Q & A with Flavio Briatore:Renault Team Boss

The Singapore Grand Prix was Renault’s race of the season. That much is clear. Not only was it the first night race in Formula One history, but it proved to be a thriller - with no end of suspense and drama. No one could have anticipated Fernando Alonso walking away with the winner’s trophy after starting 15th on the grid, but the Spaniard did it. We caught up with team principal, Flavio Briatore, to get his reaction to his team’s first victory since 2006… Q: Flavio, it has been a long time since Fernando has been up there on the podium. How does it feel to be winning again?
Flavio Briatore: It was a fantastic race. It is awesome for the team and of course an incredible moment for Fernando. The car was very competitive all weekend long and I felt really sorry for Fernando for what had happened in Q2 when he lost his chance for a front row position on the grid, as we believed that he would make it on to the front row, or at least row two. So qualifying was a real disaster and we all didn’t sleep too well because we felt that we had missed a great opportunity. But today was a different game. True, we have been a bit lucky with the safety car, but in the end results are made on the track and that is where we have been dominant today.
Q: After the first safety-car phase, when did you start to believe that a win was within reach today?
FB: In the beginning we did not exactly know where we were because we had problems with the computer so we told Fernando that he should go as quickly as possible until we knew exactly where we were. And that is what he did. In fact after the safety car left the circuit he was the quickest car on the track, so we felt that if nothing unforeseeable happens we could pocket the win.
Q: All weekend Fernando thought that he had a great car, that it suited him and that this race could be his chance for a podium…
FB: There you have it: if you give the right car to Fernando then he does the job - and he did it!
Q: After the great performance in all three practice sessions and then the disappointing qualifying you said that it would take a miracle to win the race - but the miracle happened…
FB: The miracle was thanks to Fernando and the team. We all worked very hard for that moment and understandably are very happy about the race result. Q: Strategy-wise you took a real gamble with calling in Fernando so early for a tyre change. In hindsight - and considering what happened shortly after his pit stop with the safety-car phase - it was the right call…
FB: The (super) soft tyres were a disaster for everybody - including us. It was impossible to overtake Nakajima so at that moment we took the risk to call Fernando in and send him out again with the right tyres - and the win is a result of that decision.
Q: The victory must be fantastic for the team’s morale - but is it enough to keep Fernando for next year?
FB: Well, it’s not a victory that changes a situation. We have a good relationship with Fernando, we are talking together, and we will be happy with his decision. That is all that I can say for the moment.
Q: Today everything fell into place for you, but will it remain that way for the three remaining races?
FB: Let’s wait and see. We are working very hard to keep that performance level but let’s talk about today - tomorrow is another day

courtsey:formula1.com

Singtel Singapore GP 2008:Race Results

1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	61	Winner	15	10
2	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	61	+2.9 secs	8	8
3	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	61	+5.9 secs	2	6
4	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	61	+8.1 secs	7	5
5	15	Sebastian Vettel	STR-Ferrari	61	+10.2 secs	6	4
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	61	+11.1 secs	9	3
7	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	61	+16.3 secs	14	2
8	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams-Toyota	61	+18.4 secs	10	1
9	16	Jenson Button	Honda	61	+19.8 secs	12
10	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	61	+26.9 secs	5
11	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	61	+27.9 secs	4
12	14	Sebastien Bourdais	STR-Ferrari	61	+29.4 secs	17
13	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	61	+35.1 secs	1
14	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari	61	+43.5 secs	20
15	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	57	+4 Laps	3
Ret	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	50	+11 Laps	11
Ret	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Ferrari	49	+12 Laps	19
Ret	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	29	+32 Laps	13
Ret	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	14	+47 Laps	18
Ret	6	Nelsinho Piquet	Renault	13	+48 Laps	16

Singtel Singapore GP 2008:Qualifying Session Results

1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:44.519	1:44.014	1:44.801	16
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:44.501	1:44.932	1:45.465	14
3	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:44.282	1:44.232	1:45.617	16
4	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:44.740	1:44.519	1:45.779	18
5	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:44.311	1:44.207	1:45.873	19
6	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:45.548	1:44.520	1:45.964	19
7	15	Sebastian Vettel	STR-Ferrari	1:45.042	1:44.261	1:46.244	15
8	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:45.184	1:44.441	1:46.328	21
9	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	1:45.103	1:44.429	1:46.611	17
10	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams-Toyota	1:45.127	1:44.826	1:47.547	20
11	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:45.642	1:45.038		12
12	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:45.660	1:45.133		14
13	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:45.493	1:45.212		12
14	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:46.028	1:45.298		16
15	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:44.971	no time		6
16	6	Nelsinho Piquet	Renault	1:46.037			6
17	14	Sebastien Bourdais	STR-Ferrari	1:46.389			6
18	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:46.583			7
19	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Ferrari	1:47.940			10
20	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari	no time			2

