2009 Line-Up Rumour Mill

Kovalainen is confirmed at McLaren for another season. He hasn't much to show for this season but a lot of that is due to circumstance. It's a good move by the team as it will allow them to maintain some continuity in what has been a turbulent last few seasons.
 
'Alonso to join Honda for 2009'

Fernando Alonso is reportedly poised to join Honda for the 2009 season.

According to The Guardian newspaper, the former World Champion is ready to leave Renault and has agreed a $15m deal with the Brackley outfit to partner Jenson Button.

Alonso re-joined Renault for 2008 after his one-year stint at McLaren ended in acrimony and accusation and his stay with Honda is set to be similarly brief. It is claimed that 'the Spaniard looks likely to join Ferrari in 2010 although the precise date of his arrival is difficult to establish as Kimi Raikkonen, the present World Champion, is contracted to the Italian team until the end of next year and Felipe Massa to the end of 2010. Driving the Honda for one year - and maybe two - might offer Alonso the best stop-gap deal available.'

With Raikkonen and Felipe Massa set to be retained by Ferrari and a return to McLaren inconceivable, BMW were considered to be the most likely escape route for Alonso from Renault. However, aware of the rumours that Alonso has already agreed to join Ferrari in the future, they were unwilling to sign him on anything but a binding, long-term contract.

Honda have made no secret of their interest in recruiting Alonso, even for a single season, with chief executive Nick Fry recently declaring: "Fernando is a wonderful driver who would be a fantastic asset to any of the top teams, including this one. The job Ross Brawn and I have is to build a world championship-winning team."

The Guardian reports that 'one of the key reasons the twice World Champion is considering a move from Renault was the arrival of Brawn as the Honda team's principal this season,' while, for their part, 'The feeling at Honda is that a driver of Alonso's calibre could be worth as much as 0.6sec a lap and the Spaniard's test and development talents are just what Honda need in 2009 when a raft of new aerodynamic rules, slick tyres and KERS energy regeneration systems, are being introduced.'

source

Strange move to make, although not entirely unexpected. I would've thought staying with Renault for 2009 would be the sensible option, and then move to Ferrari or wherever in 2010.
 
Lol wut?


The rumour mill is bordering on the ridiculous around this subject. I'm sure that Renault has an option on both Alonso and Piquet for 2009, and will intend to use it for both of them.
 
a driver of Alonso's calibre could be worth as much as 0.6sec a lap

:p Like the 0.6 he brought to McLaren :D
 
Yeah, but Nelson really isn't at his best yet, you know that. I don't think Alonso brings 0.6 seconds to a team. He wasn't faster than Hamilton last year, and McLaren is just as fast with Alonso gone, so it wasn't him really.
 
Interesting - I could see Honda appealing to Alonso because of the Ross Brawn factor, but 'nando would still have to be a brave man to make the jump in '09.
 
It's the same jump that JV made and where is he now?

I hope it works out, Honda needs to get their act in gear!
 
I love Honda. I severely dislike Alonso. Bittersweet for me if it happens. I laughed at the 0.6 seconds part of that article when i first read it because I couldn't make out whether it was a cheap shot at him or a genuine estimation (which is still funny).
 
I rate Alonso very highly but there is no way he is worth 0.6 sec a lap over drivers the calibre of Button and Barrichello. I think Honda should stick with who they have and I think Alonso should.....and probably will stick with Renault. Stranger things have happened though.
 
The sad thing is that some Alonso-haters actually believe that FA really said "I'm worth 0.6 sec". :lol:

Anyway, if he does have a Ferrari contract for 2010 already, one year at Honda wouldn't hurt him.
If he doesn't have a contract for 2010, well, then it's a bit of a gamble to go to Honda, but it can turn out to be a good move.
Honda has more money, they've been concentrating on the 2009 car for months, various reports are suggesting that their KERS system is the most developed among all the teams. They have good people and have already showed that they're capable of building a new car, even if 2007 and 2008 have been a mess.
It wouldn't be a big surprise for me if Honda finished ahead of Renault in 2009.

As for Honda, they have two very good drivers now, but one of them would almost certainly retire after next year. So why not try and get someone who's 10 years younger and probably an even better driver?

Moreover, these rumors are not entirely unfounded. There have been talks between Honda and Alonso. They talked about a contract last year too, but Honda wanted him for more years instead of one. Ross Brawn has praised Alonso publicly several times.
 
Toyota to retain Glock for 2009

Monday, 04 August 2008

Toyota is set to extend Timo Glock?s contract through to 2009 following the German's second place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Toyota?s team principal John Howett told autosport.com that the team will keep both Glock and Jarno Trulli at the Cologne-based squad next year.

