Alonso gears up for emotional exit

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Fernando Alonso is steeling himself for an emotional farewell to Renault this weekend.

Alonso faces his last grand prix with the team ahead of his big-money move to Ferrari, ending a two-year association.

It is the second time the Spaniard will be saying his goodbyes as he faced a similar situation in 2006 after winning back-to-back world titles with Renault prior to his ill-fated move to McLaren.

Ahead of the season-ending inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Alonso said: "I would love to finish the season and my Renault career with a great result.

"It will be an emotional race because I have enjoyed so many special memories with this team, and I am leaving behind a lot of friends.

"Renault is one of the great teams in Formula One, and I look forward to fighting with them on the track in the years ahead."

Paying tribute to Alonso, team principal Bob Bell remarked: "He's made a huge contribution to the team, especially winning two world championships in 2005 and 2006 so he will be missed enormously.

"It's often said he is the best driver on the grid, and I wouldn't disagree with that, so we're understandably sad to see the end of our very successful relationship.

"But we're also looking forward and we're all delighted to be welcoming Robert Kubica to the team as I believe he will quickly show that he is of the same calibre as Fernando.

"He's a strong team player, a great motivator and incredibly quick, so we have plenty to look forward to as we enter a new era for the team."

Kubica rides in at Renault

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Robert Kubica is convinced he can fight for next year's Formula One world title after agreeing to join Renault from 2010.

Kubica will replace Fernando Alonso at the team after the recent confirmation of the double world champion's switch to Ferrari.

The 24-year-old Pole, who has spent the last three and a half years at BMW Sauber, has been forced to find a new team given the German manufacturing giant are pulling out of F1 at the end of this year.

Although Renault have struggled since their title triumphs of 2005 and 2006, even with Alonso back at the wheel these past two years, Kubica is confident they can again be a force.

"I'm very happy I will be joining Renault in the 2010 season," said Kubica.

"I feel I have a special connection with this team because in 2005 I won the World Series by Renault.

"This gave me the chance to test with the team in Barcelona, which led to my debut in Formula One.

"I share with Renault a strong winning mentality and feel comfortable with their friendly and open attitude.

"I'm highly motivated and optimistic that together we can be at the front of the grid next year, and hopefully fighting for the world title."

Kubica pushed Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa for last year's world title, winning his only race of 55 grands prix to date in Canada.

Kubica, though, has failed to recapture such form this year due to the team failing to provide him with a competitive car, collecting just nine points from 15 races.

But with Alonso's departure, Renault now have a strong replacement as recognised by team principal Bob Bell.

"We are very excited to have signed Robert," said Bell.

"Ever since Robert made his grand prix debut in 2006, he has been on our radar as one of the most naturally talented drivers of his generation.

"He has delivered on that promise so it's great to have secured him in one of our cars next season.

"Renault has high ambitions and hopes for the future of the team and we feel Robert can play a big role in fulfilling them."

Renault could be severely punished

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Renault could be thrown out of the Formula One world championship if found guilty of causing a crash at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The crash helped Fernando Alonso win last year's inaugural night race.

Just five days after details emerged of the incidents that unfolded in the sport's historic first night race last September, the FIA will now sit in judgment on Renault.

An extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council will take place in Paris on Monday, September 21, with Renault facing charges of being in breach of Article 151c of the International Sporting Code.

Article 151c relates to 'any fraudulent conduct or act prejudicial to the interests of any competition, or to the interests of motor sport generally'.

The charge is that "the team conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso".

In this instance the FIA's powers are wide-ranging, as McLaren found to their cost in 2007 when they were fined £50million for being in breach of the same article in relation to the spygate saga.

Should Renault be punished, it is almost certain the penalty will be severe, especially as deliberately crashing a car puts the lives of not only the driver, but also marshals and spectators at risk.

Alonso would naturally be stripped of his victory, potentially even all his points from last season, which may result in Renault being forced to pay back all their prize money for 2008.

In addition, there is the real prospect of their exclusion from this year's championship, which in turn may ultimately lead to Renault's decision to withdraw from the sport altogether.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone sounded a warning this week there would be "a lot of trouble" if the allegations are found to be true.

Ecclestone also suggested Renault could follow Honda and BMW out of F1 due to the adverse publicity they are currently receiving.

Alonso certainly appeared fortunate in taking the chequered flag in Singapore as the double world champion had started from 15th on the grid.

Intriguingly, Renault had opted to fuel Alonso short for his first stint, a bizarre tactic when starting so far down and on a typical street track where it is notoriously difficult to pass.

Renault gambled on there being a safety car incident, and just two laps after Alonso made his first pit stop on lap 12, Piquet's crash turned the race on its head.