Saturday Final Practise Session: Singtel Singapore GP:Results

1	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:44.506		19
2	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:45.119	0.613	13
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:45.246	0.740	16
4	6	Nelsinho Piquet	Renault	1:45.249	0.743	18
5	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	1:45.386	0.880	17
6	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:45.409	0.903	20
7	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:45.425	0.919	17
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:45.450	0.944	21
9	15	Sebastian Vettel	STR-Ferrari	1:45.477	0.971	19
10	14	Sebastien Bourdais	STR-Ferrari	1:45.599	1.093	18
11	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:45.689	1.183	19
12	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams-Toyota	1:45.982	1.476	18
13	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:45.982	1.476	13
14	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:46.073	1.567	21
15	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:46.180	1.674	23
16	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:46.221	1.715	19
17	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:46.482	1.976	10
18	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:46.794	2.288	6
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari	1:47.166	2.660	14
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Ferrari	1:47.727	3.221	19

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

Alonso set for Honda drive in 2009???

News-

The former double world champion suffered a disappointing year after moving to McLaren in 2007 while he has failed to reignite the glory days with a relatively uncompetitive Renault this season.

However Honda have not matched France-based Renault in 2008 and speculation still reigns that the 27-year-old driver will switch to ferrari, perhaps in 2010 when Scuderia world champion Kimi Raikkonen retires.

That raises the possibility of a one-year deal between the Spaniard and Japanese-owned Honda.

The Guardian said veteran racer Rubens Barichello would be the one to make way for Alonso in 2009.

"Fernando is a wonderful driver who would be a fantastic asset to any of the top teams, including this one," said Honda chief executive Nick Fry.

"The job [team principal] Ross [Brawn] and I have is to build a world championship-winning team."

My Take-

Well looking at the present situation.....staying at Renault would be better(he has no where to go...Mclaren-no seat,Ferrari-no seat,BMW-no seat[i think]....).....but again HONDA is not a bad idea....rather i would say a brilliant idea....Jenson Button would become an brilliant and competitive team mate and Honda has the resources but their efforts are not gettin in the proper direction...Alonso's entry could make things change...for good......my intuition says ....Honda+Alonso would be brilliant...as Renault team is really very stingy(if not team at least the CEO of Renault Auto. Carlos Goshn...who isn't much keen on investing in f-1) hence they have been running in a bad form ...mainly due to lack of proper development due to limited funds.....Even in 2005 Renault may not have won the championship but thanks to the underperforming Ferrari and the quick but unreliable Mclaren-Mercedes!!!

2008 ING Hungarian GP-Hungaroring-Budapest-Qualifying Session Results

1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:19.376	1:19.473	1:20.899	12
2	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:19.945	1:19.480	1:21.140	16
3	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:19.578	1:19.068	1:21.191	16
4	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:20.053	1:19.776	1:21.281	19
5	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:19.980	1:19.246	1:21.326	24
6	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:20.006	1:19.546	1:21.516	19
7	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:20.229	1:19.816	1:21.698	15
8	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:20.073	1:20.046	1:21.732	18
9	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:19.942	1:19.486	1:21.767	20
10	6	Nelsinho Piquet	Renault	1:20.583	1:20.131	1:22.371	19
11	15	Sebastian Vettel	STR-Ferrari	1:20.157	1:20.144		17
12	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:20.888	1:20.332		15
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:20.505	1:20.502		16
14	14	Sebastien Bourdais	STR-Ferrari	1:20.640	1:20.963		16
15	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	1:20.748			10
16	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:21.045			7
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams-Toyota	1:21.085			9
18	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:21.332			8
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari	1:21.670			9
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Ferrari	1:22.113			10

Sun 03 August 2008
Race 14:00(Timing at Race Venue-HUNGARORING-HUNGARY-BUDAPEST)
courtsey-formula1.com
[to sponsor this post or the race results(which may follow tomorrow and/or the race analysis contact- utkarshkks@msn.com]

