Formula 1 News

ING Renault: 60 percent chances on Fernando Alonso 

According to the news agency ANSA, ING Renault’s Managing Director Flavio Briatore, predicted on Monday a “60% chance” of securing two times World Champion Fernando Alonso for next season. “Renault will certainly have different drivers next year,” the Italian said. “Fernando has a 60% chance of coming to us,” Briatore added.

Heikki Kovalainen, Renault’s Finn driver for 2007 season, could sign a deal with McLaren alongside Lewis Hamilton for next year, while Giancarlo Fisichella’s future is still unclear. In the meantime, Fernando Alonso, is believed to return to race with the team that he won back-to-back titles with in 2005 and 2006, but Red Bull and Toyota have also been reported as possible destinations for the Spaniard.

“We have an advantage because we know him,” Briatore said. “He will decide between today and tomorrow. When you get married, you break up and you get back together again, it’s not easy,” he added.

Briatore also repeated that if Alonso rejoins Renault, he would certainly be the number one driver and would therefore not face competition from his teammate. “A Formula One team can’t have two favored drivers. One has to fight for the drivers’ title and the other for the constructors’ crown,” AFP reported Briatore as saying.

Giancarlo Fisichella meanwhile has admitted his Formula One future remains uncertain as he hasn’t spoken with Briatore about the team’s plans for next season. “Of course I want to stay in Formula One, I will have a look around,” he said. “I can see other opportunities than Renault, there are other teams but I have not agreed anything with anyone. I havn’t still spoken with Flavio. For the moment he is not here and nothing is official.”

Briatore also angrily described Renault’s World Motor Sport Council summons next month for espionage as “a vendetta by McLaren.” He suggested that Renault handled properly the case of its engineer, Phil Mackereth, by suspending him and immediately informing McLaren and the FIA. Briatore said: “When you have a thousand employees, it is difficult to be aware of what’s going on.”