Renault are creeping closer to bringing Fernando Alonso back into the fold for 2008, Flavio Briatore now putting the odds at 60%. And, linked to that, is the likelihood that Nelson Piquet Jnr will be in the second car.
Now there's a prospect that fills one with joy! Nelsinho would take the drive since he is so desperate to break into F1, but how he takes to being a definite number two is another matter entirely. From his statements so far, it is pretty clear that the young Brazilian has a high opinion of himself and I cannot see that attitude sitting well with the volatile Alonso. If he is not careful, old Flavio is going to have problems reminiscent of McLaren's this year. The spy case due to be heard in early December might just be the beginning of Renault's taking on the McLaren mantle.
No doubt it will be made very clear to Piquet that the drive is given on condition that he accepts second class status in the coming season. And that could lead to a couple of scenarios, both of them not very pleasant for Renault. Either Piquet will do as he's told dutifully and allow his potential and reputation to be stunted by his apparent inability to beat Alonso, or he will get carried away when leading the ex-champ and ignore team orders (well, the team orders that don't happen because they're illegal).
We all know what happens when Alonso gets beaten. I wish Flavio the best of luck if he has to sort that one out.
It might never happen, of course. Red Bull remain in the frame for taking on Alonso, in spite of Mark Webber's dismissal of the possibility, and Toyota has suddenly popped up again as a potential employer. Round and round goes the speculation, to the point where I, for one, become thoroughly bored with the whole thing. At times I find myself wishing that I was a team owner so that I could say, "Sorry, Alonso, we're not interested. We're bringing Scott Speed back from the States because he's likely to be less trouble..."
As much as I don't like it, the plain fact is that Alonso dominates the driver market in the same way that Michael Schumacher used to. Everyone has to wait to see where he decides to go before they know their seats are safe, whether or not they have contracts. And that is a good indication of how the drivers are rated amongst team owners; obviously, Fernando is number one on their lists.
I wonder if he is worth it. The famous six tenths that he brings with him (an estimate originating not with Fernando himself but with his former boss, Briatore) is apparently accepted as fact, no matter how much we may question it. But is he the only driver who can get more from the car than other top notch drivers? I doubt it. Both Raikkonen and Hamilton would probably give you as much purely from driving talent; Button and Rosberg could perhaps extract the same from the car too. And there may be others just waiting their chance to prove how good they can be in the right team - Adrian Sutil springs to mind at this point.
We are in a transition period from the days of Schumacher supremacy. Alonso stands out as being, with Raikkonen, the only known and recognized top class driver in the sport. Next year we will see and understand more and it may well be that the Spaniard has plenty of competition by the time the season ends. He might be advised to take Renault's three-year contract and forget the unlikely prospect of driving for Ferrari in 2009.
For the moment, however, we are stuck with the constant stream of Alonso rumors and F1 holding its breath while it awaits his decision. It may be an amusing game to imagine him in different teams and with unlikely team mates, but it becomes boring in the end. I am at the point now where I couldn't care less where he goes - just go, Fernando, go!
Now there's a prospect that fills one with joy! Nelsinho would take the drive since he is so desperate to break into F1, but how he takes to being a definite number two is another matter entirely. From his statements so far, it is pretty clear that the young Brazilian has a high opinion of himself and I cannot see that attitude sitting well with the volatile Alonso. If he is not careful, old Flavio is going to have problems reminiscent of McLaren's this year. The spy case due to be heard in early December might just be the beginning of Renault's taking on the McLaren mantle.
No doubt it will be made very clear to Piquet that the drive is given on condition that he accepts second class status in the coming season. And that could lead to a couple of scenarios, both of them not very pleasant for Renault. Either Piquet will do as he's told dutifully and allow his potential and reputation to be stunted by his apparent inability to beat Alonso, or he will get carried away when leading the ex-champ and ignore team orders (well, the team orders that don't happen because they're illegal).
We all know what happens when Alonso gets beaten. I wish Flavio the best of luck if he has to sort that one out.
It might never happen, of course. Red Bull remain in the frame for taking on Alonso, in spite of Mark Webber's dismissal of the possibility, and Toyota has suddenly popped up again as a potential employer. Round and round goes the speculation, to the point where I, for one, become thoroughly bored with the whole thing. At times I find myself wishing that I was a team owner so that I could say, "Sorry, Alonso, we're not interested. We're bringing Scott Speed back from the States because he's likely to be less trouble..."
As much as I don't like it, the plain fact is that Alonso dominates the driver market in the same way that Michael Schumacher used to. Everyone has to wait to see where he decides to go before they know their seats are safe, whether or not they have contracts. And that is a good indication of how the drivers are rated amongst team owners; obviously, Fernando is number one on their lists.
I wonder if he is worth it. The famous six tenths that he brings with him (an estimate originating not with Fernando himself but with his former boss, Briatore) is apparently accepted as fact, no matter how much we may question it. But is he the only driver who can get more from the car than other top notch drivers? I doubt it. Both Raikkonen and Hamilton would probably give you as much purely from driving talent; Button and Rosberg could perhaps extract the same from the car too. And there may be others just waiting their chance to prove how good they can be in the right team - Adrian Sutil springs to mind at this point.
We are in a transition period from the days of Schumacher supremacy. Alonso stands out as being, with Raikkonen, the only known and recognized top class driver in the sport. Next year we will see and understand more and it may well be that the Spaniard has plenty of competition by the time the season ends. He might be advised to take Renault's three-year contract and forget the unlikely prospect of driving for Ferrari in 2009.
For the moment, however, we are stuck with the constant stream of Alonso rumors and F1 holding its breath while it awaits his decision. It may be an amusing game to imagine him in different teams and with unlikely team mates, but it becomes boring in the end. I am at the point now where I couldn't care less where he goes - just go, Fernando, go!