About Me
*****************Fernando Alonso*************************Born on 29 July, 1981, Spaniard Alonso was only 19 when he made his Grand Prix debut in 2001 as the third-youngest driver in the history of the sport. By the end of the season, however, he had earned the respect of the veterans for his speed and talent. After stepping into the demanding arena of testing for 2002, he is now back on the main stage, as a fully-fledged race driver for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team.An early starter in speed, he was driving karts by the age of three and winning in 'infants' (1988-89), Cadets (1990-91), and Juniors (1993-94). These early successes suggested more was to come and he was Spain's national karting champion in 1994, 1996 and 1997. He also reached a global peak in 1996 when he won the World Championship, proving that speed and success were natural to him from the beginning.Aged only 17, he stepped up to enter car racing - and the natural speed and success continued. In the Euro-Open Movistar Nissan single-seater series, he secured nine pole positions and six wins on his way to championship victory. Seasoned observers raised their eyebrows. He was one to watch.Moving swiftly onwards to Formula 3000, he joined the Astromega team and continued to shock his competitors with his pace. Aged only 18, he commanded the attention of Formula One talent-watchers by winning at the notoriously challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit on his way to an impressive fourth place in the championship at the first attempt. It was enough. Grand Prix racing was next.In his first full season in Formula One, he gave the unsung Minardi team, under new ownership, plenty to enjoy with a series of strong performances that oozed pace and potential. In an uncompetitive car, he outpaced his more experienced team-mate, frequently out-qualified many rivals and claimed one top ten finish. An impressive maiden season.After relinquishing a race seat at Minardi for 2002, Alonso took a career step by joining the Renault F1 Team to develop his knowledge and experience with a major team. His pace, promise and technical feedback earned him a race drive with the team for 2003.Fernando Alonso has been part of Renaults F1 return since 2002, the first season for the 100% Renault team. He began as test driver in 2002, completing plenty of miles in the background as he honed his skills and found his feet with the team. The following year, he secured a race drive and, deploying his characteristic dedication and determination, the young Spaniard led the team to its achievements in 2005 and in doing so, confirmed the potential many had long seen in him.****Giancarlo Fisichella*******************************************Like many before him, Giancarlo Fisichella's introduction to motorsport came through karting. He was eleven years old when he first took to the track. Fisichella recorded twelve wins in the 1984 Italian 60cc Minikart Championship in his very first season of competition. Remaining with the 100cc category in 1988, Fisichella was the Italian Team Champion and moved up to international competition for the first time. He recorded twenty one wins that season, and recorded pole position at the 100cc karting World Championships.1989 brought further international success; Fisichella won the prestigious Hong Kong Grand Prix, was 2nd in the European Championship and came home in 4th place at the World Championships. After a further two seasons in karting, during which he recorded numerous further wins on his scorecard, it was time to move into single-seaters.The move came in 1992 with a drive in the Italian F3 Championship. Fisichella became only the third driver in history to win a race in his first season, ending the year eighth overall. His progress continued in 1993 when he claimed the runner-up slot in the Championship. Fisichella also took pole-position, and finished second in that year's Monaco F3 Grand Prix. 1994 was a fantastic season recording ten wins and eleven pole positions enroute to the Italian F3 Championship crown.Next came Formula One with a testing contract with Minardi in 1995. He dovetailed those testing duties with a works Alfa Romeo drive in the DTM/ITC (German Touring Cars). Fisichella looked set to continue in a testing role in 1996, as financial requirements dictated that Minardi put a paying driver in the second seat alongside Pedro Lamy. However, at the last minute Fisichella was asked to step in. He made his Grand Prix debut in Australia and took part in a further 8 races, recording his best finish in Canada where he came home 8th.The Jordan Peugeot team signed Fisichella for the 1997 season. Eddie Jordan chose the highly acclaimed Italian to complete an exciting line-up alongside Ralf Schumacher. The Italian proved that he has the finesse and speed required - leading at Hockenheim and finishing second at Spa. However, the Italian was compromised as the Jordan chassis which was inconsistent and only allowed Fisichella to show his speed on the faster circuits.For 1998 Fisichella moved to the Benetton team - his big chance to prove that he could win at the highest level. The season began slowly with team-mate Alexander Wurz stamping his authority within the team. However, as the season