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[myownalias]

Clearly Kevin Magnussen "fixed" Alonso's car so he could get another bite at the cherry in 2015...

[darwin dali]

Magnussen- Gate anybody?

[zurich_allan]

Magnussen- Gate anybody?

Or Ron with his remote control teaching Alonso who's in charge this time!! 'Rongate'

[sagi58]

, Staff wrote:">Renault open to team ownership return

Renault says it is open to the idea of taking over an existing team on the grid, though no firm decisions have been made over its future in Formula One.

Renault currently supplies Red Bull and Toro Rosso with engines, with Caterham dropping off the grid last year, and is trying to cut the big gap to Mercedes from 2014. Renault managing director Cyril Abiteboul says the French manufacturer wants to keep a strong presence in motorsport.

"We are happy to be a power unit supplier," Abiteboul told RMC. "Our priority is to help Red Bull become world champions again. They're the only team that can reclaim the title in the near future. Renault is going to become more and more aggressive in the field of sports cars. This is a segment where we are quite active and recognised, but maybe not significant enough just yet. By developing and strengthening our position in the world on this market we'll make our involvement in motor racing and Formula One more pertinent."

Abiteboul stressed nothing has been decided but said the long-term vision of Renault in motorsport could see an existing F1 team become a Renault factory outfit.

"Taking over an existing team is not out of the question, but absolutely nothing has been decided either. It must fit within a broader, very long-term plan that has to be paired with a global industrial strategy. F1 is not the only medium on Earth through which our cars can be more relevant. We must think about a global sport strategy that suits Renault best. We'll keep an eye on everything, including the evolution of the sport and its funding."

[LiamCatterson]

Clearly Kevin Magnussen "fixed" Alonso's car so he could get another bite at the cherry in 2015...

WHAT A TWIST!

[sagi58]

, Chris Lines, AP wrote:">Things to watch in the new F1 season

Best of Enemies



Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg went into last season on about as good a terms as any teammates can be at a top team, yet the inevitable pressures of fighting each other for the drivers' championship strained their relationship to near breaking point.

A collision between the pair at the Belgian Grand Prix forced Hamilton out of the race and left Rosberg 29 points clear at the top of the standings and seemingly headed for the championship. However, Hamilton responded by winning six of the seven remaining races to earn his second career title.

Pre-season testing indicates Mercedes will continue to excel into the new season, at least in the early part, so another Hamilton vs. Rosberg title showdown looms.

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo was the only man to take race wins off Mercedes last year, and the team is banking on an improved Renault engine to narrow the gap to Mercedes, but faces an uphill task to surpass the silver cars.

Ferrari, too, will be hoping for better things with the arrival of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, but it also has a lot of ground to make up in terms of engine development.

F1 fans would have been hoping for a broader mix of title contenders, but will likely have to settle on another intra-team battle. Rosberg will feel it is his turn this year, but can ill afford to give way to Hamilton, whose thrives on confidence.

[sagi58]



, Chris Lines, AP wrote:">Things to watch in the new F1 season

Patient Wait



On paper, the combination of McLaren, engine supplier Honda and two world champion drivers in Alonso and Jenson Button promises much.

McLaren won half of its eight constructors' titles with Honda, which is returning to the sport in 2015 after six years.

Alonso, having made way for Vettel's arrival at Ferrari, is also making a McLaren reunion, after one unhappy season with the team in 2007.

He and Button have competed in more than 500 F1 races between them, and are both drivers renowned for getting the most out of underperforming cars. That's a strength they may need to draw upon more than ever before as Honda plays catch-up on the design of the complex V6 hybrid-power engines.

Pre-season testing exposed a slew of predictable teething problems, and things got even worse when Alonso suffered a concussion in a crash. The lingering effect of the concussion means he will sit out the season-opening race in Australia, to be replaced by Kevin Magnussen.

[sagi58]



, Chris Lines, AP wrote:">Things to watch in the new F1 season

F1 has a Nose Job



After the major technical changes of 2014, when the sport ushered in its complex new engines, this season will have relatively minor alterations to the rules governing cars and racing.