It brought the safety car into play, shaking up the field, with the Spaniard ultimately giving Renault their first win for two years at a time when it was strongly rumoured they were considering quitting the sport.

Piquet explained the incident away by claiming he was trying too hard, made a mistake and scraped one wall a little too closely.

Only recently Piquet was sacked by the team, with the suggestion it was he, or his father/manager Nelson Piquet snr, who blew the whistle, prompting an investigation, and now subsequent hearing.

Renault were last night refusing to make any comment, and confirmed they will not do so before attending the hearing.

Renault cleared to race in Valencia

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Renault and Fernando Alonso have won an appeal against a one-race ban, clearing them to take part in Sunday's European Grand Prix.

The French team were punished after allowing Alonso to leave the pit lane with a loose wheel at last month's Hungarian Grand Prix.

The wheel came off and bounced across the track at the July 26 race, with race stewards subsequently ruling that the team's pit crew knew the wheel was not properly secured and failed to tell the driver.

Renault were hopeful the team's suspension would be lifted - and today motorsport's governing body the FIA overturned the ban and instead decided to fine the team just over £30,000.

A statement on the FIA's official website, www.fia.com, read: Renault admitted to the court that they breached the sporting regulations, in that they failed to ensure that (the) car complied with the conditions for safety throughout practice and the race, and that they released the car after a pit stop when it was unsafe to do so.

"However, it requested the court to reconsider the severity of the sanction imposed by the stewards.

"Having heard the arguments of the parties, the court have decided as follows:

1) To allow the appeal and overturn the sanction imposed by the Stewards in the contested decision.

2) To issue a reprimand and impose a fine of $50,000 (£30,600) upon Renault.

"The reasons for this decision will be published in a full judgment in the coming days."

With the ban overturned Alonso will now race at his home grand prix in Valencia, which is likely to prove highly popular with the Spanish crowd.

The incident happened the day after Felipe Massa was involved in an horrific incident which left him with life-threatening injuries.

The Ferrari driver needed surgery on his skull after being struck by an object dislodged from the Brawn GP car of Rubens Barrichello during qualifying at the Hungaroring.

The previous week, 18-year-old Formula Two driver Henry Surtees - the son of 1964 F1 champion John Surtees - died after being struck on the head by a wheel and tyre while travelling at 120mph at Brands Hatch

Renault drive chance for Grosjean

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Renault have confirmed that Romain Grosjean will replace Nelson Piquet Jr at the European Grand Prix in Valencia.

Grosjean has also been chosen as the team's second driver for the remaining races of the season after Piquet Jr failed to pick up a point in 10 races.

"I'm very proud and looking forward to helping the team get the best results," said the 23-year-old Frenchman.

"Romain is an impressive young talent and we expect him to show his skills," said Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.

Grosjean will race alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso for Renault in Valencia at the weekend after getting the green light to replace Piquet Jr.

"It is an honour to be Fernando's team-mate and to make my Formula 1 debut alongside a double world champion is especially motivating," said Grosjean.

Renault & McLaren change diffuser

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Renault and McLaren will run with updated diffusers at the Chinese Grand Prix, BBC Sport understands.

The two Formula 1 teams are reacting quickly to a decision by the sport's governing body, the FIA, to approve the use of split-level diffusers.

The FIA Court of Appeal this week rejected complaints from rival teams about the design used by Brawn Grand Prix, Toyota and Williams.

The decision will force the other teams to consider a drastic redesign.

Renault were amongst the teams who spoke strongly against the use of the split-level diffuser - an aerodynamic part at the rear of the car which increases performance - at an eight-hour hearing in Paris on Wednesday.

But the French team, who won constructors' titles in both 2005 and 2006, are now understood to have flown in a modified diffuser to the Shanghai International Circuit.McLaren are also expected to introduce a limited update to their diffuser when first free practice begins in China at 1000 local time (0300 BST) on Friday.

The split-level design is believed to give an advantage of around 0.5 seconds per lap, though Renault and McLaren are not expected to make such a leap in performance immediately.

"I do not think it will be a huge gain in the beginning," conceded Renault driver Fernando Alonso.

"It's not only about putting a magic part on the car - the whole philosophy of the car needs changing and that will take time.

"We will be better than in the last race (in Malaysia) but we can still develop further."

The seven teams who ran without the split-level diffuser in the opening races of 2009 in Australia and Malaysia will need both time and money to catch up with Brawn, Toyota and Williams.

Mike Gascoyne - former technical director of Toyota, Jordan and most recently Force India - told BBC Sport: "A major update to the rear of the car requires a redesign of the gear box, the crash structure and the rear suspension.

"While some teams will implement small updates based on the FIA's clarification, without a huge redesign they won't be able to get the full performance effect.Over the next couple of races we will see more and more teams making small updates while significant updates will only come in the following months."

