Topic: Formula 1 Racing

[Chris1987]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

[kittens25]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

[Chris1987]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

[conchita]

Hamilton loses licence after speeding

Formula One sensation Lewis Hamilton had his driving licence suspended for a month after being caught speeding on a French motorway, police said.

The British driver was at the wheel of a Mercedes when he was clocked at 196 km/h near the northern town of Laon on Sunday.

Police stopped him, detained the car and fined him 600 euros (£429).

"He was very polite and cooperative," said a police spokesman, who added Hamilton had since had the car collected for him.

The McLaren driver, 22, finished runner-up in his rookie season to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 world championship.

[Chris1987]

Hamilton loses licence after speeding

Formula One sensation Lewis Hamilton had his driving licence suspended for a month after being caught speeding on a French motorway, police said.

The British driver was at the wheel of a Mercedes when he was clocked at 196 km/h near the northern town of Laon on Sunday.

Police stopped him, detained the car and fined him 600 euros (£429).

"He was very polite and cooperative," said a police spokesman, who added Hamilton had since had the car collected for him.

The McLaren driver, 22, finished runner-up in his rookie season to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 world championship.

Just heard on the radio. thats just a stupid thing he has done but he wont be bothered by the fine thats for sure but losing his license for a formula 1 driver is just a daft thing to do.

[conchita]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

[conchita]

Hamilton loses licence after speeding

Formula One sensation Lewis Hamilton had his driving licence suspended for a month after being caught speeding on a French motorway, police said.

The British driver was at the wheel of a Mercedes when he was clocked at 196 km/h near the northern town of Laon on Sunday.

Police stopped him, detained the car and fined him 600 euros (£429).

"He was very polite and cooperative," said a police spokesman, who added Hamilton had since had the car collected for him.

The McLaren driver, 22, finished runner-up in his rookie season to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 world championship.

Just heard on the radio. thats just a stupid thing he has done but he wont be bothered by the fine thats for sure but losing his license for a formula 1 driver is just a daft thing to do.

for sure, he has done more stupid things like throwing the title with the help Ron Denis. 2007 season will be remember as the best example of how to lose a championship.

[Chris1987]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

[Chris1987]

Hamilton loses licence after speeding

Formula One sensation Lewis Hamilton had his driving licence suspended for a month after being caught speeding on a French motorway, police said.

The British driver was at the wheel of a Mercedes when he was clocked at 196 km/h near the northern town of Laon on Sunday.

Police stopped him, detained the car and fined him 600 euros (£429).

"He was very polite and cooperative," said a police spokesman, who added Hamilton had since had the car collected for him.

The McLaren driver, 22, finished runner-up in his rookie season to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 world championship.

Just heard on the radio. thats just a stupid thing he has done but he wont be bothered by the fine thats for sure but losing his license for a formula 1 driver is just a daft thing to do.

for sure, he has done more stupid things like throwing the title with the help Ron Denis. 2007 season will be remember as the best example of how to lose a championship.

tyres in Shanghai was a killer. why on earth he wasnt brought in a lap before il never know.

[conchita]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

Renault will be ready for next year with Alonso, the problem in Mclaren is who is going to prepare the car now that Alonso is gone, the rookie Hamilton-Kovalainen, don't think so....
Massa is not worthy to drive a Ferrrari, his manager is the son of Jean Todt, both will not be in Ferrari in 2009. Next year is Raikkonen again. The Iceman!

btw are you british?

[conchita]

Hamilton loses licence after speeding

Formula One sensation Lewis Hamilton had his driving licence suspended for a month after being caught speeding on a French motorway, police said.

The British driver was at the wheel of a Mercedes when he was clocked at 196 km/h near the northern town of Laon on Sunday.

Police stopped him, detained the car and fined him 600 euros (£429).

"He was very polite and cooperative," said a police spokesman, who added Hamilton had since had the car collected for him.

The McLaren driver, 22, finished runner-up in his rookie season to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 world championship.

