Friday 7th March, 2008 13 More drama expected in Formula One this season MADRID, Spain (AP) - Following speed to win a race right now,” the a season of turmoil that saw him fail Brazilian rookie said. in a run at a third straight Formula Renault should be focusing on Red One title, Fernando Alonso is keeping Bull, Williams and BMW Sauber it simple in his return to Renault. rather than favorites McLaren and He is taking it one race at a time. Ferrari. The 2008 car still needs time, Alonso is starting over again with which is short with the season-open- the French team following a tumul- ing Australian Grand Prix on March tuous year at McLaren that was sup- 16. posed to complete his coronation as “These kind of things you can’t F1’s next superstar. fix in a day,” Piquet Jr. said. “We won’t However, a public fallout with win the title in one day. It will be a teammate Lewis Hamilton, who pro- fight with all of the teams after vided a surprising challenge to the McLaren and Ferrari.” Spanish driver’s championship run, Giancarlo Fisichella, who joined left Alonso bitter at not receiving the Force India after being pushed out by treatment he felt a two-time defending Renault, said the French team was champion deserved. paying for poor development and test- After helping set off a spy scandal ing. that cost the British team the con- “To win a race for Fernando is dif- structors’ championship and a US$100 Last year’s Formula One race was one of the tightest in the history and eventually Kimi Raikkonen (Left) edged ficult this year. Renault is a little bit million (euro66 million) fine, Alonso Fernando Alonso (Center) out by just one point. The season was also known for the bitter rivalry between Louis better but not enough to win a race,” walked away from McLaren despite Hamilton (Right) and Alonso at McLaren. said the Italian driver, who teamed finishing third - a single point behind with Alonso during his championship champion Kimi world championships. Alonso’s rivals runs. “McLaren and Ferrari are a 2008 Formula One Drivers Raikkonen - in the clos- don’t expect the Oviedo native to make good step forward compared to them MADRID, Spain (AP) - Grand Prix races: 1 Last season: 15th. est title race in 21 years. that list in 2008. ... maybe they can fight for the podium Drivers in the 2008 Formula Wins: 0 Rubens Barrichello, Brazil Now, he returns to “I think Alonso was more danger- sometimes, but it’s going to be tough.” One season: Podiums: 0 Age: 35 the team he helped to ous at McLaren,” Ferrari’s Felipe Though the R28 car has regularly Pole Positions: 0 Grand Prix races: 249 dominate F1 in 2005 and Massa said. “At Renault I think he has finished one second back of Ferrari FERRARI Fastest Laps: 0 Wins: 9 2006. a lot of work to do, we’ll have to wait and McLaren in winter testing, Kimi Raikkonen, Finland Last season: No points. Podiums: 61 Renault finished 50 and see. Renault won some champi- Alonso has help. Age: 28 Pole Positions: 13 points behind second- onships, they can improve, they are a A ban on traction control has put Grand Prix races: 122 RED BULL Fastest Laps: 15 place BMW Sauber and good team. But not for the moment.” the focus on the drivers, with Alonso’s Wins: 15 David Coulthard, Scotland Last season: No points. 153 behind champion Alonso and rookie teammate aggressive style well-suited. Podiums: 48 Age: 36 Ferrari in the construc- Nelson Piquet Jr. have been cautious The No. 1 status accorded by team Pole Positions: 14 Grand Prix races: 228 SUPER AGURI tors’ championship in about the team’s expectations with so boss Flavio Briatore lets him focus on Fastest Laps: 25 Wins: 13 Takuma Sato, Japan 2007. much scrutiny enveloping the the track, where he hopes to surprise Last season: Champion. Podiums: 61 Age: 31 “I knew from the Spaniard’s arrival. on race day. Felipe Massa, Brazil Pole Positions: 12 Grand Prix races: 86. start it would be diffi- Piquet Jr. said improvements And most important, he’s back at Age: 26 Fastest Laps: 18 Wins: 0 cult, but the team is bet- would be necessary if Renault wants Renault. Grand Prix races: 88 Last season: 10th. Podiums: 1 ter,” Alonso said. “I prob- to challenge for the podium. “We’re making a huge effort. I Wins: 5 Mark Webber, Australia Pole Positions: 0 ably have a 30 percent “In a normal race - a normal situ- wake up at 7 every morning and get to Podiums: 17 Age: 31 Fastest Laps: 0 chance of being champi- ation - I don’t think we’re going to win thinking of what we can do (to Pole Positions: 9 Grand Prix races: 103 Last season: 17th. on.” the race. In rain, or other different improve the car),” the 26-year-old pilot Fastest Laps: 8 Wins: 