Fernando Alonso agrees three-deal Ferrari F1 deal

Formula One finally has a rivalry to match Ayrton Senna v Alain Prost after it was confirmed that Fernando Alonso will become a Ferrari driver in 2010.

Renault's two-time world champion, the most successful driver presently on the grid with 21 career victories to his name, joins the Scuderia on a three-year deal worth in the region of �32 million a season with an option to extend.
Race fans will already be salivating at the prospect of a resumption of hostilities with his former team-mate, McLaren's 2008 world champion, Lewis Hamilton. Formula One's two best drivers, one in a Ferrari the other in a McLaren, going head to head with a bit of history between them. It does not get better.

Alonso, who described himself as "very happy and very proud" to be joining Ferrari, replaces Kimi Raikkonen at Maranello, with the Finn's return to McLaren expected to be confirmed shortly.
Raikkonen, too, will be motivated to beat Alonso, having fended off questions about the Spaniard's potential arrival for nearly two years.
Alonso almost signed for Ferrari in 2002, only to change his mind at the last minute and join Renault. It led Ferrari team principal of the time, Jean Todt, to vow that Alonso would never drive for the team while he was there.
Yet despite being Formula One's worst-kept secret, the timing of the announcement actually caught out most observers. Ferrari were expected to say something officially on Thursday, the first day of the Japanese Grand Prix race weekend, but in the end opted to send out a press release at 11pm local time last night.
"As chairman [Luca di] Montezemolo said recently, all the great champions want to come to Maranello sooner or later," Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said.
"Of course, we wish to thank Kimi for everything he has done during his time with Ferrari: in his first year with us, he managed to win the drivers' title, thus making his contribution to Ferrari's history and he played a vital role in our taking of the constructors' title in 2007 and 2008.
"Next to Fernando we'll have Felipe Massa, who is recovering very quickly to his best physical condition, with Giancarlo Fisichella as the surrogate driver. We believe that this is the best possible couple for a team like ours: Fernando and Felipe are two victorious drivers and they integrate very well with each other and with the team."
Alonso told Ferrari's website: "I'm very happy and very proud to become a Ferrari driver. Driving a single-seater for the Prancing Horse is everybody's dream in this sport and today I have the opportunity to make this dream come true.
"We already had an agreement this summer starting in 2011, but then, in the past few days, the picture changed and we decided to anticipate my arrival in Maranello by one year."
Raikkonen, who is understood to have reached a financial settlement with Ferrari over the remaining year of his �31 million-a-year contract, said he was "very sad" to be leaving. His move to Woking is understood to be underwritten by Santander, the Spanish banking giant which now sponsors both Ferrari and McLaren.
Jenson Button's 2010 seat at Brawn-Mercedes looks a little safer with rumours that Rubens Barrichello is close to agreeing a deal to join Williams. Nico Rosberg is moving the other way as part of the deal that will see Mercedes take a controlling interest in Brawn. Williams declined to comment on the speculation.

Bahrain : A Good Race for BMW Sauber

In what proved to be a somehow boring race, Ferrari got the 1-2 they deserved and BMW Sauber got an excelent P3-4, bringing them on top of the Constuctors Championship. 1 point clear of Ferrari and 2 above McLaren.

Weber and Rosberg both in the points a surprise for Red Bull, catching their 4th point of the season.

Sebastien Bourdais finishing 15th was a disapointement but at least he finished the whole race.

Bothe Force india managed to finished the race as well, so some encouragemnt for a very hardworking team. Who knows they might even catch some points in the European Races coming up through Fisichella.

Team Force India's VJM01 makes track debut

Force India's 2008 Formula One car made its track debut at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya on Monday, less than three weeks before the start of the season in Australia.

However, technical head Mike Gascoyne said the late appearance of the VJM01, named after Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya and Dutch entrepreneurs Jan and Michiel Mol who last year bought the Spyker team and renamed it, would not be a disadvantage.

"Over the winter we have really been working with the new drivers and we've certainly shown a new level of competitiveness, which is something that will benefit us going forward," he said in a statement.

"There has been a lot of work going on in the background and we should look to go to Australia and be very reliable, especially in the first few races and pick up whatever we can," he added.

Force India have recruited 35-year-old former Renault driver Giancarlo Fisichella, winner of three Grands Prix in a career spanning nearly 200 races, as teammate to inexperienced German Adrian Sutil.

Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, who competed for Toro Rosso last year, has joined as test driver with an eye on a future race seat.

Spyker scored just one point with Sutil last year, finishing last but one in the constructors' championship thanks to McLaren being stripped of all their points for a spying controversy.

"Last year was very frustrating but now we are in a position to move forward from a much more competitive baseline," said Gascoyne.

"Certainly you will see that with the next new development we should look to racing properly with the midfield as soon as possible."

The new car is based on the version of the Spyker F8-VII that was introduced at last year's Italian Grand Prix in September, with aerodynamic and mechanical updates to be tested at the Circuit de Catalunya this week.

"Aerodynamically there has been a complete rework of the car," said Gascoyne. "With our two wind tunnels in Brackley and Italy now operating full time, we have been able to make a lot of progress in the aero department."

Renault heads for Mexico

New destination for the Renault Roadshow
Mexico

The next instalment of the Renault F1 Team Roadshow will see the team hit the streets of Mexico City for a spectacular F1 demonstration.

Following on from events in Warsaw, Johannesburg and Rotterdam earlier in 2007, the team will let its cars loose in the streets of one of the biggest cities on the planet next month. The bustle of Mexico City will be brought to a halt as the city reverberates to the sounds of Formula 1 on 13 and 14 October, resplendent in the colours of the Renault F1 Team.

Renault Mexico and the Federal District Government hope to create a truly open and approachable motorsports festival, a vision that chimes perfectly with that of the Renault F1 Team.

A 1.4-kilometre stretch of the Paseo de la Reforma will be closed for the event, giving a total lap length of 2.8 km. The event will give the passionate Mexican public the opportunity to celebrate their passion for Formula 1, which has not visited the country since the 15th and final Mexican Grand Prix was held in 1992. Indeed, who better than Renault to bring the sport back to the country, given that the final race was won from pole by Nigel Mansell in his Williams-Renault, on his way to the French company's first ever world title.

In 2007, the team will be represented by Giancarlo Fisichella and Nelson Piquet Jr.
, who will be at the wheel of the title-winning R26 to put on an unforgettable show for what are expected to be large, enthusiastic crowds!

"I am delighted to be taking part in the Mexico City Roadshow," commented Nelson Piquet Jr. "I have never been to Mexico before, and I think the atmosphere will be fantastic! I'm going to put on a great show for the Mexican people. It has been a while since they last saw what an F1 car can do, and I know they love motorsport over there. It should be a great weekend."

Giancarlo Fisichella added: "I never got a chance to race in Mexico, so I'm looking forward to going there for the first time, and especially because we will be driving the car in one of the biggest cities in the world! The Roadshow events are always a great success, and it is a fantastic way to meet the public and our supporters. My last event was in South Africa, and they gave us a brilliant welcome. I'm looking forward to tasting the atmosphere in Mexico!"