Automobile News

Bringing an end to month long speculations about which venue will be entrusted with the responsibility of hosting the 2009 Renault World Series, Renault has recently announced that Silverstone will take up the remaining slot to effectively seal the race calendar for the 2009 Formula Renault UK. For those who are new to the World Series, it is both like and unlike conventional Formula One racing, as it combines the nuances of on-track racing and Formula One demonstrations coupled with off-track activities.

Just two weeks prior to the British Grand Prix, the Northamptonshire circuit is slated to host the first leg of the competition by Renault on 4th and 5th July 2009.

Formula Renault UK, Michelin Championship and 2009 ELF Renault Clio Cup, each have two races at World Series by Renault. The remaining 18 rounds are contested by both one-make championships alongside the British Touring Car Championship at circuits across the UK that takes off on 4th and 5th April 2009.

A major sporting event in the British calendar, the event has been generating a lot of eye balls in recent times. If attendance figures are to be taken as a criteria to measure an event’s popularity, the World Series by Renault would rank second best only to the British GP with six-figure attendance figures in 2007 and 2008. The highlight of this ‘free for all’ event happens to be the demonstrations by ING Renault F1 Team.

Speaking on the sidelines after announcing the selection of Silverstone Grand Prix circuit as the venue for World Series by Renault in 2009, Renault UK Director of Press and PR Tim Jackson said that the team is happy to come back to the prestigious venue again in 2009, especially after witnessing a remarkable success story in 2008, when a record 110,000 spectators witnessed the spectacle.

These have been event filled times for Red Bull Racing: First, David Coulthard announced he was resigning at the end of the season, then the contract extension with Mark Webber was official confirmed. So it’s still open who Mark Webber’s team mate will be – and now the speculation can start.

Because if Red Bull Racing wanted to, they could get Sebastian Vettel in an instant, who is actually under contract with Red Bull, not Toro Rosso, and can be easily switched between both teams. But: “We are in no hurry to announce the second driver. There is a lot of speculation regarding Sebastian Vettel, but nothing has been finalized” explains the team leader Christian Horner.

The logic behind this decision is simple: Vettel isn’t going anywhere anyway because of his contractual obligations, that way the racing team can comfortably take a look at the transfer market and see if they can’t pick up a superstar. Especially because many people think Fernando Alonso, who isn’t happy at Renault, won’t return to McLaren-Mercedes and might not find a spot at Ferrari.

Horner says: “We want to have the two best available drivers. If this is Sebastian, then great, but we can afford to wait over the summer. We are going to see what else happens on the driver market.” A candidate from Red Bull’s own racing organizations, like Vettel, is of course ideal, but on the other side the “Young Bulls”, such as Sebastian Buemi or Ben Hanley, aren’t quite ripe enough for Formula 1.

Furthermore, Horner explains that Coulthard only informed them of his resignation at the last podium in Canada, not at the beginning of the season: “David made his decision before the race in Montreal, but we waited till Silverstone to announce it. It was his decision. We respect it. And we have more or less been in agreement with Mark since Monaco.”