fernando alonso

Perhaps Fernando Alonso should stick to the ground. After all, he's considered to be one of, if not the, best drivers in all of Formula 1, which many consider to be the pinnacle of motorsports. Sure, F1 racing isn't necessarily the safest career choice in the world, but it may seem like the more responsible play after Alonso's private plane suffered a mild crash in Kenya on Sunday. Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper says that Alonso's plane wing had a minor run-in with an airport terminal building as it was readying for takeoff, but there were no injuries reported.

According to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport, Fernando Alonso is the best driver in Formula 1 and would have won the 2008 championship had he been driving a Ferrari. If that sounds like a major slap in the face to current Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, it is. Lewis Hamilton, the man who actually did managed to win last year's title, was voted as the second best driver.

Now that the 2008 Formula One championship is decided, teams will begin moving on confirming their drivers for next season. And while several already have, one major question mark has just been resolved as Renault has confirmed the extension of Fernando Alonso's contract. And not just for next season, but through 2010. Along with it, they've confirmed his team-mate's contract through next season as well, giving the team continuity for its upcoming assault on the title.

Opening night can be the worst time to see a new production. But it can also be the most painfully entertaining, watching all the actors trip over their toes and forget their lines with the pressure to perform bearing down and the bright lights glaring in their eyes.

Every year towards the end of the season, the world of Formula One racing plays a big game of musical chairs as drivers' contracts come up for renewal and seats open up. Sometimes drivers end up in the same chair they were in before, but this season we've got reason to believe there'll be a big switch. And the key to that switch depends on Fernando Alonso more than anyone else, according to Ross Brawn.

The former Ferrari technical guru and current head of Honda's F1 racing program points towards the lackluster performance of Renault this year as clear evidence that Alonso will seek out a new team. Where he will end up remains a big question mark, however, as almost all the teams would welcome the two-time world champion to their ranks, and would be willing to hold off signing their other drivers until Alonso has sat down.

With both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa contracted with Ferrari through next year, reports are circulating that the Scuderia may bring on board both Fernando Alonso and Robert Kubica for 2010.

After Kimi and Felipe, and with Lewis Hamilton firmly in place at McLaren, the pairing of Alonso and Kubica in Maranello would provide a formidable team against the rest of the field. Alonso, of course, is a two-time world champion and one of the only drivers to repeatedly beat Schumacher to the title, while Kubica has proven himself a competent driver of the highest degree. Whether the reports are accurate, and whether Ferrari would just dump Kimi and Felipe like that remains to be seen.