> McLaren releases Alonso from his contract !!

Think about it... Our man in KingFisher will give him loads of cash...

Renault makes its play for Alonso

Renault team principal Flavio Briatore has made an offer to Fernando Alonso to return to the team that helped him become the sport's youngest double world champion in 2006.

But Briatore, quoted in Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, said any deal would hinge on whether Alonso, who was released from McLaren this week, could agree terms on the length of a contract.

"We will see what happens from here until Tuesday," said Briatore.

"I have introduced a plan for the future to Fernando and if his desires coincide with ours it can happen.

"I know how much he can still give to the Renault, but an agreement for a year would not make sense."

Renault is keen to recover quickly from a difficult season that saw it drop behind its competitors McLaren, Ferrari and BMW, and reuniting with Alonso is seen as clear opportunity to do just that.

The French car-maker's president Carlos Ghosn also made it clear that Briatore's plan had his backing.

"On the Alonso issue it is Briatore alone who decides," said Ghosn.

"I have delegated every decision that regards the sport to him."

Alonso however is believed to want a one-year contract, leaving him free to seek fresh opportunites in 2009, possibly with Ferrari.

This issue may prove a deal-breaker for the 26-year-old who has also been linked to Red Bull – which moved into the frame by dint of its huge funding and track record for paddock coups.

BUt while rumours of a RBR tie-up with Alonso refuse to go away, sources close to the team suggest a deal for next year is unlikely given the unstabilising affect a one-year deal with the McLaren refugee could have on its current set-up following a season of sustained forward momentum with David Coulthard and Mark Webber.

Red Bull's billionaire team owner Dietrich Mateschitz said on Saturday that his team was committed to its current drivers.

“We will see how things go," he told Gazzetta.

"Coulthard and Webber are our drivers 100% for 2008. But in F1 nothing is for sure, things are only very probable.”

Source: itv-f1

Lewis predicts potential team-mates

Lewis Hamilton has predicted Fernando Alonso's replacement at McLaren will come from a trio of Formula 1's three rising stars - Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil or Heikki Kovalainen.

All three drivers made a name for themselves with strong seasons in 2007, and while Hamilton admitted during a Mercedes press event at Stuttgart that he did not know who his McLaren team would pick, he would be happy to drive alongside any of them.

"I think there's Nico [Rosberg], Adrian Sutil, [Heikki Kovalainen] - so one of those three, and I haven't really guessed which one of those three," he said.

"I think they are all fantastic drivers, and I know all of them quite well.

"If I could choose, I honestly don't know who I would pick. We need a team player.

"But they all have contracts, so that's what makes it so hard to guess."

Of the three, Kovalainen is believed to be McLaren's first choice but much depends on whether Renault secures Alonso's services and the Finn's manager Flavio Briatore can agree terms with Ron Dennis.

Williams is adamant that Rosberg is not for sale at any price, but Hamilton knows him from their time as team-mates in karting.

Spyker's Adrian Sutil is also a former Lewis stablemate and good friends with the British ace, but the German, who sparkled on occasion last season, remains central to Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya's emerging plans for the back-of-the-grid team.

As for Alonso, with whom Hamilton struck up a tempestuous rivalry, Lewis said: "I wish him all the best, and I wish him all the best for next season and for his future move, wherever he goes."

Source: itv-f1

Well, he will be happy to accept yamamoto or even a gp2 driver after having Alonso as his team mate .

Great news, Frankly I didn't want him in McLaren. He is too good for them