The diffuser row broke out when Ferrari, Renault and Red Bull protested against the legality of the split-level design on the eve of the season-opening Grand Prix in Australia, but race stewards in Melbourne rejected their claims.

BMW Sauber then had a similar protest rejected at the Malaysian Grand Prix while McLaren subsequently recently added their weight to the official protest.

The FIA introduced a raft of rule changes for the 2009 season designed to aid overtaking and make racing more exciting - and the teams whose controversial interpretation of the FIA's regulations on the design of the diffusers has now been ruled legal have prospered.

Meanwhile, the teams that have used the new Kers (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) energy storage and power boost system so far this season - Renault, Ferrari, McLaren, and BMW Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld - have experienced little success.

Ferrari, who have failed to score a point in the two races so far, have decided to dispense with Kers for the Chinese Grand Prix because of reliability problems.

Two-time world champion Alonso was this week quoted as saying: "We have done what the FIA wanted us to do and because of that are being beaten by teams that did what the FIA didn't want."

Global crisis hits Renault team

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Renault has become the latest Formula One team to be hit by the economic crisis after their main sponsor ING withdrew its support from 2010.

The Dutch financial services company decided to end its involvement in F1 in order to cut costs.

"ING has been an enthusiastic partner," said Renault boss Flavio Briatore.

"But we have been aware for some time that the world's current financial climate was calling for a restructure of our sport."

ING announced last month that it needs to to lose 7,000 jobs to save £949m.

"In light of the recently announced cost reduction programme, ING confirmed not to renew the three-year sponsorship (2007-2009) contract with Renault F1 and to end its presence in F1 beyond the 2009 season," the company said in a statement.

"F1 remains a powerful business driver even in a difficult economic climate.

"ING has enjoyed the relationship with Renault F1 and will continue to work closely with the team during the final year of the partnership."

Despite the loss of ING's key investment, Briatore remained optimistic about Renault's future in F1.

"Drastic cost reductions have been on the Formula One Teams' Association's (Fota) agenda as one of the first priorities.

"With the ongoing programme of measures we are confident we can guarantee a solid future for our team and for F1."

Last month, BMW Sauber also lost one of their main backers when Credit Suisse opted not to renew their deal.

The impact of the global credit crunch claimed its biggest F1 victim at the end of last year when Japanese car manufacturer Honda withdrew its team with immediate effect.

A buyer for the team, which spent more than £300m a year, has yet to be found ahead of season-opening Grand Prix in Australia on 29 March.

In light of the global economic downturn, the teams and governing body, the FIA, agreed a raft of measures in December which aimed to cut team budgets by at least 30%.

But FIA president Max Mosley has urged Fota to reduce costs further and has set the teams a target of operating on about 50m Euros (£44m) a year in 2010.

Currently, the richest teams are spending as much as six or seven times that amount.

Renault R29 - front aero package

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Despite the restrictive aerodynamic rules for 2009, teams have adopted various approaches to the front ends of their cars. The major design difficulties to overcome have been the standardised central section of the front wing and the wing's lower position, which together risk making the nose very pitch sensitive under braking. To avoid this on the R29, Renault have adopted a stepped main profile, which helps create a kind of Venturi effect under the nosecone. The nose's bulging shape is designed to speed up airflow, reducing pressure and boosting downforce, whilst the two central pillars boast backward extensions that continue along the underside of the nose, acting like turning vanes. The wing features a single flap and wide endplates which divert air away from the front tyres and reduce drag.

Alonso upbeat over Renault hopes

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Fernando Alonso says a good start for Renault to the new Formula One season will put speculation about him one day switching to Ferrari on the backburner.

The Spaniard was speaking at the launch of Renault's R29 car in which he will battle for a third drivers' title.

"Hopefully this year I can be more relaxed about this question," he said when asked again about joining Ferrari.

"If we are winning races and fighting for the championship then maybe we forget Ferrari."

The latest rumour emerged earlier this month, with claims he had agreed to join Ferrari in 2011 once Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen's deals have expired.

Alonso refused to be drawn and said: "When we talk about 2010, 2011 or 2012, it is a difficult question to answer because I'm not looking that far [ahead].

"Right now, I only have one target - winning the championship. I am more motivated than ever, more prepared than ever, physically and mentally.

"If we don't win it, then it will be a disappointing season.

"In race two or race three, if we are nowhere, then maybe we have to change our target."

Alonso, 27, committed to Renault until the end of the 2010 season in December.

He finished 2008 with two wins in the last four races, to renew belief in the team's ability to challenge for the title.

Alonso, a two-time world champion with Renault, finished fifth in the drivers' standings, while the French team were fourth in the constructors' championship.