Just heard on the radio. thats just a stupid thing he has done but he wont be bothered by the fine thats for sure but losing his license for a formula 1 driver is just a daft thing to do.

for sure, he has done more stupid things like throwing the title with the help Ron Denis. 2007 season will be remember as the best example of how to lose a championship.

tyres in Shanghai was a killer. why on earth he wasnt brought in a lap before il never know.

answer: Ron the idiot Dennis

[Chris1987]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

Renault will be ready for next year with Alonso, the problem in Mclaren is who is going to prepare the car now that Alonso is gone, the rookie Hamilton-Kovalainen, don't think so....
Massa is not worthy to drive a Ferrrari, his manager is the son of Jean Todt, both will not be in Ferrari in 2009. Next year is Raikkonen again. The Iceman!

btw are you british?

yeah British all the way. i said Kimi as well. he is very much the man to beat next year.

[conchita]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

Renault will be ready for next year with Alonso, the problem in Mclaren is who is going to prepare the car now that Alonso is gone, the rookie Hamilton-Kovalainen, don't think so....
Massa is not worthy to drive a Ferrrari, his manager is the son of Jean Todt, both will not be in Ferrari in 2009. Next year is Raikkonen again. The Iceman!

btw are you british?

yeah British all the way. i said Kimi as well. he is very much the man to beat next year.

then Chris I should say to you who is my fav. sportsman of all time, guess who?

[Chris1987]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

Renault will be ready for next year with Alonso, the problem in Mclaren is who is going to prepare the car now that Alonso is gone, the rookie Hamilton-Kovalainen, don't think so....
Massa is not worthy to drive a Ferrrari, his manager is the son of Jean Todt, both will not be in Ferrari in 2009. Next year is Raikkonen again. The Iceman!

btw are you british?

yeah British all the way. i said Kimi as well. he is very much the man to beat next year.

then Chris I should say to you who is my fav. sportsman of all time, guess who?

what sport is it then conchita?

[conchita]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

Renault will be ready for next year with Alonso, the problem in Mclaren is who is going to prepare the car now that Alonso is gone, the rookie Hamilton-Kovalainen, don't think so....
Massa is not worthy to drive a Ferrrari, his manager is the son of Jean Todt, both will not be in Ferrari in 2009. Next year is Raikkonen again. The Iceman!

btw are you british?

yeah British all the way. i said Kimi as well. he is very much the man to beat next year.

then Chris I should say to you who is my fav. sportsman of all time, guess who?

what sport is it then conchita?

F1 RACING, when racing was dangerous and sex was not

[Chris1987]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

Renault will be ready for next year with Alonso, the problem in Mclaren is who is going to prepare the car now that Alonso is gone, the rookie Hamilton-Kovalainen, don't think so....
Massa is not worthy to drive a Ferrrari, his manager is the son of Jean Todt, both will not be in Ferrari in 2009. Next year is Raikkonen again. The Iceman!

btw are you british?

yeah British all the way. i said Kimi as well. he is very much the man to beat next year.

then Chris I should say to you who is my fav. sportsman of all time, guess who?

what sport is it then conchita?

F1 RACING, when racing was dangerous and sex was not

are they British? im at work so you will probably have to tell me because my brain is sizzling. but stuart moss manshall hill are a few that come to mind straight away.

[conchita]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

Renault will be ready for next year with Alonso, the problem in Mclaren is who is going to prepare the car now that Alonso is gone, the rookie Hamilton-Kovalainen, don't think so....
Massa is not worthy to drive a Ferrrari, his manager is the son of Jean Todt, both will not be in Ferrari in 2009. Next year is Raikkonen again. The Iceman!

btw are you british?

yeah British all the way. i said Kimi as well. he is very much the man to beat next year.

then Chris I should say to you who is my fav. sportsman of all time, guess who?

what sport is it then conchita?

F1 RACING, when racing was dangerous and sex was not

are they British? im at work so you will probably have to tell me because my brain is sizzling. but stuart moss manshall hill are a few that come to mind straight away.

my idol and fav. sportsman of all time is:
Sir John Young Jackie Stewart: F1 Champion in 69, 71, 73.
Stewart: the most clever, his results are there.....if needed.
Jackie was not (usually) as fast as others over one lap - or several ones in a trot- but his tactical approach in order to win races and titles, his intelligence of racing, were masterful and unequalled. Under Ken Tyrell's banner, the two making a tandem whose efficiency in the results can only be compared to the legendary Jim Clark-Colin Chapman at Lotus.

[Chris1987]

Interesting news, had a feeling that Kovalainen would join McLaren. Alonso I really can't see being a contender for the World Championship next year if Renault are as poor in 2008 as they were in 2007. Straight swap then between the two teams.

