Honda’s chief geek reveals what Alonso really wants

Amid speculation that cash-rich Honda could be Nando Alonso’s next destination, Ross Brawn, the team’s principal, admits that “every team” would be interested in signing the former double world champion for 2009 - hmm, not sure Ron Dennis would agree, but we take Brawn’s point.

“Honda is no different, of course,” Brawn told the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell.

“Fernando is a very good driver that everyone would like to have sitting in their car,” said the man who was formerly Ferrari’s technical director.

“(But) I know what team he would like to go to, everyone does [i.e. Ferrari]. The reality is that, before we can talk seriously with him, the situation with Ferrari must be resolved.”

Honda driver on why he loves pushing himself to the limit

Grid Crasher has told you about the impressive triathlon exploits of Super Jens. Now the Honda driver has revealed why he has fallen in love with the punishing event. In an exclusive interview with his team, he said:

“I like the pain and I like pushing my body to the limit. I also enjoy the fact that there’s nobody else involved. It’s just me on my own and if I’m not quick enough, then it’s solely down to me.”

Translation: “When I’m competing in a triathlon, I’m not compromised by Honda’s slow-ass car.”

Grid Crasher’s tells you who’s staying, and who’s going…

Now is the time of the season when the F1 rumour mill goes crazy. Will Alonso leave Renault at the end of the year? Will Kimi actually retire? Is Nelson Piquet Jnr history? What is the point of Timo Glock? So many questions, no concrete answers.

Here is our take on what the 2009 driver line-ups will look like…

Who got lost in France?

Five winners:

1. Felipe Massa (1st) Won a race that he didn’t really deserve to win, though that’s no criticism of Ferrari’s No.2, who could yet win the world title - especially if Kimi continues to have zero luck.

2. Nelson Piquet Jnr (7th) Wouhou, at last! Junior brings his Renault home in a points-paying position. Now we could see a totally different Piquet. Or not.

Honda star completes another swim-cycle-run-athon

Jenson Button put in an impressive performance at the Nokia Royal Windsor Triathlon on Sunday. The Honda driver finished 117th out of 1700 competitors, exceeding his own expectations with a time of 2hrs 22mins 43secs. The photo above shows him crossing the finish line.

Button suffered a 1500m swim in the River Thames, a 42km bike ride through Berkshire and a 10km run in Windsor’s Great Park.

“I’m absolutely chuffed to bits,” said Button on his official website. “I was hoping to break two hours 30 minutes so I am very happy with my result and really enjoyed it. It was a fantastic experience… I was in agony on the run after pushing hard on the bike, but the crowds were a great support.”

Watch a bonus video featuring Jenson in a previous triathlon…

Honda boss Nick Fry hints at new driver line-up in 2009

Honda’s 2008 season is already a write-off. It’s no secret that they are already concentrating on next season. But how will they make the most of a presumably greatly improved car for 2009?

Both Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello’s contracts expire at the end of this season, and so far neither driver has done enough to be certain that their services will be retained. Button has done a solid job, and Rubens is picking up the pace at last, after a very poor start to 2008.

Honda team boss Nick Fry made it clear, in an interview with online mag GPWeek, that both Rubens and Jenson need to step it up, or risk losing their seat.

Ferrari test driver leads the way after first day in Spain

Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer (pictured), filling in for Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa, set the fastest time on the first day of testing at Barcelona.

The 37-year-old Italian, a test driver at Maranello for almost a decade, set the pace early in the morning and held the top spot throughout the day - rain in the afternoon prevented any of the other drivers from setting a serious time.

Pre-race quotes from Montreal, and what they mean

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
“At Montreal the stability during braking and when you go over the curbs is extremely important. The F2008 improved a lot in these areas compared to last year’s car. Obviously we have to wait until the first Free Practice session on Friday to get it confirmed.“
What he really means: Not sure. We fell asleep half-way through the second sentence.

Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
“I love the city and the atmosphere and I am looking forward to having a nice time there both on and off the track.”
What he really means: “Show me the party.”

Schumi now content to finish 17th… if he finishes at all

Scheisse! Schumi fell off his motorbike yet again, as he persevered with his two-wheeled hobby at the weekend. The F1 legend returned to the saddle for Honda’s Holzhauer team at the IDM German motorbike championships, in a race held at the famously tricky Nurburgring.

Schumacher started from 25th on the grid but fought his way up to 17th, before crashing out on lap 11.

F1 star is first customer for Honda’s business jet. Coincidence?

The first European customer for Honda’s new business jet, the imaginatively named HondaJet, is… Jenson Button, driver for Honda’s F1 team. Hmm, funny that a Honda employee should also be a Honda customer, no?

Well, yes and no - Button intends to start a business aviation company, so this is more than a PR stunt. The Englishman has ordered a pair of the twin-engined jets, at a cost of around £2m each. Far be it from Grid Crasher to suggest that the Japanese company might have given Button a friendly discount on the product, although frankly we’d be surprised if the pair didn’t negotiate a mutually beneficial deal.

More pics after take-off…