After the departure of former two-time world champion Fernando Alonso from the Woking-based McLaren team, various names have been linked with his vacated seat. Experts believe that McLaren will be looking for a young driver. But there have been reports that McLaren should look to seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher as the German might be looking to resume his Formula One career after retiring at the end of the 2005 season.

Recently, a Schumacher declared his desire to drive for McLaren. But it was not Michael who is wooing McLaren but his younger brother Ralf. The younger Schumacher who is said to be the highest paid driver in his time has left Toyota at the end of the last season and is now looking for a seat in a competitive team as Toyota failed to give Ralf a competitive car.

Ralf said that he is not the only driver wanting the vacant seat in McLaren. "It's no secret that the seat at McLaren-Mercedes is by far the most coveted there is," said the younger Schumacher. "Every driver out there in the market would love to sit in their super car," the German added.

Other drivers who have been linked with the McLaren seat are Heikki Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg, and Adrian Sutil. Kovalainen of Renault is one of the younger drivers who have upstaged their much seasoned teammates. Last season, Kovalainen outperformed Giancarlo Fisichella in almost every race. Renault though is expected not to let Kovalainen go as they would try to team him up with Alonso next season.

Nico Rosberg, the son of former world champion Keke Rosberg, is making his tour of duty for Williams. He is seen to be a great complement to Lewis Hamilton as they are both young and talented drivers. Williams though has issued a warning to McLaren saying that Rosberg is not for sales as he is the future of the team. Adrian Sutil, on the other hand, has a contract with Spyker which has been bought by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya. Sutil has been Hamilton's teammate in the GP2 Series and will be a good teammate for Hamilton. But Spyker's new owner has expressed his desire to retain Sutil for next season.

As to Schumacher's declaration, McLaren is yet to comment. Even McLaren's engine partner has yet to make a statement regarding the vacant seat in the Woking-based team.

Kamui Kobayashi will replace France's Franck Montagny as Toyota's test and reserve driver next season, the Formula One team said on Friday. After his final test in Barcelona, Montagny said farewell to the Toyota team.

The 21-year-old Japanese has been backed by Toyota since 2001 as part of the company’s young driver programme. Kobayashi is a product of Toyota’s TDP scheme which is aimed at honing young drivers.

"He (Kobayashi) tested the car last winter and showed he had the potential to drive in Formula One in the future," said Toyota head honcho Tadashi Yamashina.

The Japanese auto giant is still seeking a replacement for Germany's Ralf Schumacher, who left at the end of the season last month, alongside Italian Jarno Trulli in their 2008 race lineup.

Kobayashi has competed in the Formula 3 Euro Series for the past two seasons, finishing fourth in the championship in 2007 with one race win, and had his first F1 test with Toyota last December, divulged iTV.

“The TDP scheme has been very supportive of me during my career and I am very grateful for all that support,” he said. “This is a great challenge for me and I am very excited about becoming a Formula 1 driver. Since the start of my career I have dreamed of reaching Formula 1 and to have the chance to join Panasonic Toyota Racing as third driver is a fantastic opportunity for me.”

“My first tests for the team last winter went well but I still have things to learn about Formula 1 and it will be a great experience for me to test more regularly for the team. The role of third driver is very important as I will be helping a lot with the development of the car throughout the year. I am sure I will learn a lot about Formula 1 cars and hopefully this will help me in my future career but for now I am focused on helping the team move forward,” the Japanese driver concluded.

“I am very pleased to welcome Kamui to the team. He tested the car last winter and showed he had the potential to drive in Formula 1 in the future. Now, after another season gaining experience in Formula 3, we believe he is ready for the challenge of Formula 1. It is also very gratifying to see the TDP scheme delivering results and helping a promising young driver to reach Formula 1,” added Yamashina.

Additionally, another Japanese driver to have emerged from the TDP, Kazuki Nakajima, and he will be racing for Toyota-powered Williams in 2008.

The past Formula One season has been a roller coaster ride for the Woking-based McLaren team. At the start of the season, they have been dominated by Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix. But rookie Lewis Hamilton showed the world that McLaren is still one of the top teams in the sport.

After the departure of the double-world time champion, much melee regarding the drivers has erupted. But McLaren announced that they will be taking their time in naming their new driver for the 2008 season.

Martin Whitmarsh, the team's Chief Executive, said: "Until the second McLaren drive is sorted out I don't think you'll see much movement (in the driver market), so we're not really hurried." Although there have been no reports as to who the team is favoring right now, one driver will not be included on the list.

