BlogF1

Having been away from BlogF1 for the last week there is lots of news to catch up on. In particular, Force India launched their 2008 car, the VJM01, night races have become once again a big talking point and Portugal wants a race again, having not been seen on the calendar since 1996 at Estoril. I’ll talk about Force India separately in a later post, but first I need to wade through all the hype that is currently doing the rounds as the teams prepare their new cars for the season start in Australia next month. Here’s what some people are saying about their chances in 2008. Continue Reading

Today was Renault-day with regards to new car launches, and the Anglo-French squad chose Paris to unveil their 2008 machine to the media. As mentioned earlier, the team hope to find their winning ways again, although rookie Nelson Piquet Jr is cautious to not hype his own chances too much. While Fernando spoke of being pleased to be back at Enstone, Piquet Jr is just thankful for the opportunity to prove himself and hopes for a consistent season in 2008. Here are some more quotes and photographs from Renault’s R28 launch. Continue Reading

Renault today unveiled their 2008 challenger in Paris, marking the return of Fernando Alonso to the team and partnering Nelson Piquet Jr in a bid to reclaim the Formula One world championship. Called the R28, the Anglo-French team hope the troubles they experienced in 2007 will be rectified and they can return to their dominant form last seen in 2006. The team continue with the title sponsor ING and thus the livery hasn’t changed much. However, along with the other new cars the aero features on the new chassis have been tweaked and developed to provide the drivers with a more stable and better performing machine. Continue Reading

Following the roll out of the new Williams FW30 this morning at the foggy Valencia circuit, Renault have also sent their 2008 car onto the circuit for a few preliminary shakedown laps, the R28 in the trusted hand of Fernando Alonso. Despite the cold weather at the Spanish track and a fog-interrupted morning, the new Renault rolled out of the garage allowing local fans to catch the first sighting of the car that Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr will be driving this year. Continue Reading

On his debut-run in the Renault, a car which he contributed to its development little over a year ago, Fernando Alonso has topped the timing sheets, even out-pacing Pedro De La Rosa in the McLaren. In what can only really be described as a wipe the grin off Ron’s face moment, Alonso popped in two quick runs, the fastest being a 1m19.503s, almost 0.15s faster than his fellow countryman. Ferrari weren’t too far behind either, with Kimi Raikkonen going third and Felipe Massa going fifth, both in the new F2008. Continue Reading

Continuing our tour of the Formula One factories, this week we look at two of the sports most successful teams; Williams and Renault. Both squads are based in the beautiful countryside surrounding Oxford, and from these buildings have come many a championship and many a great car. Continue Reading

Double world champion Fernando Alonso has officially confirmed that he will once again drive for Renault, having stated he will return to Enstone for the 2008 season. The news comes as no surprise as Renault personnel had admitted they were holding talks with the Spaniard, but the decision to return couldn’t have been an easy one and many factors had to be considered. Continue Reading

The FIA World Motor Sport Council held an extraordinary meeting today at their Monaco offices, allowing Renault to put forward their case over the charges of holding intellectual property owned by McLaren. The data was held on floppy discs which engineer Phil Mackareth took when he moved from McLaren to Renault in late 2006. Renault are in breach of article 151c of the International Sporting Code which centres around bringing the sport into disrepute. Continue Reading

Rumours have kicked into overdrive today following the revelation that Flavio Briatore suggested on Italian radio that the team will have a new driver line up for next season. Briatore said there would be “different drivers” and also that Fernando Alonso could be confirmed within the next 48 hours. Saying that there was a 60% chance the Spaniard would be with the Anglo-French squad, and with the suggestion of new drivers means that Nelson Piquet Jr looks set for the second seat. Continue Reading

Michael Schumacher was absent from the Ferrari F2007 today as Felipe Massa and Luca Badoer took over the testing duties at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. Perhaps it was this that lead to Ferrari having their dominance broken, Renault driver Heikki Kovalainen topping the timing sheets on the third and final day of the test. Felipe Massa came in second and almost 0.5s adrift of the Renault and 0.3s clear of Franck Montagny, who drove the Toyota for the last time today. Ferrari test driver Badoer lapped the circuit in 1m21.741s and was placed sixth at the end of the proceedings, having been beaten by an impressive lap from Sebastian Vettel in the Toro Rosso and David Coulthard in the Red Bull. Continue Reading