0 Anthony Davidson, England Only eight drivers kind of situations, I think we can win said. “I’ve recovered my passion for Last season: Fourth. Podiums: 2 Age: 28 have ever won three a race. But I don’t think we have the racing.” Pole Positions: 0 Grand Prix: 20 BMW-SAUBER Fastest Laps: 0 Wins: 0 Nick Heidfeld, Germany Podiums: 0 Age: 30 TOYOTA Pole Positions: 0 Grand Prix races: 132 Jarno Trulli, Italy Fastest Laps: 0 Wins: 0 Age: 33 Last season: No points. GOVERNMENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC Podiums: 7 Grand Prix races: 181 Pole Positions: 1 Wins: 1 FORCE INDIA SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA Fastest Laps: 0 Podiums: 7 Adrian Sutil, Germany Last season: Fifth. Pole Positions: 3 Age: 25 Robert Kubica, Poland Fastest Laps: 0 Grand Prix races: 17 MINISTRY OF HIGHWAYS & Age: 23 Last season: 13th. Wins: 0 Grand Prix races: 22 Timo Glock, Germany Podiums: 0 Wins: 0 Age: 25 Pole Positions: 0 ROAD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Podiums: 1 Grand Prix races: 4 Fastest Laps: 0 Pole Positions: 0 Wins: 0 Last season: 19th. Fastest Laps: 0 Podiums: 0 Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy ROAD DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Last season: Sixth. Pole Positions: 0 Age: 35 Fastest Laps: 0 Grand Prix races: 196 RENAULT Last season: Did not compete. Wins: 3 Fernando Alonso, Spain Podiums: 18 INVITATION FOR BIDS Age: 26 TORRO ROSSO Pole Positions: 3 Grand Prix races: 105 Sebastien Bourdais, France Fastest Laps: 2 Wins: 19 Country: France Last season: Eighth. Podiums: 49 Age: 29 FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF SRI LANKA (GOSL) Pole Positions: 17 Grand Prix races: Zero. MCLAREN-MERCEDES Fastest Laps: 11 Sebastian Vettel, Germany Lewis Hamilton, England Last season: Third. Age: 20 Age: 23 Improvements to Kuswala Junction to Galigan Eliya Junction (2+000 To 3+000 Nelson Piquet Jr., Brazil Grand Prix races: 8 Grand Prix races: 17 km); Funded by Government of Sri Lanka Age: 22 Wins: 0 Wins: 4 Grand Prix races: Zero. Podiums: 0 Podiums: 12 Pole Positions: 0 Pole Positions: 6 LOCAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING WILLIAMS Fastest Laps: 0 Fastest Laps: 2 Nico Rosberg, Germany Last season: 14th. Last season: Second. Age: 22 Heikki Kovalainen, 1. The Chairman, Ministry Procurement Committee, Ministry of Highways & Road Grand Prix races: 35 HONDA Finland Development on behalf of the Road Development Authority (RDA), will receive Wins: 0 Jenson Button, England Age: 26 sealed Bids for the above project and receiving will be closed at 10.00 a.m. on 31/ Podiums: 0 Age: 28 Grand Prix races: 17 Pole Positions: 0 Grand Prix races: 137 Wins: 0 03/2008. Bids should be submitted on the forms available from the Provincial Fastest Laps: 1 Wins: 1 Podiums: 1 Director (Western Province), Road Development Authority. Bidding documents Last season: Ninth. Podiums: 15 Pole Positions: 0 Kazuki Nakajima, Japan Pole Positions: 3 Fastest Laps: 0 will be issued from 10/03/2008 to 31/03/2008 payment of a non-refundable Tender Age: 23 Fastest Laps: 0 Last season: Seventh. fee of Rupees 1725.00 (inclusive of VAT). 2. Executing agency will be the Road Development Authority. BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) - Xie All England Badminton Championships 3. Contract Name of the project, Contract period Amount of Bid Security ICTAD Grade Xingfang of China No. and Direct Construction Cost (DCC) became the first defend- ing singles champion to Xie 1st defending RDA/DW/W Improvements to Kuswala Junction to Rs. 300,000.00 and should M4/ C6 lose in the first round of GOSL/42 Galigan Eliya Junction (2+000 To 3+000 be valid up to 147 specialty in the All England Open Badminton singles winner to km); calendar days from the Highways Championships in 19 Contract Period :- 182 days time of closing the bid years on Wednesday. DCC Rs. 21.3 Mn The two-time lose in 19 years defending women’s lost. In 1989, defending men’s singles champion lost to Defending champion Ib Frederiksen of 4. Bidding documents may be inspected free of charge at the office of the Provincial 12th-ranked Yip Pui men’s champi- Denmark also lost on the opening Director (Western Province), Torrington Square, Colombo 07 of Road Yin of Hong Kong on Lin Dan over- day. Development Authority. 22-20, 21-19 on the came a shaky first “It’s the first time I have beaten opening day of game to defeat Anup her in three meetings,” Yip said. 5. A Pre Bid meeting is scheduled to be held at the Provincial Director (Western the five-day tour- Sridhar of India 16-21, “This is the best result of my career, nament at 21-8, 21-11.