Renault are hoping the R29 will allow Alonso and team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr to mount a serious challenge to front-runners McLaren and Ferrari.

Team boss Flavio Briatore said: "We began our preparations for the R29 project early and I am proud of what the team has achieved.

"There are lots of new things to deal with this year, which could shake things up, but we intend to continue fighting at the front."

The R29 incorporates the wide nose and narrow rear wing seen in other 2009 cars, and carries over last season's shark-fin engine cover.

The most visible change is the team's striking new yellow livery, replacing 2008's blue and orange design.

Renault and Williams debut new cars in Portugal

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Renault and Williams both gave their 2009 cars their first public outings on Monday morning at the start of this week’s multi-team test session at the Algarve Motor Park circuit in Portugal.

The Renault R28 was presented to the press by drivers Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet, along with team boss Flavio Briatore, while Williams tester Nico Hulkenberg starred with the FW31, running in an interim testing livery. The team’s 2009 race livery will be revealed prior to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March.

Both cars will be testing alongside those of rival teams McLaren, who track debuted the new MP4-24 at the Portimao circuit on Saturday following its UK launch last Friday, and Toyota, who ran their new TF109 for the first time at the Portimao venue on Sunday.

Testing continues in Portugal until Thursday. In neighbouring Spain, BMW Sauber will launch their new F1.09 - and start testing it - at Jerez on Tuesday.

Alonso opts to stay with Renault

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Fernando Alonso has ended months of speculation about his future by opting to stay at Renault for two more years.

The double world champion had been a Honda target but has turned them down following Renault's upturn in form.

Alonso, who scored more points than any other driver in the season's final five races, will be partnered by Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr for a second year.

He said he stayed because Renault had "always been my first choice and I feel happy and comfortable with them."

The Spaniard rejoined Renault, with whom he won the drivers' title in 2005 and '06, at the start of 2008 after a tumultuous season as Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate at McLaren.

The team started the year poorly but they came on strong in the final third of the season after making significant improvements to the car.

That performance, in which Alonso won superbly at both Singapore and Japan, has convinced him to stay with the team in the face of Honda's courtship.

The Anglo-Japanese team have had a poor two seasons with an uncompetitive car but wanted to build their future around Alonso and were said to have effectively offered him an open chequebook.

But in a statement issued by Renault on Wednesday, Alonso said: "Renault are a very close-knit team with a competitive and winning mentality, and also a relaxed and warm attitude, which suits me perfectly.

"After a difficult start to the season, we have overcome our difficulties and constantly improved our performances.

"My back-to-back wins in Singapore and Japan, and my recent second place podium finish in Brazil, have proved how competitive we can be.

"In the past we have won championships together, as well as going through tough moments, but we are now determined to show that we can repeat that success together in the coming seasons."

Alonso had been widely linked with a move to Ferrari either in 2009 or 2010 until the Italian team decided to extend Kimi Raikkonen’s contract.

But Alonso's new deal expires at the same time as Raikkonen's, making a future move to Ferrari a real possibility.

Renault's decision to retain Piquet is a lifeline for the son of triple world champion Nelson Piquet after a disappointing debut season.

Piquet, who was a title rival of Hamilton in the GP2 feeder series in 2006, has been well off Alonso's pace this season, although he did take a fortunate second place in the German Grand Prix in July.

There had been speculation he would be dropped in favour of another Brazilian, the team’s test driver Lucas di Grassi.

But some improved performances in the closing races of the season appear to have persuaded team boss Flavio Briatore to give him a second chance.

Piquet said: "Obviously I am delighted to have the opportunity to race for Renault for a second year.

"Although I have had a tough year, I have learned a lot from my rookie season and I will aim to put that experience to good use next season."

Briatore said the decision gave Renault "one of the most exciting driver pairings with the perfect blend of youth and experience".

He added: "Fernando's commitment for the next two seasons confirms the faith he has in the team and we are delighted to continue working with him.

"He has been a big asset throughout this difficult season and his leadership and talent, matched with the team's hard work and determination, have paid off with our recent performances."

Renault

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Renault fell from a great height in 2007, and though they have made up some of their lost ground they are still some way from their mid-decade height.

The return of Fernando Alonso, the man with whom they won titles in 2005-06, has led to a major step forward.

But while there is no faulting the Spaniard's effort, his no-compromise approach has led to the team scoring less points than it might have done.

Renault insist they can recover form, but must fear Alonso's departure.

Nationality: French
Drivers:
Fernando Alonso (Spa)
Nelson Piquet Jr (Brz)
Engine: Renault V8
Tyres: Bridgestone
F1 history: 1977-85; 2002-
Team principal: Flavio Briatore
2007 position: 3rd
Drivers' titles: 2
Constructors' titles: 2