I see what you are saying and you could definitely be right.  Still it is hard to tell for sure with Alonso.   He has a unique driving style and the Renault car fits his unique driving style perfectly, that is maybe why he is an exceptional driver with them considering even the years he won the WC they were not neccessarily the dominant car, and just a pretty good driver like at McLaren.    It is possible the car wasnt even much better then last year the years he won, he was just able to drive extremely well in that car and get much more out of it then the car was worth, and now without him driving there the car just seems alot slower.     I could be wrong on that though, we will see next year.

Kovalainen is a good driver.   I guess with however he performs at McLaren we will get a clearer idea how much slower Renault was last year compared to other years.    He was much better then Fisichella with Renault, but still not nearly as superior to Fisichella as Alonso was, but as I already said Alonso has a unique driving style and needs a certain type of car like Renault so that is deceiving.   What is clear now though is Fisichella does not belong anywhere near one of the leading 3 or 4 cars anyway, so he probably also made both Alonso and Kovalainen look even better then they are too.     Either way I dont think Kovalainen is quite at the level of Hamilton, but I do think he is good enough to get points for the team in that car if they are nearly as strong as last year, so pretty much an ideal situation for Hamilton fans and McLaren probably.

I agree that Alonso does have a pretty unique driving style and he is such a talent that if anybody is going to get the best out of a car, especially going back to a team he is extremely familiar with then it will be Alonso. The Renault will be much more suited to Alonso than the McLaren was but I'm just wondering over the last 18 months if the Renault team have gone backwards compared to the McLaren and Ferrari making progress over the last 18 months, so if thats the case the Renault team have got to make a lot of progress over the winter break because I know Ferrari will definitely have a better car next year, although I'm not so sure over McLaren. Alonso will be back in the comfortable position however of knowing he is for sure the out and out number 1 driver, as just like you say Fisichella has shown he is not at the level of Kovalainen, let alone Alonso, so it will be his team again and thats where Alonso races at his very best. If the Renault car isn't quite upto it in 2008 that will be an enormous shame that one of the 3 most talented drivers won't be competing for the World Championship. McLaren I feel have got a pretty good combination now in Hamilton and Kovalainen because it very rarely works out at a team when you have 2 real top drivers so going with Hamilton and Alonso again was impossible. Kovalainen will be a good team player, very solid if not spectacular who will do a good job. He's shown at Renault that he's got the talent and as you rightly say that he's a better driver than the experienced Fisichella so he'll do pretty well at McLaren and Hamilton will be loving this becuse now he knows for sure that this is his team.Next year I can imagine we'll have a battle between Hamilton and Raikkonen if the McLaren is upto it, if its not then it will come down to the Ferrari boys of Kimi and Massa, assuming the Renault doesn't improve drastically with Alonso back.

how can you say that we will have a battle between hamilton and raikkonen. I know everything about F1 history and you can consider Mclaren's last year season as the worst performance of all time, what a choke!. Hamilton is done. Alonso is wonderful preparing the cars, Lewis will not have his aid next year. Consider what Alonso did Renault against the best ever Schumi.

Renault had a much better car in the years you speak about and have gone backwards since whereas other teams have improved their performance and their car. most believe it will be a Lewis Kimi battle next year with maybe Massa thrown in and then Alonso if the Renault have made the dramatic improvements they need to.

Renault will be ready for next year with Alonso, the problem in Mclaren is who is going to prepare the car now that Alonso is gone, the rookie Hamilton-Kovalainen, don't think so....
Massa is not worthy to drive a Ferrrari, his manager is the son of Jean Todt, both will not be in Ferrari in 2009. Next year is Raikkonen again. The Iceman!

btw are you british?

yeah British all the way. i said Kimi as well. he is very much the man to beat next year.

then Chris I should say to you who is my fav. sportsman of all time, guess who?

what sport is it then conchita?

F1 RACING, when racing was dangerous and sex was not

are they British? im at work so you will probably have to tell me because my brain is sizzling. but stuart moss manshall hill are a few that come to mind straight away.

my idol and fav. sportsman of all time is:
Sir John Young Jackie Stewart: F1 Champion in 69, 71, 73.
Stewart: the most clever, his results are there.....if needed.
Jackie was not (usually) as fast as others over one lap - or several ones in a trot- but his tactical approach in order to win races and titles, his intelligence of racing, were masterful and unequalled. Under Ken Tyrell's banner, the two making a tandem whose efficiency in the results can only be compared to the legendary Jim Clark-Colin Chapman at Lotus.