Glock?s podium in Hungary was his second points finish of the year and has put Toyota four points clear of Renault in the battle for fourth place in the constructors? championship.

While Howett was impressed with Glock's drive, he said the team had always planned to retain him for another year.

"As we stand here today we intend to keep both drivers, and I don't think that's ever been in any doubt to be honest,? he said.

"I'm just happy that he had a really strong race here.

?Jarno would have had a stronger race if he hadn't been caught behind Mark Webber because of a bad start.

?Overall I'm very happy we had a strong result today."

Glock has shown flashes of speed throughout the season but often failed to deliver at the crucial moment in qualifying.

In Hungary, by contrast, he was quick all weekend and his fifth-place qualifying effort was the springboard for his and the team's best result of the season.

"Certainly from the moment he drove out of the garage on Friday he has been on it all weekend," said Howett.

"If you really look at his sector times from qualifying earlier in the season, he was struggling to put a complete lap together but generally showing he had the speed to do it.

"He proved to himself in Hockenheim, particularly on race pace, how quick he was and the fact he had an issue and he just continued from that point this weekend."

Source
 
The sad thing is that some Alonso-haters actually believe that FA really said "I'm worth 0.6 sec". :lol:

Fernando Alonso said:
When I arrived in December, I remember the car I drove; I remember the results they had in 2006. And now, you know, I brought to the team half a second, six tenths, whatever, and I don't see anything giving me back.
 
^

As far as I know, the original Spanish quote was that the team had improved 0.5-0.6 sec since he went there, not that he was the one who had brought those 6 tenths.

Anyway, it's obvious that Alonso isn't worth 0.6 sec, but none of the drivers is...
 
That particular quote is from an article where Alonso said he was not getting his "deserved treatment" at mclaren, I can post the whole autosport article if you want; however, at the end of the day, we both see eye to eye where no driver is worth 0.6 seconds or any silly estimation as such.
 
That particular quote is from an article where Alonso said he was not getting his "deserved treatment" at mclaren, I can post the whole autosport article if you want; however, at the end of the day, we both see eye to eye where no driver is worth 0.6 seconds or any silly estimation as such.

I think that the figure was a round estimate on the difference of pace between the launch MP4-22 and the one that rolled out on the grid in Australia. Difference that was down to development work done, as I remember, mostly by two Spanish mates.
 
Development will mostly (not always, as we have seen) lead to pace. I would never attribute it to a single, or even a pair of drivers' input. How much faster was the MP4-23 b/w it's launch and it's first race?
 
A nice overview on the 2009 driver line-up and the possibilities by F1 GP Update.

Background: Who will race where in 2009?
08 August 2008

Even though we're only half way in to the season most of the Formula One teams have already signed up their drivers for 2009. The main question for next season will be where we will see Fernando Alonso race. According to the latest rumours the Spaniard could sign at Honda or stay at Renault for another season.

Scuderia Ferrari

Kimi Raikkonen (contract untill 2009)
Felipe Massa (contract untill 2010)

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton (contract untill 2012)
Heikki Kovalainen (multiple-year contract)

BMW Sauber F1

Nick Heidfeld (possibility)
Robert Kubica (possibility)
Christian Klien (possibility)

Panasonic Toyota Racing

Jarno Trulli (contract untill 2009)
Timo Glock (multiple-year contract)

ING Renault F1

Fernando Alonso (possibility)
Nelson Piquet Jr. (possibility)
Lucas di Grassi (possibility)
Romain Grosjean (possibility)

Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber (new contract)
Sebastian Vettel (new contract)

AT&T Williams F1

Nico Rosberg (contract untill the end of 2009)
Kazuki Nakajima (possibility)
Nico H?lkenberg (possibility)

Honda Racing Team

Jenson Button (possibility)
Rubens Barrichello (possibility)
Fernando Alonso (possibility)

Scuderia Toro Rosso

Sebastien Bourdais (possibility)
Bruno Senna (possibility)
Sebastien Buemi (possibility)
Karun Chandhok (possibility)

Force India

Adrian Sutil (possibility)
Giancarlo Fisichella (possibility)
Vitantonio Liuzzi (possibility)
Karun Chandhok (possibility)

Source
 
I haven't heard any rumors about a new team next year - has anyone? After SA dropped out and Prodive and new Jordon didn't happen, it's not surprising, but I would think the FIA would be trying to help a new team out. 10 teams is not enough, unless they go back to the old points system.
 
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