to permanent, aggressive cynicism.

You may or may not be aware that the team has NEVER mentioned a contract length in any press release in the last six years, when it comes to drivers.

However, we know that it is a two-year contract.

As for precise details, I think I am perfectly within my rights to simply say "mind your own business". Just like I won't tell you Fernando's salary, so equally you will not be told every clause of the agreement between him and the team.

However, if you choose not to believe what you are told on here, one wonders why you bother posting at all...

Now, let's see if this holds up!

Fernando gives his thoughts on his new deal at Renault... - link, Renault Weblog

[Rob W]

This link below is exactly the sort of bollocks journalism I've come to expect in F1.

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954, ... 33,00.html

'It is understood that his speed ultimately cost him the chance of staying on board at Renault, because the returning Fernando Alonso did not want a team-mate to pose the kind of challenge that he faced with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren this year.'

GIVE ME A BREAK F1 WRITERS. How do you get up in the morning and make this --- up? The above wasn't attributed to anyone but was placed in single quote marks (which mean nothing other than to demonstrate that *someone* might have said it that way).

R

[Belatti]

'It is understood that his speed ultimately cost him the chance of staying on board at Renault, because the returning Fernando Alonso did not want a team-mate to pose the kind of challenge that he faced with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren this year.'

R

I don´t care what writers says...

but, as I already posted, It´s worth to take a look in Nelsinhos 2006 GP2 season and compare it to Lewis Hamilton´s performance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_GP2_Series_season

Maybe he could be as fast as LH and complicate FA existence in Renault and, that Ladies and Gentlemen, that should be fun to see!

[Rob W]

Maybe he could be as fast as LH and complicate FA existence in Renault and, that Ladies and Gentlemen, that should be fun to see!

And imagine if Kovalainen went to McLaren and suddenly, in a fast car, was the new Iceman..

R