Kubica considers Renault future

• Polish driver wants to know new owner's intentions• Felipe Massa has neck pain in two-day test sessionRobert Kubica is considering his future at Renault after the manufacturer's decision to sell a significant stake in its Formula One team, the Polish driver's manager said today. Daniele Morelli told the BBC it was "not automatic" Kubica would stay although he hinted he was likely to, and sought more information about the team's plans. "We would like to know about Genii Capital and who is doing what in the team, a partner can be a sleeping partner or a controlling partner," said Morelli.Earlier, Renault said it planned to sell a significant stake to Genii, a Luxembourg-based specialist in brand management and motor sports, but would run the team jointly with its new partners. "The cards have changed in respect of when we signed and it's important Renault give us full information," said Morelli.Kubica raced for BMW-Sauber this year and signed with Renault after BMW withdrew. "We are not against the new position in principle but it is important to know who will run the team and what kind of strategies they will use," said the manager. "We need time, at least a few days, to evaluate the new situation so I am not in a position to say we will leave or stay."Kubica's contract is likely to contain an escape clause covering a change of team ownership, given that Renault's future was uncertain when he signed up. He is highly rated in the sport and is likely to be of interest to Mercedes, formerly champions Brawn, should the retired seven-times champion Michael Schumacher decide against a comeback at the age of 41.Mercedes have yet to name a replacement for the world champion, Jenson Button, who has joined McLaren, but reports have said they are close to a deal with Schumacher.There are few, if any, other vacancies that would interest the Pole. Only Sauber, Toro Rosso and the new US F1 and Campos Meta teams have yet to complete their line-ups and none would be able to match Kubica's Renault salary.Felipe Massa complained of a sore neck today after completing two days of tests in a 2007 Ferrari. The Brazilian has been out since suffering life-threatening head injuries in an accident at July's Hungarian grand prix. "I had a bit of neck pain, above all in the quick corners. But the rest went fine and there was no difference compared to before the accident," Massa said.RenaultFormula OneMotor sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Alonso: Hamilton helped me grow up

• Spaniard recalls McLaren days in Guardian interview• Former world champion prepares for Ferrari debutFernando Alonso, the favourite to win this year's Formula One world championship, has suggested that his difficult experience in partnering the British driver Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2007 helped him to "grow up" and was good preparation for joining his new team, Ferrari."2007 was very difficult but I learnt a lot personally," he says in an interview to be published by the Guardian tomorrow. "It was good for my career to take that step of joining McLaren and growing up. I learned how to work with a team and also to withstand the media pressure. The difficulties I had were coming from the team and the media. Now I am much more prepared for everything in Formula One – and in life as well." Bitter infighting cost McLaren the championship in 2007, and Alonso returned to his old team, Renault, the following season.Jenson Button, like Alonso in 2007, arrives at McLaren this season as the reigning world champion and it is widely expected that tensions could emerge between him and Hamilton. "Obviously I don't know how McLaren is now but if Jenson arrived in my time then, for sure, it would be very tough for him," Alonso told the Guardian. "But, hopefully, it's now better for Jenson because I learned a lot from that season and McLaren did as well."Alonso confronts rumours that he has a strained relationship with his new team-mate, Felipe Massa. "People are only writing these things because they know we are very strong. Felipe and I work for the team. After so many years of course I have battled with Felipe. It's the way it is – and we'll keep having these fights. But Michael Schumacher and [Nico] Rosberg will have fights at Mercedes. I am sure Lewis and Jenson Button will have fights at McLaren. Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel will have fights at Red Bull – in fact they were fighting last year already. But no one talks about this. They talk about it with Ferrari because we are in a good position."In tomorrow's interview, Alonso reflects on the inadvertent role he played at the centre of the Spygate and Crashgate controversies that so blighted the reputation of Formula One. He also reveals his hope to form a new Tour de France team with his friend Alberto Contador – who won the race last year."It's a project for me – a kind of dream I have because I love cycling. I know it is not easy to create a top cycling team from zero. You need good riders, good staff, a lot of preparation and, most important, a lot of sponsors. It is something Alberto and I can work on. I know this year he is with Astana but from next year onwards, for sure, if there is an opportunity I will be very interested. I think he will be interested as well."The new Formula One season begins in Bahrain two weeks on Sunday.Read the full interview online and in the paper tomorrowFernando AlonsoFerrariFormula OneMotor sportDonald McRaeguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Massa suspicious over Piquet crash last year

Sep.3 (GMM) Felipe Massa suspected Nelson Piquet crashed deliberately at Singapore last year and confronted Flavio Briatore about the incident in person, it has emerged.

Alonso turned down Massa's kart race invitation

Nov.30 (GMM) Felipe Massa has revealed that he invited his 2010 Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso to contest the weekend's charity kart race International Challenge of the Stars.

Massa takes podium in kart race

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa returned to competition and reached the podium this weekend at the International Challenge of Stars, an annual kart event which the Brazilian organises in order to raise funds for charity...  

Massa makes winning return to the track

motor racing Ferrari's Felipe Massa and former team-mate Michael Schumacher completed a one-two finish in a kart race at Florianopolis in southern Brazil yesterday in the Brazilian's first competitive event since his life-threatening accident in July.