BlogF1

The qualifying session for the 2008 Spanish Grand Prix threw up a couple of surprises, but I think all the talking points have centred around one driver - Fernando Alonso. The double world champion was able to place his Renault R28 on provisional pole position with his final lap of the day. Unfortunately to the euphoric crowds who stood, cheered and applauded their hero, Kimi Raikkonen followed Alonso over the line with a pole-stealing lap. The Finnish driver simply had a faster car on the day. However, while many expect Alonso is light on fuel, we need to consider Nelson Piquet Jr’s lap as well, the Brazilian managing to get in to tenth. Continue Reading

Spanish drivers Fernando Alonso and Pedro De La Rosa claim they knew nothing of the FIA’s planned launch of their anti-racism campaign, EveryRace. When asked by the press at Circuit de Catalunya, host of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, both drivers appeared bemused by new FIA initiative. The website features photographs and quotes from members of the teams competing in Formula One, designed to show how diverse the sport is. However, while drivers like Heikki Kovalainen were shown, and quotes from David Coulthard featured, it was noticeable that the two drivers from Spain (where the initial incident sparked the campaign) were absent. Continue Reading

It was recently rumoured that Fernando Alonso returned to Renault simply as a stop-gap before heading out to Ferrari. The Spanish driver had moved from world champions Renault in 2007 because he felt that McLaren were in a stronger position to offer further titles. However, as the move didn’t go as well as planned, Alonso returned to Renault this year due to few other teams being able to take him at the time. Earlier in the season he was said to be in a strong position with Renault, having managed to get a clause added to his contract which essentially allowed him to leave if he wanted. This sparked speculation that Alonso was in the process of negotiating a way into the Ferrari team, but this has since been quashed by both parties. Continue Reading

Day three at Barcelona saw Renault improve to lead the teams as Fernando Alonso set the fastest lap of the day. His time was set while on slick tyres and was 0.9s faster than Ferrari’s head F1 car developer and former champion Michael Schumacher. Adrian Sutil placed his Ferrari-powered Force India in an impressive third, although like the two drivers ahead of him, he was also on slick tyres and also running the faster 2008 aero. setup. Continue Reading

With Formula One on a three week break at the moment, the teams have descended on Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to rack up some miles in their cars. This test session is often considered to be the season’s most important, as teams that didn’t start well in the first few races now have some time to improve their motors before the European leg begins. But what would happen if testing wasn’t allowed? Would Formula One be more or less exciting? Continue Reading

What do Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Fernando Alonso all have in common? You’d be right to say they’re all Formula One world champions, but for the sake of this post, they all have a connection with French car company Renault. Ayrton Senna debuted in the team that would eventually be transformed into Benetton and then in-turn Renault (and was tragically killed in a car powered by Renault), Alain Prost drove for Renault in the early ’80s, Schumacher, Hill and Villeneuve each won a championship with Viry-Chatillon power and of course, Alonso has won two titles to date with the recent incarnation of the French manufacturer. Continue Reading

Below is the video footage of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton from the Bahrain Grand Prix. The footage shows the incident on lap two where Lewis collides with the rear of Alonso’s Renault. Many people, including Mark Blundell, have said that it looks as though Fernando backed off. However, Alonso has denied blame saying that the McLaren was simply faster than his Renault. Take a look and have your say in the comments. Continue Reading

Fernando Alonso appears to be getting a case of the Trullis this week. Like Toyota’s lead driver Jarno Trulli, Alonso appears to be shifting his mood each day, going from frustrated on Tuesday to understanding his car’s weaknesses and not being frustrated on Wednesday. Yesterday he was quoted as saying to Diario AS that “I [Alonso] feel a bit of frustration knowing that, more or less, I will be unable to do much else in Bahrain.” But today is a different day and therefore a different mood. The Spaniard either has a genuine short memory, or has decided to backtrack after his day in the media yesterday. Continue Reading

Fernando Alonso let a rather large cat out of his bag earlier today when he spoke about his contract with Renault and the competitiveness of Ferrari, as well as the mistakes made by current Scuderia pilot Felipe Massa. Speaking to the Spanish media, Alonso let slip that he has a clause in his current contract that allows him to leave, although it is unknown how this might come into effect if needed. Likely it is based on the performance of the car, which currently isn’t doing too well. Continue Reading

As the build up to the 2008 season continues, today we have the the second of BlogF1’s guest post series to enjoy. This time we welcome the thoughts of Sidepodcast writer and podcaster, Christine Blachford. Christine discusses the return of Fernando Alonso to Renault and the pairing of the Spaniard with young hotshot Nelson Piquet Jr. Continue Reading