Two F1 favorites -- reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen and leader Lewis Hamilton -- are set for a new challenge as Singapore gears up for Formula One's first night race next month.

The SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on Sept. 28, is the 15th leg on this year's F1 calendar. It is the first street race in Asia and will be raced on public roads around the Marina Bay area of Singapore.

Night will be turned into day, though for the speed battle with help from 3,180,000 watts of power to reach optimal visibility for the racers.

"The overall luminosity for this racing condition is 3,000 in lux levels, which is four times brighter than a stadium for a soccer match," said Geraldine Yeo, the director of leisure marketing and events management for Singapore's grand prix, in Jakarta on Thursday.

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Double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso fuels the rumours linking him to a Honda switch in 2009, by describing current employers Renault as 'one of the worst' teams in the top flight and insisting the French outfit has no hope of winning next year. The squad currently sits in fourth spot in the constructors' rankings, four points shy of its target – fourth-placed Toyota.

“From one year to the next it is difficult to improve so drastically,” the 27-year-old told Spanish radio programme El Larguero. “It may be difficult for Renault to step up to the level of the top teams in 2009.“Never has a team gone from being one of the worst to winning [in one year].”

Alonso has recently been linked to making a £7.6 million switch to Honda next year [see separate story – click here], with repeated claims that he is Ferrari-bound in 2010, if not before. He has insisted he will not make any decisions about his future in the sport until next month.

Fernando Alonso has dismissed Renault's chances of returning to the winners' circle in Formula 1 in 2009, stating his belief that the former double world championship-winning outfit is currently ‘one of the worst' teams in the top flight.

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McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race Sunday after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix with three laps to go.

Massa overtook Kovalainen and pole sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and was heading for his fourth win of the season after Hamilton dropped out of contention with a tire puncture. But the Brazilian's Ferrari engine overheated toward the end and Kovalainen took an 11-second victory over Timo Glock of Toyota.

"Of course I feel a little bit sorry for Felipe. I know how he feels with what happened to him today; I've had similar moments to him this year," said Kovalainen, who became the 100th driver to win a Formula One race.

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Heikki Kovalainen has admitted that his breakthrough triumph in Formula 1 in this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest makes up for all of the ill-luck he has suffered throughout the 2008 season to-date with his McLaren-Mercedes team describing the result as ‘sensational'.

Though the Finn was not out-and-out the quickest driver around the Hungaroring – trailing both Ferrari's Felipe Massa and F1 World Championship-leading team-mate Lewis Hamilton for the majority of the race  he was in the right place to take advantage when the latter's left front tyre punctured just over halfway through and the Brazilian's engine agonisingly let go while just three laps from the chequered flag.

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Heikki Kovalainen has given hen-pecked Fernando Alonso an idea of the real meaning of 'team orders'.Alonso and McLaren parted company at the end of last year after he and team principal Ron Dennis were involved in a bust-up on the morning of the Hungarian Grand Prix.The Spaniard had threatened Dennis with divulging all he knew in relation to the spy scandal unless he was given number one status.Alonso had grown frustrated at his misconceived perception of playing second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton.

Dennis has long insisted there are no team orders and his drivers are granted equal status - a situation that seemingly does not exist in Alonso's personal life now he is married.Alonso had a jocular dig at Kovalainen when the Finn commented on where he would be heading for his summer break following this weekend's race at the Hungaroring.

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Much has been speculated about Kimi Räikkönen's future as his Ferrari deal expires in 2009. Fans the world over are desperate for the "Iceman" to stay in open wheeled motorsports' highest formula, but according to Fox Sports the current world champion hopes to one day take to the sport of rallying.

The Finn is not the type to break into a Shakespearean soliloquy. When questioned about his plans post 2009 the only words he could muster were, "I have time [to decide]."Later the "Iceman" added, "Why should I hurry? I have a contract for 2009, which I will fulfill despite all the speculation. I always keep my deals."

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Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer will pay tribute to the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix race--the world's first Formula One night race--by introducing a special, limited edition variation of its Grand Carrera Calibre 8 Grande-Date GMT watch.

Distinguished by its black-finished case, bezel, dial and indexes and unique green accents, this special TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 8 RS Grande-Date GMT watch will be presented in a series of 150 watches, to be available only from authorized TAG Heuer retailers and boutiques in Singapore.  To further enhance the special nature of this commemorative timepiece, TAG Heuer will offer each watch with a limited-production book, "Snakes and Devils", by Eli Solomon.  The retail price is set at SGD 8,300. 

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With so many arguments circulating, I felt it was time to throw in my opinion on one of the hottest debates surrounding British Sport.

Since his debut in Australia in 2007, Lewis Hamilton has become an international superstar. He has soared into the record books with numerous achievements, most notably the nine consecutive podium finishes following his debut Grand Prix and becoming the first black person to compete in Formula 1.But despite his numerous achievements, Lewis Hamilton has come under much scrutiny from Formula 1 fans. Why is this?

There is no question that Lewis Hamilton has had a seismic impact on Formula 1. He shook the Formula 1 world from the moment he passed Fernando Alonso on the first corner of his debut grand prix.

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The Valencia street circuit was granted its licence to hold the European Grand Prix after the FIA was satisfied with a preparatory race meeting held last weekend.

Valencia played host to rounds of the International GT Series and Spanish Formula 3 in order to gain the necessary rubber stamp for its inaugural Formula 1 race on 24 August.

The event was completed without major problems and provided a glimpse of what the Formula 1 race might be like.The circuit is expected to be faster than the other two street tracks on the Formula 1 calendar this year in Monaco and Singapore, with the 20-plus corners linked by some long, fast stretches.

Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting was on hand to watch over the Spanish F3 race and make sure the facilties were up to standard.Several GP2 drivers were also in attendance, mainly racing in the GT Series in order to get a better understanding of the street layout ahead of their F1 support race in a month's time.

German Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton is to have his engine checked by the FIA, but only as part of a routine programme resulting from the technology freeze imposed ahead of last season.

While it is true that the FIA has requested an inspection of the engine that helped propel Lewis Hamilton to victory in Sunday’s German Grand Prix, it is understood that the checks are only part of a routine programme.

While the Briton’s rivals may be eager to learn the outcome of the inspection - which will take place the day before the Hungarian Grand Prix gets underway. it is merely a part of the governing body’s routine policy of checking the components of engines now that the technology freeze has been put in place to keep costs down.

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