From GMM
Renault will announce its drivers for the 2010 season "soon", but team boss Flavio Briatore answered ambiguously when asked about Fernando Alonso's rumoured switch to Ferrari.
It is almost certain that the French team will retain Romain Grosjean, who amazingly still works part-time at a Geneva bank, for his first full F1 season next year.
Former double world champion Alonso, however, is now the subject of intensifying speculation that his Ferrari deal will be confirmed sooner or later.
"We work very well with Ferrari, we have a very good relationship and we hope it will stay like that. It is an important team that you have to respect, they have done a lot. But I try to beat them," Briatore said in an interview with the German news agency DPA.
Meanwhile, Norbert Haug has contradicted McLaren's team boss by confirming that talks with other drivers have taken place.
With Heikki Kovalainen's place for 2010 not secured, Martin Whitmarsh had insisted at Valencia last weekend: "At the moment we have not had, nor are we in, conversations with any other drivers."
But Haug, Mercedes' competition chief who is reportedly pushing for McLaren to sign German driver Nico Rosberg, is quoted as saying by Auto Bild: "We speak with drivers. I speak with drivers. If that was not the case we would not be doing our job."
Kovalainen, 27, had a better weekend at Valencia after Whitmarsh said the Finn needed to up his game. But the British chief then said that while Valencia had been better, the driver still needs to work on his race pace.
Haug confirmed: "He did do a better job (at Valencia) than in some other races. He started on the first row of the grid so for sure fourth place is not exactly what he expects but it was his best result so far."
photo:Renault
Renault will announce its drivers for the 2010 season "soon", but team boss Flavio Briatore answered ambiguously when asked about Fernando Alonso's rumoured switch to Ferrari.
It is almost certain that the French team will retain Romain Grosjean, who amazingly still works part-time at a Geneva bank, for his first full F1 season next year.
Former double world champion Alonso, however, is now the subject of intensifying speculation that his Ferrari deal will be confirmed sooner or later.
"We work very well with Ferrari, we have a very good relationship and we hope it will stay like that. It is an important team that you have to respect, they have done a lot. But I try to beat them," Briatore said in an interview with the German news agency DPA.
Meanwhile, Norbert Haug has contradicted McLaren's team boss by confirming that talks with other drivers have taken place.
With Heikki Kovalainen's place for 2010 not secured, Martin Whitmarsh had insisted at Valencia last weekend: "At the moment we have not had, nor are we in, conversations with any other drivers."
But Haug, Mercedes' competition chief who is reportedly pushing for McLaren to sign German driver Nico Rosberg, is quoted as saying by Auto Bild: "We speak with drivers. I speak with drivers. If that was not the case we would not be doing our job."
Kovalainen, 27, had a better weekend at Valencia after Whitmarsh said the Finn needed to up his game. But the British chief then said that while Valencia had been better, the driver still needs to work on his race pace.
Haug confirmed: "He did do a better job (at Valencia) than in some other races. He started on the first row of the grid so for sure fourth place is not exactly what he expects but it was his best result so far."
photo:Renault