Wow. After seeing a few of this year's Formula One cars unveiled already, we really didn't think that the cars could get much uglier. We were wrong. Enter Renault with its latest R29, decked out in yellow and orange. And white. And red. And blue. Throw in some green and we'd be back at the Benetton team that preceded it.

Of course, it could hardly matter less what the car looks like, so long as it keeps the pace with its field-leading rivals. And in the last half of this past season, Renault showed that it could. But with all the new regulations in place, it's a whole new ballgame, and who's to know if the French team – returning to the grid with Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet, Jr. – will be able to ride back up the field to the championship-contending potential it demonstrated just a few years ago with back-to-back titles. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Source: Renault F1]

Perhaps Fernando Alonso should stick to the ground. After all, he's considered to be one of, if not the, best drivers in all of Formula 1, which many consider to be the pinnacle of motorsports. Sure, F1 racing isn't necessarily the safest career choice in the world, but it may seem like the more responsible play after Alonso's private plane suffered a mild crash in Kenya on Sunday. Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper says that Alonso's plane wing had a minor run-in with an airport terminal building as it was readying for takeoff, but there were no injuries reported.

According to reports, the Spanish driver was in Kenya to take part in a New Year's party that was hosted by Flavio Briatore, the managing director for Renault's Formula 1 efforts (sounds suspiciously like your New Year's too, eh?). It seems that while the accident wasn't particularly serious, Alonso, his wife and his brother-in-law needed to postpone their return home until Monday.

Side note: After commenting on this crash, Alonso's manager is again quoted as suggesting that his client has a longstanding interest in getting a shot at the driver's seat for Ferrari, yet Alonso is contracted with Renault through 2010. Hat tip to reader Dan!

[Source: Yahoo Eurosport UK - Photo: Mark McArdle CC 2.0]

Fernando Alonso, who some believe is the best driver in F1, has seen his name in the news a lot these last few days. First, reports popped up that the Spanish racer has signed a (still unsubstantiated) secret deal that would put him in the seat of a Ferrari Formula 1 car beginning when his contract with Renault expires after the 2010 season. According to the latest set of rumors, Ferrari actually wanted Alonso to break his contract with Renault for the upcoming season, but the driver chose to honor his current deal out of loyalty. If true, Alonso would have taken Kimi Raikkonen's seat at Ferrari, racing alongside Felipe Massa. The starting grid for Formula 1 has always been a bit of a roundtable affair, and these most recent rumors would appear to keep the ongoing soap opera going for the next few years, at least.

[Source: World Car Fans]

According to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport, Fernando Alonso is the best driver in Formula 1 and would have won the 2008 championship had he been driving a Ferrari. If that sounds like a major slap in the face to current Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, it is. Lewis Hamilton, the man who actually did managed to win last year's title, was voted as the second best driver.

It seems worth mentioning that this vote came shortly after the recently rumored secret contract between Alonso and the Prancing Horse. Regardless, the Italian rag does correctly point out that Alonso finished the season in an impressive fashion, scoring more points than any other driver in the series despite being handicapped by equipment that wasn't up to par with the best from Ferrari, McLaren and BMW.

[Source: World Car Fans | Photo: Vladimir Rys/Getty]

F1 ace Fernando Alonso has reportedly signed a secret, four-year deal to drive for Ferrari starting in 2011. The Spanish driver first made waves in F1 while driving for Renault, during which time he became the the youngest ever Drivers' Champion and added a second title at the expense of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. After a disappointing though lucrative season in 2007 with McLaren, Alonso returned to Renault in 2008 and recently signed a two-year extension through 2010. Once that contract expires, the rumored secret four-year deal with Ferrari will begin. We're told that both Alonso and Ferrari have a number of out clauses in case things go awry, though the unconfirmed deal means that at least one of Ferraris current drivers, Kimi Raikkonen or Felipe Massa, won't be wearing red come 2011. In fact, Alonso could join the team even earlier if Raikkonen performs as poorly in 2009 as he did last year.