progressed, Fisichella settled into his new environment and duly picked up his pace, scoring a pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix and 16 championship points.Fisichella remained at Benetton in 1999 and while few doubt he has the pace, his task was made increasingly difficult with an uncompetitive chassis and a mediocre engine in the Supertec (Playlife V10). On the positive side, the Italian dominated in the team scoring 13 championship points, showing up Wurz who complained that he lost out to Fisichella due to his relative size. The highlight of the 1999 season must have been the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, where Fisichella led the wet race until spinning off in the final stages.At the time it seemed surprising that Fisichella stayed faithful to Benetton in 2000, then came the news that Flavio Briatore was returning to the team and then in May 2000 that Renault had purchased the team outright and would take complete control for 2002. While Alexander Wurz continued to under perform in 2000, Fisichella raised his game significantly in the first half of the season with a string of superb results including second place at the Brazilian Grand Prix and third places at Montreal and Monaco. Meanwhile, the Italian's seat came under threat from Jacques Villeneuve, but the Canadian opted to stay with British American Racing. Fisichella duly re-signed with the team for 2001 and will be joined by Jenson Button. However, the Italian's second half of the 2000 season can be described as nothing better than dismal. A series of accidents and mistakes combined with a poor chassis balance led to nine straight non-points paying positions. Fisichella - contract in pocket - seemed to have given up.From 1997, he was a full-time F1 driver, and since then has almost never been out of the top ten in the championship. A determined driver known for his finesse, Giancarlo has developed his technical understanding of the sport in several teams. He has competed under the colours of Minardi, Jordan and Benetton before joining the Renault F1 Team in 2005. It was his best season so far, with victory in the opening race. Afterwards, the Italian battled against poor luck and unreliability, but nevertheless played a key role in securing the constructors championship for the team.******************Heikki Kovalainen****************
Date of birth : 19/10/1981
Place of birth: Suomussalmi, Finland
Nationality: Finnish**********************Heikki Kovalainen has been one of motorsports revelations in recent years. A product of the RDD (Renault Driver Development) programme, the Finn has attained the objectives established for him each year, and has now become the programmes first F1 graduate.
The programme was established in 2002, with a clear objective: to identify young talent, recruit the drivers and place them in the most appropriate motorsport category while teaching them what it means to be a racing driver in the modern world: physical training, media sessions, and acquiring the ability to sell yourself. Heikki Kovalainen succeeded with aplomb. Having tested the R24 and R25 over the last two years, he is now the official third driver.Last year, Heikki finished second in the inaugural GP2 series championship, taking the fight for the title down to the wire. His speed, consistency and race-craft particularly impressed onlookers. Even better, he maintained his cool, friendly demeanour even in moments of intense pressure. Motor racing is in his blood: he simply loves driving. He is not the son of a wealthy family, and knows that his job is also a privilege. Autograph sessions, interviews, and promotional activities are bread and butter to him. The Finn knows that these are all facets of the job, and that they enable him to be doing what he does. He may be within touching distance of his dream, but hes not going to change now.At the wheel, Heikki is capable of exceptional performances. At the Nürburgring in 2005, he took the race win from 17th on the grid. With his team, he gambled intelligently on daring strategies and took race wins with his consistency and ability to conserve his tyres. During his tests with the Renault F1 Team, last year, he also displayed his strengths, running long days to help the team assess the latest developments. Now, he will benefit from an intensive programme of learning before, perhaps, taking his place on the starting grid.
He is a fan of Valentino Rossi, holds a helicopter licence and a future star. I try to train as hard as possible and I want to develop in every area, he admits. And his sense of humour is never far away. My qualities? I am a good driver. And I can always make a girl smile! he concludes, laughing.Heikki Kovalainen, Test Driver and Third Driver A Renault Driver Development programme member since 2002, 24 year old Finn HeikkiKovalainen has made a major step up this season, officially joining the Renault F1 Team as test and third driver. Having participated in testing activities in late 2004 and 2005, Heikki is now ready to take on this important role. Fully aware of his responsibilities to the team, the Finn is also seeking to seize the opportunity to confirm the talent he has demonstrated in the junior categories to help the Renault F1 Team defend its
championship crown.