Well I got it then What a fantastic racing driver Sir Jackie was and a person we can always be extremely proud of. To win the World Championship on 3 occassions as he has is a marvlous achievement and you really have to say no more as to why he's your favourite sportsperson of all time. You summed it up perefectly just what an amazing driver and talent he was. He is probably our best ever Formula 1 driver and is a great person on top of everything else.

[Chris1987]

Think Fernando is going with me on the take for the 2008 Championship and his hopes:
Alonso: I've no chance in '08
Spaniard dismisses his world title prospects at Renault

Fernando Alonso has dismissed his chances of regaining the Formula One world title in 2008.

Alonso, 26, was champion in 2005 and 2006 with Renault before moving to McLaren and finishing third last season.

The Spaniard has rejoined Renault for 2008 but believes it is 'madness' to expect him to win the title in his first year back with the Regie.

"Today that idea is madness," Alonso told sports programme El Larguero.

"You have to be realistic and this year they (Renault) were a long way behind and it's too big a leap.

"But everything is possible, they have to make the car better.

"We opted for Renault because it is the most optimistic choice for 2008 and with possibilities to do good things.

"However, every team has to make a huge step up in quality for next year because McLaren and Ferrari won all the races this year."

Ferrari ambition

Alonso admitted he still harbours ambitions to drive for Ferrari at some stage in the future.

"I didn't know whether to stay at McLaren or what I was going to do," he said of his exit from the Woking-based team after just one season.

"We looked at everything and in the end we decided it would be better to go our separate ways.

"From there I started looking for teams. Almost all the teams approached me, but not Ferrari.

"It wouldn't be right to say that I want to sign for Ferrari barely a fortnight after I signed for Renault but of course it would be nice if I could go there one day."

[conchita]

Think Fernando is going with me on the take for the 2008 Championship and his hopes:
Alonso: I've no chance in '08
Spaniard dismisses his world title prospects at Renault

Fernando Alonso has dismissed his chances of regaining the Formula One world title in 2008.

Alonso, 26, was champion in 2005 and 2006 with Renault before moving to McLaren and finishing third last season.

The Spaniard has rejoined Renault for 2008 but believes it is 'madness' to expect him to win the title in his first year back with the Regie.

"Today that idea is madness," Alonso told sports programme El Larguero.

"You have to be realistic and this year they (Renault) were a long way behind and it's too big a leap.

"But everything is possible, they have to make the car better.

"We opted for Renault because it is the most optimistic choice for 2008 and with possibilities to do good things.

"However, every team has to make a huge step up in quality for next year because McLaren and Ferrari won all the races this year."

Ferrari ambition

Alonso admitted he still harbours ambitions to drive for Ferrari at some stage in the future.

"I didn't know whether to stay at McLaren or what I was going to do," he said of his exit from the Woking-based team after just one season.

"We looked at everything and in the end we decided it would be better to go our separate ways.

"From there I started looking for teams. Almost all the teams approached me, but not Ferrari.

"It wouldn't be right to say that I want to sign for Ferrari barely a fortnight after I signed for Renault but of course it would be nice if I could go there one day."

Hamilton Wants To Lead McLaren To Success 

Lewis Hamilton believes he can be McLaren's "leader" next season as he bids to bounce back from a year which saw the team dogged by controversy.

Hamilton's rivalry - and professional relationship - with team-mate Fernando Alonso dominated the season on the track while McLaren's involvement in the 'spygate' scandal also gained some unwanted attention off it.

But while he concedes that last season had low points he is enthusiastic about building on what he still considers to be dream rookie campaign in Formula One.

And with Heikki Kovalainen joining McLaren in place of the departed Alonso, he also believes he could become the team's number one driver - a policy they actively distanced themselves from this year. 

He told BBC News 24: "Politics-wise it (2007) was a disaster but that is the business, there is nothing you can do about it. 

"You won't see a season quite like it again but I hope next season is just as exciting without the politics. 

"For me it's great, I'm almost seen as the leader of the team and hopefully I can do the job."