The most apparent change is a return of noses tapering down to a low front wing, as the high fronts of recent years have been outlawed. It may have created a lot more work for aerodynamic designers, but is much more aesthetically pleasing.

The restriction on pit-driver communication will be stepped up this year, with teams forbidden from sharing technical data like settings for fuel use. In a sport where exploitation of loopholes can often be the difference between success and failure, expect to see teams sailing close to the wind on that one.

The late afternoon start times for several races have been moved forward in response to the crash of Jules Bianchi last year in Japan. The French driver suffered severe head injuries when crashing into a trackside mobile crane in gloomy and wet conditions late in a race that finished near dusk.

Bianchi remains hospitalised in critical condition.

[sagi58]



, Chris Lines, AP wrote:">Things to watch in the new F1 season

Colour Co-Ordination



A year after from introducing individualised driver numbers, Formula One now wants to force the sport's stars to stick with iconic helmet designs.

The proposed rule would severely restrict the number of design changes to helmets each season, to make drivers more identifiable both at the track and on television. The plan still has to be ratified by the World Motor Sports Council.

Sebastian Vettel regularly changed his helmet design when he was at Red Bull, with some innovative displays, and was not the only one to do so. Chopping and changing designs attracted interest, sparked discussion on social media and brought in some short-term sponsorship boosts, but for the watching public it also caused confusion as to which driver was which.

Some drivers have already grumbled about curbs on self-expression and restraint of trade, but the broader interest of fans and the sport seem likely to win out.

Bigger numbers on the cars could be the next step to helping fans.

[overboost]

McLaren have confirmed to Sky Sports that Fernando Alonso suffered 'temporary memory loss' following his accident in testing at Barcelona.

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24184 ... in-testing

[LiamCatterson]

I wonder how he would react if he lost 9 years rather than 20

[darwin dali]

Good question

[stonemonkey]

'Hey Ron, that's Button, where's the rookie you promised?'

[sagi58]

 wrote:">Teams threaten to boycott over mysterious Alonso crash

F1 teams are threatening to boycott unless clearer information about Fernando Alonso's mysterious testing crash is revealed. That is the claim of the German magazine Sport Bild, after McLaren-Honda's star driver was sidelined for next weekend's season opener in Melbourne.

McLaren insists Alonso is completely uninjured, but he will sit out Australia after a mysterious incident saw him spend four days in hospital. "Sport Bild has learned that several teams are thinking about not letting their drivers race in Melbourne on safety grounds," said correspondents Ralf Bach and Bianca Garloff.

They said teams fear speculation that Alonso was rendered unconscious by an electric shock from the sport's controversial hybrid technology may be true. Sport Bild quoted a team boss as saying: "If a plane crashes and there is even the slightest risk that it happened because of a system fault, other planes of that type are not left in the air."

The unnamed boss added: "Formula one has been lucky that nothing serious has happened with these hybrid systems. If any of my drivers had an incident, I would invite all the other teams to study the data -- just so we can be sure. Honda must provide answers to the FIA."

Another new voice calling for more information about Alonso's mysterious crash belongs to Gian Carlo Minardi, a former team owner and boss. "Silence in cases like these is not helpful," he is quoted by Italy's La Repubblica. "In recent years, the FIA has made great strides in the area of safety and has all the tools to find out the truth. It would be desirable if it was known before the race in Australia," Minardi added.

When asked about the electric shock theory, he commented: "I have no evidence to support that so I can't comment. I have never worked with these power units, but I am told there are three or four fail-safe systems. There is this investigation of the FIA, so for the good of F1 there cannot be any classified information," Minardi insisted.

The 67-year-old Italian, however, did say he is not surprised Alonso is sitting out Melbourne. "No," said Minardi, "it's the only normal thing in this whole affair. He is like a boxer who went down with a heavy blow. It takes time to come back, even if all the tests were positive."

[darwin dali]

Shocking in more than one way...