Ralf Schumacher who left Toyota after the season is said to have expressed his interest in joining McLaren, a team which has been the foremost rival of Ferrari, his brother's long-time home in Formula One. Dennis reportedly told Schumacher's manger that Ralf will not be on the list of drivers to be considered by the team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton named three drivers who may be on the top of the list and they are Nico Rosberg, Adrian Sutil, and Heikki Kovalainen. But he added that he will stand by the decision of his team. "I'm really not bothered who I am racing with,' said Hamilton. "It's another team decision and I stick by them whoever they choose. I'm very happy I've got one seat. I get to stay and do what I love doing."

Hamilton said that he wishes his former teammate the best in his career. "I wish Fernando the best for the future and really hope wherever he goes he is successful," said Hamilton. "But I'm going to be there competing against him and I look forward to the battle. I welcome whoever is going to be with us and look forward to the challenge. I hope they work as hard as me to take the team to the championship," he concluded.

Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen put his best at the recent Formula 1 season finale (the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix) in Sao Paolo to claim the 2007 Driver's Championship. Raikkonen now dethrones Alonso with the Spaniard's championship title.

Raikkonen teammate Felipe Massa followed him and landed the 2nd place. Massa helped out his Raikkonen to bag the championship title although the Brazilian driver also wanted to win the race in his hometown.

Check out the final standings below.

Driver's Championship

1. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 110
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 109
3. Fernando Alonso McLaren-Mercedes 109
4. Felipe Massa Ferrari 94
5. Nick Heidfeld BMW 61
6. Robert Kubica BMW 39
7. Heikki Kovalainen Renault 30
8. Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 21
9. Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota 20
10. David Coulthard Red Bull-Renault 14
11. Alexander Wurz Williams-Toyota 13
12. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 10
13. Jarno Trulli Toyota 8
16. Sebastian Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6
17. Jenson Button Honda 6
18. Ralf Schumacher Toyota 5
19. Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 4
20. Vitantonio Lizzi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 3
20. Adrian Sutil Spyker-Ferrari 1

Constructors' Championship:

1. Ferrari 204
2. BMW 101
3. Renault 51
4. Williams-Toyota 33
5. Red Bull-Renault 24
6. Toyota 13
7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
8. Honda 6
9. Super Aguri-Honda 4
10. Spyker-Ferrari 1

The Chinese Grand Prix is scheduled to be held from the 5th to the 7th of this month.

The Formula One season visits Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix. Going into the penultimate race, the constructors' championship has already been decided as McLaren was disqualified from the championship after the Ferrari spying scandal. Hamilton now has one hand on the driver's championship. At the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix, he can clinch the title and become the first rookie to win the championship.

Heidfeld described the track in Shanghai saying: "Turns one, two and three are among my favourite sections in the race calendar. You approach the first turn at high speed, go into it flat out, but then the corner increasingly tightens up and you have to shift right down to second. Making a clean exit will be even more interesting next year when we'll be driving without traction control again. Overall I'm rather fond of this circuit."

His teammate Kubica also described the track as a "nice" one. "Quite a nice track with, again, a very long straight," said the Pole Formula One driver. "Maybe there is an overtaking possibility at the end of the long back straight. This is very long, but it is not easy because before the straight there is a really quick right hand corner and it is always difficult to follow the cars very closely there."

Teams are now in China preparing for the penultimate race of the season which might see Hamilton setting a record once again.

In a recent hearing held in Paris, France, WSMC finds the British Formula 1 team (McLaren) guilty as Mike Coughlan, Chief Designer of McLaren team was found out to have possession of a document that belongs to Ferrari, which is a 780-page record of the Italian team's Ferrari's 2007 race car technical data.

Here's the official statement of WMSC:
"The WMSC has stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructor points in the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship and the team can score no points for the remainder of the season. Furthermore, the team will pay a fine equal to $100m, less the FOM income lost as a result of the points' deduction."

Team McLaren was shocked by the decision and said they do not deserve this kind of penalty. The team also insisted that only their designer Mike Coughlin should be responsible for the penalty because the team did not gain advantage and did not use Ferrari's technical documents. The team will indeed appeal WMSC's decision to the higher court.

Team principal of McLaren, Ron Dennis also stated: "The entire engineering team in excess of 140 people provided statements to the FIA affirming that they had never received or used the Ferrari information." While McLaren team is shocked and frustrated with the verdict, Scuderia Ferrari team celebrates with bliss flying over their heads as the Italian stable can now secure their F1 Constructor's Championship trophy.

Ferrari said: "In light of new evidence, facts and behaviour of an extremely serious nature and grossly prejudicial to the interest of the sport have been further demonstrated. Ferrari is satisfied that the truth has now emerged."

McLaren has been accused by Ferrari of spying. The said dossier was turned over to Coughlan by former Ferrari senior engineer Nigel Stepney.

