DECEMBER 10, 2007
Alonso and Piquet for Renault, Kovalainen on the move
The ING Renault F1 Team has announced that double World Champion Fernando Alonso will drive alongside Brazilian rookie Nelson Piquet Jr in 2008. The pair will be supported by Frenchman Romain Grosjean, the reigning 2007 Formula 3 Euroseries Champion who will be the team's test driver.
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The ING Renault F1 Team has announced that double World Champion Fernando Alonso will drive alongside Brazilian rookie Nelson Piquet Jr in 2008. The pair will be supported by Frenchman Romain Grosjean, the reigning 2007 Formula 3 Euroseries Champion who will be the team's test driver.
Fernando Alonso rejoins the Renault F1 Team after spending the 2007 season at McLaren-Mercedes. Alonso drove for the Renault F1 Team between 2003 and 2006, during which time he scored 15 Grand Prix victories and won two world championships, in 2005 and 2006.
"It is time for us to begin a new chapter together," said Alonso. "I am very excited about working with this great team once more, and confident that together we can move back to the front of the field. Renault had a difficult year in 2007, but I know that the team has real strength in depth. I am confident they can produce a fast and competitive car and be back at the top in 2008."
Nelson Piquet has spent a year as a Renault test driver but has yet to race an F1 car and Grosjean has no serious experience in F1.
The Renault R28 will run for the first time in Valencia between January 22 - 24 and will then be launched at Renault's corporate communications headquarters in Paris on Thursday January 28.
The news means that Heikki Kovalainen is on the market and it seems likely that the Finn will end up as Lewis Hamilton's team mate at McLaren.