Alonso to Renault. Kovalainen to McLaren?

SO,

After the whole Renault spy affair scandal has inexplicably passed without punishment for the French manufacturer, they have confirmed their last World Champion Fernando Alonso as lead driver for 2008.

Now while Briatore and co clearly sees Alonso as the team’s Messiah after an average year as de-facto fourth best team, many would be dubious of employing the Spaniard.

Showing at McLaren how subordinate and potentially backstabbing he can be if his backside isn’t wiped and his ego caressed by an adoring team, I’m sure that many other manufacturer squads in the Championship would think twice about employing him, the exceptions being old best mate’s Renault, and new allies Ferrari (to whom many believe he will go next year).

How he would cope alongside the current fastest man Kimi Raikkonen at the Maranello squad remains to be seen – he won’t be number one there that’s for sure.

But of course, alongside the Oviedo man, Renault want some-one who will bend to their whim and be lap-dog to his team-mate in gratitude of a place in the race team.

Enter Nelson Piquet Jr.

The question now arises as to how much like his father the young Brazilian will be: remember, in his time alongside Nigel Mansell, Nelson Sr was hardly a happy and fulfilled man – so much so that on refusing to play second fiddle and trying his best to out-do the Brit, he nearly ruined his career.

But looking outside the French camp for ’08, questions now have to be asked about the driver’s that have been cast out; namely Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen.

The first seems keen to do whatever he can to keep his place in F1, dropping to the depths of current journey-men Force India (see Spyker/Midland/Jordan) for a possible drive next year.

But the latter is currently a free man. And a quick one at that.

So surely, surely, McLaren will swoop to gather the latest flying Finn to slot in alongside boy-wonder Lewis Hamilton for 2008 and beyond, seeing as at the moment they have the only real empty seat (despite constant rumours that Trulli at Toyota or Barrichello at Honda could be farmed off into retirement or Super Aguri respectively) they must be Kovalainen’s main chance of keeping a deserved competitive seat in the sport.

How keen will he be to run alongside Hamilton at the Anglo-German squad next year?

That remains to be seen.