Alonso Not Surprised By Ferrari extending Raikkonen's contract till 2010

Fernando Alonso says he is not ruling out joining the Ferrari team in the future after the Italian squad confirmed both their drivers for 2010.

The two-time champion had been linked with a Ferrari seat for some time, with Kimi Raikkonen delaying an announcement about his plans after the 2009 season.

But the Finn extended his contract with Ferrari until the 2010 season, closing the door to Alonso at least until 2011.

Alonso said he was not too surprised by Ferrari's announcement.

"No, because there was talk that it would be like that, so in a way I knew that they would renew his contract," Alonso told Cadena Ser radio.

"And once you know it, you have to think of 2009. I was not too worried about 2010. The most important thing is too see what is the best place to be in 2009."

The Spaniard is yet to announce his plans for 2009, with Renault, BMW and Honda hoping to secure his services.

The Renault driver insisted the French squad are his first choice, but he made it clear his future could be at Ferrari if the chance comes up.

"As I always say, Renault is my first option because I know the people and I know things can be done right here, even though this year things haven't gone well," he added. "And if not, we'll see what we can do.

"I'm 27 now and life changes a lot and if I race in Formula One for another eight or ten years I might get the chance again to end up there (at Ferrari)."

The Spanish driver said he has not seen much of Renault's car for 2009, and he admitted he has to be cautious when judging the team's optimism for next season.

"I haven't seen much, because we are focused on the remaining races, but I'm sure it inspires confidence because at this point of the year every team is nearly completely sure that next year they will do well," he said. "They are all very optimistic and it's up to you to believe them or not.

"Normally I believe them, because they've given me a lot of joy and two cars to win titles with, so it's easier to believe them than others."

Alonso is currently in seventh place in the championship and is yet to climb onto the podium in 2008
courtsey-autosport.com

Belgium gp-SPA-Francorchamps-Technical Requirements

SPA Francochamps Technical Requirements: Spa-Francorchamps is the most complete test of a Formula 1 car on the current calendar with every aspect of the vehicle's handling tested to the limit : - It combines 320 kph straights with 70 kph hairpins, with several sixth-gear sweepers thrown in for good measure, and, of course, the unique challenge of Eau Rouge. While this section of the circuit and the fast left hander at Blanchimont may no longer be as testing as they once were, corners such as Pouhon, taken blind in sixth gear, still allow the drivers to make the difference. And all of that is before you factor in the notoriously unpredictable weather in the Ardennes, which can see the circuit soaked at one end and bone dry at the other.

Chassis: The circuit features a high number of "aero corners" (only 6 of the 19 turns are taken at less than 150 kph), and this would normally push the teams towards relatively high levels of downforce in order to maximise grip in the corners, as is the case at a circuit like Silverstone for example. However, Spa imposes a very different trade off, because the two long flat out "straights" on the circuit both provide genuine overtaking opportunities. This means that top-speed is a critical factor in order to protect position, and downforce levels must be determined accordingly. As a result, the teams run with a medium downforce set-up, aiming to achieve end of straight speeds of around 320 kph. Aerodynamic efficiency (generating maximum downforce for minimum drag) is the key to success at this circuit.

Suspension: In terms of suspension settings, the overall compromise is relatively stiff in order to ensure good aerodynamic performance in the quicker corners, and a good change of direction in the quick chicanes. However, good traction is also critical on the exit of the final chicane and La Source hairpin, as poor performance in either part of the circuit can leave a driver vulnerable to overtaking under braking for the next corner

Tyres:
Along with Barcelona, Spa is the most demanding circuit of the season for the tyres, and it is no surprise that Bridgestone will bring the two hardest compounds from its 2008 range for this race: the hard and medium compounds.

Ride heights:
Our ride heights are limited by the high forces encountered through the compression in Eau Rouge. From the bottom to the top of the hill, the car's ride height can vary by as much as 25mm and if the car bottoms out too much, the drivers can lose control. With the V8 engines and the current aerodynamic regulations, Eau Rouge is now taken easily flat out at around 300 kph. The drivers will scrub off around 10 kph through the sequence, but it is important to conserve as much speed as possible in order to maintain position along the long straight before Les Combes.

Brakes:
Almost the only part of the car which has a relatively easy time is the braking system. The circuit features just three very heavy braking events, before turns 1, 5 and 18. Overall, though, this is one of the easiest circuits for the brakes owing to the numerous high speed corners that require little braking effort.

Engine:
Along with Monza, Spa is the most demanding circuit of the season for the V8 engines. The duty cycle is particularly severe, with 72% of the lap spent at full throttle (only Monza exceeds this figure, with 76% of the lap). Furthermore, this includes two prolonged full throttle periods of over 20 seconds. The most challenging of these is undoubtedly the run of approximately 23 seconds from La Source to Les Combes, which includes Eau Rouge. This sequence exposes the engine and its ancillaries to extreme positive and negative vertical ‘g' forces through the compression and over the crest that follows. This is a factor we take into account when designing our lubrication systems, in order to avoid problems with oil feed under the extreme loadings

Force India's Seamless shift Gear-box-seems need more mileage

Force India have confirmed they will not race their seamless shift gearbox at the Hungarian Grand Prix, although the team will run it on Friday.

The team tested the new gearbox at Jerez last week, and technical chief Mike Gascoyne said it received positive feedback from the drivers.

Gascoyne feels, however, that the gearbox needs more mileage before it's raced, and the team are aiming to have it ready for the European Grand Prix in Valencia.

"We had a very successful introduction of the seamless shift gearbox at the test last week in Jerez, with very positive comments from the drivers, and obviously we would like to introduce it as soon as possible," said Gascoyne.

"We do however need to accrue more mileage before racing it, but we will run it on the Friday in Hungary. As both gearboxes are three races into their four race cycle, we will use it on the Friday, but we'll race the standard box with the view to introducing the seamless version in Valencia.

"This solution is therefore a chance to gain more mileage without incurring the penalties of changing a box with one race left, and to make sure we are fully prepared for a race introduction after the summer break."

Gascoyne admitted he is hopeful the team can have a stronger outing this weekend in Hungary, following their promising showing at the Monaco Grand Prix.

"We have struggled in qualifying compared to our race pace, and Hungary is a place where overtaking is very difficult so qualifying is even more important than usual," he said.

"But let's not forget that we had a very competitive outing in Monaco, which is very similar in set-up to Hungary with maximum downforce and few overtaking opportunities, so we have to look to do this again; have a good strategy and take advantage whenever we can."