Ferrari’s team Principal Jean Todt was furious of the decision. The Italian team is appealing the verdict and is planning to file charges against McLaren, Coughlan, and Stepney.

McLaren’s team principal, Ron Dennis, recently answered back and criticized Ferrari. According to Dennis, Stepney acted as a whistleblower, telling McLaren’s Coughlan that the Ferrari cars fielded for the Australian Grand Prix uses questionable components. McLaren requested the FIA to clarify the use of the said components. Dennis said that: “As far as we are aware, Ferrari ran their cars with this illegal device at the Australian Grand Prix, which they won". Dennis also clarified that Coughlan took the dossier from Stepney not to use it for the McLaren team. McLaren currently leads both the drivers’ and constructors’ championship standings.

The Formula One team was summoned by the FIA, the ruling body of the sport to an emergency World Motor Sport Council to answer the allegation of using Ferrari technical details on their Formula One cars.

The meeting was held yesterday and the decision is that McLaren was found guilty of the possession of Ferrari documents but the team will not be punished since there is no sufficient evidence showing that the team has used the Ferrari technical specs on their cars. It has 138 points while Ferrari is in second place with 111 points. Ferrari then had Coughlan’s house searched and sure enough, 780 pages of Ferrari documents are found in his possession.

McLaren’s reputation was somewhat tainted by the controversy as well as its partners like Vodafone and Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz’ Norbert Haug, the automaker’s chief for motorsports, is confident that the team is innocent.

"But if it is found in the future that the Ferrari information has been used to the detriment of the championship, we reserve the right to invite Vodafone McLaren Mercedes back in front of the WMSC where it will face the possibility of exclusion from not only the 2007 championship but also the 2008 championship." - GPUpdate.net

The statement coninued: "The WMSC will also invite Mr Stepney and Mr Coughlan to show reason why they should not be banned from international motor sport for a lengthy period and the WMSC has delegated authority to deal with this matter to the legal department of the FIA." - GPUpdate.net

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton has been breaking record after record in his budding Formula One career. The British driver not only failed to finish in the top three, but also failed to take even a single point after he finished ninth.

Although Hamilton’s lead of twelve points going into the European Grand Prix is now only two points over teammate Fernando Alonso, the young rookie sensation just smiled at his disastrous European Grand Prix. Hamilton is also not worried about the threat of Ferrari drivers which have shown resurgence at the past three races.

Kimi Raikkonen’s back-to-back wins prior to the European Grand Prix and his pole position in Saturday’s qualifying does not make Hamilton worry. The British driver though does not underestimate the speed of the Ferrari cars. At the European Grand Prix, Hamilton’s disastrous weekend started in qualifying on Saturday. The crash almost sidelined Hamilton but he was cleared for the race.

After his disappointing weekend, the championship leader showed why he is considered one of the classiest drivers in Formula One. Hamilton, smiling after his ninth place finish, did not even try to put the blame on anyone or anything but instead turned the negative into positive.

“I came here completely sick, had one of the biggest crashes I've ever had, suffered a puncture, rain, went off in the gravel, more rain. It was a great weekend for learning. I have probably had less than 500km in the wet, hardly anything at all. It's all new to me. I hope this bad luck out of the way. I'm still leading the world championship and find that quite amusing after everything that has happened. I had more fun than in the past nine races put together,” he blurted.

Despite of the heavy rain that poured at the European Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, for Alonso, rain at Nurburgring is stardust!

After a series of frustrating races, double-world champion Alonso has finally hit a stardust shower. Fernando has more to rue than most about the reduced possibility of liquid stardust being sprinkled on race circuits in the near future because the Spaniard is an awesome competitor in the wet. "I like rain, no doubt, I am always quite happy to go and have some fun in it," he explained.

Race analysts say that Alonso is mega in the rain adding that could be the reason he is living in England rather than in Spain.

Alonso radiates glee and jubilation after winning the much-concluded European Grand Prix. In his race report, The Times' motoring correspondent Edward Gorman reminded enthusiasts. “You often hear it said that, to make Formula One more interesting, Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's ringmaster, should have sprinkler systems installed at every track so that water can be brought into play,” said Gorman.

“At a thrilling, chaotic and dramatic European Grand Prix here yesterday - won by an ecstatic Fernando Alonso for McLaren Mercedes, from Felipe Massa, who was second for Ferrari, and Mark Webber, who was third for Red Bull Racing - you could see exactly why people think that,” added Gorman.

The next F1 race is the Hungarian GP on Aug 5 in Budapest.

In the coming races, Alonso could be wishing for more great monsoons in his favor…