With the transcripts from the two World Motor Sport Council meetings being released into the public domain, the continuing deterioration of the relationship between
Fernando Alonso and the McLaren team has been made clear, with Ron Dennis admitting the relationship he has with the Spaniard is now ‘extremely cold’ – with the two hardly on speaking terms. The transcripts also revealed that Alonso himself had made the decision not to appear at the hearing in Paris. One man who did appear however was
Kimi Raikkonen – the
Ferrari driver giving evidence regarding his former team.
Raikkonen himself, who missed a three day test at
Jerez to rest his neck after his high speed shunt at Monza, could have a new team-mate next season with rumours that
Felipe Massa could be on his way out of the Scuderia should Jean Todt be ousted in a management shuffle. Alonso has already been linked with the team, with it appearing ever more likely that he could leave McLaren just a season into his three-year deal.
The Spyker team is set for another change of ownership with the Silverstone-based outfit undergoing due diligence before a sale is completed to a new consortium headed by Michiel Mol and Vijay Mallya, although that hasn’t stopped the team signing a new test driver in the shape of Roldan Rodriguez.
Finally, Prodrive chief David Richards escaped uninjured along with his wife after their helicopter crash-landed while returning from the Belgian Grand Prix. The incident came just a day after former World Rally Champion
Colin McRae died along with his son and two others in a helicopter accident in Scotland.
David Coulthard will wear a helmet in McRae’s colours this weekend in Japan.
NEWS FROM THE TEAMS:
McLaren – Fernando Alonso (#1), Lewis Hamilton (#2):
Hamilton and Alonso continue to lead the world championship - which has been lead by a McLaren driver since the second race of the season in Malaysia - but Lewis has a reduced cushion of just two points after his Spanish rival claimed the final podium place at Spa.
Although Alonso remains many people's favourite to claim the title, both because he has some momentum on his side and because he knows both two of the three tracks to come and what it feels like to be in the midst of a championship battle, the Spaniard is quick to point out that Fuji is something of a level playing field.
"As this is a new track for all the teams, we are in the same position with regards knowledge of the track," he insists, "In 2006, I did a couple of demonstration laps with passengers on the track and it seemed really good, but it is going to be a challenge to find the optimum set-up for the cars as you have this really long, fast straight and then the rest of the track is much slower. To be honest, we will have to wait until after Friday free practice to tell you more, but I am looking forward to seeing what it is like.
"We are not in any position to make any predictions, but I am sure the championship will continue to swing between all four drivers. Ferrari were strong at Spa, we were strong at Monza, everyone in the team is pushing hard to be strong at Fuji, Shanghai and Interlagos. We can still win races, and will be doing everything to make this happen in Japan."
Hamilton, meanwhile, hasn't even had the opportunity of trying Fuji in
McLaren's simulator - something that benefited him at other unfamiliar venues such as Montreal and Indianapolis.