Friday-2nd Practise session timings-Hungaroring-Budapest-ING Hungarian GP 2008

1	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:20.554		35
2	6	Nelsinho Piquet	Renault	1:20.748	0.194	38
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:20.760	0.206	33
4	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:20.928	0.374	35
5	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:21.009	0.455	36
6	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:21.010	0.456	36
7	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:21.138	0.584	46
8	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:21.363	0.809	36
9	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:21.505	0.951	42
10	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	1:21.581	1.027	34
11	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:21.662	1.108	39
12	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:21.733	1.179	43
13	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:21.837	1.283	34
14	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams-Toyota	1:21.902	1.348	33
15	14	Sebastien Bourdais	STR-Ferrari	1:21.955	1.401	41
16	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:22.150	1.596	41
17	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari	1:22.197	1.643	36
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Ferrari	1:22.358	1.804	37
19	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:22.448	1.894	33
20	15	Sebastian Vettel	STR-Ferrari	1:22.945	2.391	5

Friday-1st Practise session timings-Hungaroring-Budapest-ING Hungarian GP 2008

1	2	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:20.981		19
2	1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:21.345	0.364	21
3	23	Heikki Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:21.410	0.429	17
4	22	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1:21.535	0.554	18
5	5	Fernando Alonso	Renault	1:21.802	0.821	18
6	12	Timo Glock	Toyota	1:21.931	0.950	22
7	4	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:22.267	1.286	18
8	6	Nelsinho Piquet	Renault	1:22.326	1.345	19
9	3	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:22.370	1.389	22
10	11	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:22.457	1.476	25
11	10	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1:22.654	1.673	23
12	9	David Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault	1:22.700	1.719	16
13	14	Sebastien Bourdais	STR-Ferrari	1:22.900	1.919	26
14	16	Jenson Button	Honda	1:22.917	1.936	27
15	17	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:23.093	2.112	26
16	7	Nico Rosberg	Williams-Toyota	1:23.147	2.166	21
17	8	Kazuki Nakajima	Williams-Toyota	1:23.274	2.293	22
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Ferrari	1:23.353	2.372	25
19	21	Giancarlo Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari	1:23.459	2.478	28
20	15	Sebastian Vettel	STR-Ferrari	1:23.923	2.942	4

Hugarian GP

click to enlarge image

The first Hungarian Grand Prix (Hungarian: Magyar Nagydíj) was held on June 21, 1936 over a 3.1-mile (5.0 km) track laid out in Népliget^[1], a park in Budapest. The Mercedes-Benz, Auto Union, and Ferrari teams all sent three cars and the event drew a very large crowd. However, politics and the ensuing war meant the end of Grand Prix motor racing in the country for fifty years.

A major coup by Bernie Ecclestone, the 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first Formula One race to take place behind the Iron Curtain. Held at the twisty Hungaroring near Budapest, the race has been a mainstay of the racing calendar. Run in the heat of a central European summer, it also holds the distinction of being the only current Grand Prix venue that had never seen a wet race up until the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. The first Grand Prix saw 200,000 people^[1] spectating, although tickets were expensive at the time. Today, the support is still very enthusiastic, particularly from Finns.^[2].

Due to the nature of the track, narrow, twisty and often dusty because of under-use, the Hungarian Grand Prix is associated with processional races, with sometimes many cars following one another, unable to pass. Thierry Boutsen demonstrated this perfectly in 1990, keeping his slower Williams car in front of champion-elect Ayrton Senna, unable to find a way by. The secret to a winning performance at Hungaroring, as well as qualifying well, is pit strategy, best demonstrated in 1998, where Michael Schumacher's Ferrari team changed his strategy mid-race before Schumacher put in one of his finest drives to build up a winning margin after all the stops had been made. Passing is a rarity here, although the 1989 race saw a famously bullish performance from Nigel Mansell in the Ferrari, who started from 12th on the grid and passed car after car, finally taking the lead in splendid opportunist style when Ayrton Senna was baulked by a slower runner. The circuit was modified slightly in 2003 in an attempt to allow more passing.

Other notable occasions in Budapest include first Grand Prix wins for Damon Hill in 1993, Fernando Alonso (in 2003), the first Grand Prix winner from Spain, who also became the youngest ever driver to win a GP and Jenson Button in an incident-packed race in 2006. Also noteworthy is Damon Hill's stunning near win in the unfancied Arrows-Yamaha in 1997, when his car lost drive on the last lap causing him to coast in second place.

In 2001, Michael Schumacher equalled Alain Prost's then record 51 Grand Prix wins at the Hungaroring, in the drive which also secured his 4th World Title.

The 2006 Grand Prix was the first to be held here in wet conditions. It also saw Mansell's seventeen-year-old record of winning from 12th broken, as Button took his victory from 14th place on the grid.

Hungarian GP 2006-Budapest