Alonso: Renault Is Far Behind

After two championships with Renault, Fernando Alonso decided that it would be good to join McLaren.  Unfortunately, he was paired with a rookie driver who is talented enough to lead the drivers’ championship most of the way.

The relationship between McLaren and Alonso ended with the Spaniard leaving the team prematurely and joining Renault.  The two-time world champion is now back with the team that gave him his two titles.

Alonso though seems to be unimpressed by the team’s car saying that they are not yet fast enough to take on the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.  He went on to say that BMW Sauber is the team to watch as it is probably just a tad slower than McLaren.

The Spaniard said that Renault is not even close to catching up with BMW Sauber.  It is clear that Alonso is still not happy where he is.  The Spaniard expressed his willingness to join Ferrari but the Italian team’s stable is still full and it seems that Kimi and Massa will be with Ferrari for the foreseeable future.

Alonso said that it would be dreaming to think of Renault competing for a podium finish in the first race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix.  He said that they are currently at par with teams like Red Bull and Williams.

Neither Renault nor BMW Sauber has reacted to these statements made by the Spaniard.  We will soon find out if Alonso is just joking or they are indeed no match for Ferrari, McLaren, and even BMW Sauber.

Maybe the Spaniard is just saying all this so that he will not be compared to his former teammate Lewis Hamilton when the season gets underway.

Huge Demand For F1 Singapore GP

What could better measure the demand for grands prix than to count the tickets?

Quite obviously, the number of tickets sold determines the demand. Organizers of F1 Singapore GP, set to happen on Sept. 28, couldn’t agree more to that fact. Tickets went on sale for the said GP Thursday and demand was so high that organizers admitted the distribution system could not cope.

Race aficionados trying to purchase tickets online through call centers as well as designated booths, experienced delays due to “an extraordinarily high volume of system traffic both locally and internationally.”

“Whilst we factored in high demand during the designing of the system, the volume of traffic going into the system is unprecedented,” said Michael Roche, executive director of Singapore GP Pte Ltd. “We apologize for the regrettable delays that many fans have experienced today. Rest assured, we are doing everything we can to reduce the delays and we would like to thank everyone for their continued patience.”

According to OmniTicket Network, company in charge of sales, it had designed a “unique system” to manage high demand for tickets but it still struggled to cope. “Due to the unexpected number of simultaneous requests, the response time of the reservation system got compromised and, for a short time, even stopped responding,” said CEO Paolo Moro. “We realize that Formula One fans are eager to be able to attend this unique event. Therefore we can confirm that we are doing everything possible to further increase the power of the system.”

General 3-day passes are priced from 168 to 1,388 Singapore dollars (118 to 979 US), with each customer allowed to purchase a maximum of 8 tickets. Corporate tickets for the Paddock Club, meanwhile, are priced at 7,500 dollars (5,293 US).

It is estimated that the race will generate about 100 million dollars (68.5 million US) annually, reported the AFP.

GPs are really a hit. No wonder I am hooked.

Honda F1 Racing In Barcelona

Honda F1 team’s next destination is Barcelona, after the launching of the all-new RA108 which took place at the Honda Racing F1 Team’s Brackley headquarters a few days ago. According to MotorSport.com, the team had a three-day test program at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain.

The team’s focus was on the Chassis RA108-01 where it had some early force in Valencia last week. However, the first severe test program with the first two chassis was done a few days ago wherein race drivers Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button were coupled by Alex Wurz, Honda’s test and reserve driver.

“I am pleased with the reliability of the car. Generally, we have made some progress this week but there is still a lot of work to be done in the forthcoming tests. The car is completely new which means we are starting from zero in terms of developing the set-up. We are also experiencing some drivability issues as we work with the new ECU. The weather conditions today meant that I was able to get my first wet running in without traction control, which was good. On to Jerez next as we continue to keep pushing forward with developing the car,” Jenson Button commented after the test.

Rubens Barrichello stated it was good to run in the car at its first proper test from the time when it was launched.

“There is plenty of potential in terms of working on the speed of the car in the coming tests and this will come as we continue to make progress with the set-up. At this stage I am happy that reliability is certainly on our side,” added Barrichello.

“It was good to finally experience the new car for the first time, apart from a few short yards at the launch of course. I conducted a shakedown of the latest chassis 02 and some aero testing. The car felt good although there are a few adjustments to be made to my seat and positioning in order to hit the ground running at my next test. I am enjoying getting to know the team and how they work, so I am looking forward to making the maximum contribution to the RA108 development programme over the coming weeks,” noted Alex Wurz.

Barrichello Isn’t Quitting

Yes, Rubens Barrichello isn’t quitting. In fact, he is still going strong in Formula One.

Armed with 16-season credentials, Barrichello has no plan of calling it quits…just yet. The 35-year-old F1 driver, is set to ink F1’s most experienced surpassing Patrese’s record of 256 starts. The F1 driver whose contract with Honda expires at the end of the 2008 season said he will remain involved in the sport until his body tells him otherwise.

“I haven’t reached the peak of my physical performance yet,” said Barrichello in an interview. “There is a time when in athletics, my running will go down. I haven’t reached that yet. And I am just too glad to go through Eau Rouge flat. What can I do? It is just that feeling I miss. That is why I do the go-kart racing, that is why I put so much effort into it. I love being there in the middle of things. But if I don’t feel competitive in some way, then it is time to stop. I am grateful for everything I have had, but I don’t think this is my last year. From deep inside I don’t pretend to stop. I don’t have any contract signed yet and so on, but I feel good. But I feel I am going to stop before someone tells me to.”

“It is amazing, because at the end of the day you think it is the same thing again for the whole time all over again,” he concluded. “But it is the excitement of a new era. Honestly, from deep inside, if it wasn’t for how much I loved the driving, I love my kids and family and I would just stay at home to not be in this cold English weather.”