[Source: Guardian.co.uk | Photo by Getty Images]

Now that the 2008 Formula One championship is decided, teams will begin moving on confirming their drivers for next season. And while several already have, one major question mark has just been resolved as Renault has confirmed the extension of Fernando Alonso's contract. And not just for next season, but through 2010. Along with it, they've confirmed his team-mate's contract through next season as well, giving the team continuity for its upcoming assault on the title.

Renault managed a notable recovery in the latter part of this season that saw Alonso win two races back to back. And while that may be a far cry from the two titles he won with the team a couple of years back, it's a start. That no doubt had a positive impact on Fernando's decision to stay with the team, but insiders were surprised to see him sign for two more years instead of one. Meanwhile, though Nelson Piquet Jr. had a rough start to the season, he managed to pull off some noteworthy performances when the team found its form again, earning him a renewal as well.

The hirings should allow the rest of F1's teams, now relieved of the suspense, to confirm their drivers for next season. So far, Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Williams and now Renault have announced they're sticking with the same pairings, and Red Bull has confirmed Sebastian Vettel is moving up to take Coulthard's seat alongside Mark Webber, leaving Toro Rosso, Toyota, Honda and Force India to announce their drivers for the upcoming season. Stay tuned.

[Source: Renault F1]

Looks like Fernando Alonso and Robert Kubica didn't get enough head-to-head racing action last week in Japan. The first and second place finishers in Fuji decided to go at it once again when the pair reached this week's F1 stop in Shanghai. Rather than risk their multi-million dollar F1 race cars, and quite possibly their careers, the two opted to hit the local kart track instead. Alonso probably has a weight advantage in this scenario, but that shouldn't take away from his mad driving skillz. Watch the non-English video after the jump to see how it turned out and stick around for the victory lap. You'll get a chance to see the some of the best donuts you'll ever witness.

[Source: F1 Fanatic]

Opening night can be the worst time to see a new production. But it can also be the most painfully entertaining, watching all the actors trip over their toes and forget their lines with the pressure to perform bearing down and the bright lights glaring in their eyes.

This weekend's Singapore Grand Prix wasn't just the first race on a new track and in a new host country. It was also the very first Formula One race held at night. No problem, you might figure, for these are the most professional drivers in the world. Well, not quite. But opening night was still highly entertaining; probably more so as a result. If you've recorded the race and haven't watched it yet, move along. But if you haven't, or even watched part and skipped out before the end, you'll want to follow the jump to see how Formula One's foray into the nocturnal panned out for this year's crop of championship hopefuls.

If you think you've got what it takes to be an F1 driver, you might want to grab a flight to Jerez, Spain, on the double, as Scuderia Toro Rosso bosses Gerhard Berger and Franz Tost have just landed there to evaluate new drivers for next year. Although they're clearly happy with the performance of Sebastian Vettel, who took a landmark victory at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix, the young German driver is being called up to the Red Bull senior team, leaving a vacant seat at STR.

Among the drivers Berger and Tost are evaluating are Honda-supported on-again-off-again F1 pilot Takuma Sato and the team's own reserve driver Sebastien Buemi, who just placed sixth in the GP2 Series. However Berger, himself a ten-time grand prix winner, says they won't make a final decision until November or December. With two-time world champion Fernando Alonso's future still up in the air, BMW's Nick Heidfeld, Honda's veteran Rubens Barrichello and Renault's Nelsinho Piquet could be up for grabs next season, making for enticing prospects to fill Vettel's vacancy after the team has shown considerable promise with last weekend's performance.

[Source: F1-Live, Photo by Peter Fox/Getty]

Every year towards the end of the season, the world of Formula One racing plays a big game of musical chairs as drivers' contracts come up for renewal and seats open up. Sometimes drivers end up in the same chair they were in before, but this season we've got reason to believe there'll be a big switch. And the key to that switch depends on Fernando Alonso more than anyone else, according to Ross Brawn.

The former Ferrari technical guru and current head of Honda's F1 racing program points towards the lackluster performance of Renault this year as clear evidence that Alonso will seek out a new team. Where he will end up remains a big question mark, however, as almost all the teams would welcome the two-time world champion to their ranks, and would be willing to hold off signing their other drivers until Alonso has sat down.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty]