You heard right, Villeneuve will return to F1 at 38 years of age. He was reported saying that the USF1 team would take him on board to have a North American driver on the lineup. German magazine AutoBild was first to report the news about the Canadian star as he has taken leave from F1 after a dissapointing season with BMW. Since then, Villeneuve has been busy with NASCAR and Sportscar Racing in the LeMans series. Look for more details to surface shortly.

As if Bernie Ecclestone couldn’t find other ways to create enemies, he has outdone himself this time. Because of the fact that last year Force India was asked to change their main logo with the “FI” initials looking too much like “F1”, Ecclestone has asked USF1 principals to kill the USF1 name and switch it to US Grand Prix Engineering.

The strange move comes after much speculation as to what the American team was going to be called. Ecclestone was quoted saying that the only way he would allow the US team to use “F1” in its title would be if they added “Team” to the whole headline.
Complications like these really emphasize why the 78 year old man has passed his prime in the sport, we say hang up the cleats Bernie, its time for a new direction….

As we approach the first round of the 2009 World Championship, teams and their principals have released the official driver lineup to the FIA. Now that Brawn GP has been secured for the season, we expect a truly exciting year with plenty to talk about for months to come.
Driver lineup is as follows:

- FERRARI: Felipe Massa (Brazil), Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
- MCLAREN: Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain), Heikki Kovalainen (Finland)
- BMW-SAUBER: Robert Kubica (Poland), Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
- RENAULT: Fernando Alonso (Spain), Nelson Piquet Jr (Brazil)
- TOYOTA: Jarno Trulli (Italy), Timo Glock (Germany)
- TORO ROSSO: Sebastien Bourdais (France),  Sebastien Buemi (Switzerland)
- RED BULL: Mark Webber (Australia), Sebastian Vettel (Germany)
- WILLIAMS: Nico Rosberg (Germany), Kazuki Nakajima (Japan)
- BRAWN GP: Jenson Button (Great Britain), Rubens Barrichello (Brazil)
- FORCE INDIA: – Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy), Adrian Sutil (Germany)

Formula One is the fastest open wheel series in the world but damn that was quick! Just hours after Honda sold their Formula One team to principal Ross Brawn, the fully assembled BGP001 was seen flying around Silverstone with Jensen Button at the commands. He managed to squeeze in over 50 laps of testing before the rain set in but the fact of the matter is that Brawn Grand Prix is officially a go, and we couldn’t be any happier to see a full grid for 2009. Brawn has dropped the Honda powertrain and has opted for the exceptional Mercedes-Benz motor. Rubens Barrichello has also been confirmed as the second driver to complete the lineup before the team transfers to Jerez, Spain for testing with the rest of the Formula One grid.

Reports from Italy would suggest that Renault is considering cutting its Formula One program after the end of the 2009 World Championship. With the cancellation of primary sponsor ING, Renault finds itself in a financial slump to upkeep its Motorsport division regardless of the 30% cost cuts implemented by the FIA for Formula One starting in 2009. Many teams have had budgets exceeding $400 million prior to 2009 and have forced the FIA and President Max Moseley to change rules, operating schemes and testing sessions for the future in an effort to “cheapen” the operating costs of running a team in the premiere form of open wheel racing.
Tuned has also learned that Renault COO Patrick Pelata was quoted saying “we would like to remain in Formula One, now we must see how much compensation we receive this year in television dividends and broadcasting shares”. This could mean that if Renault is not “constantly covered” by television networks, or placing within the top 8, we could see one less team on the grid for the 2010 season.
But don’t lose hope just yet race fans…
Renault team driver Fernando Alonso was quickest in testing this week at Jerez, beating Ferrari and McLaren to the number one spot. This could mean that Renault is a potential front runner with the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and BMW-Sauber, making the pre-season all but boring.
Tuned has also received the official results of the Jerez testing session:
Numbers in parentheses indicate number of laps driven
1. Alonso (Spa, Renault) 1′19″945 (48 giri)
2. Raikkonen (Fin, Ferrari) 1′20″250 (71)
3. Heidfeld (Ger, Bmw) 1′20″520 (41)
4. Trulli (Ger, Toyota) 1′20″861 (52)
5. Webber (Aus, Red Bull) 1′20″894 (59)
6. Nakajima (Jap, Williams) 1′20″948 (46)
7. Sutil (Ger, Force India) 1′21″476 (55)
8. Hamilton (Gbr, McLaren) 1′21″753 (8)

The Honda F1 team may have a new boss, and his name is Ross Brawn. Surprised? We’re not. Ever since his days at Ferrari, Brawn has showed interest in heading his own team and here is his chance. He was brought to Honda by team principal Nick Fry in hopes of bringing some of that Ferrari luck/talent over to Honda.
New reports suggest that Fry and Brawn will both have equal shares of the team, although it will most likely be run by Brawn.

In fact, some reports have suggested that the team will be called Brawn Sport or possibly Brackley F1, Brackley being the city where the team headquarters are located in the UK. Honda has recently decided that it would be cheaper to support the team financially instead of paying hundreds of severance pay checks and so the team is still afloat.

Team driver Jensen Button is still on board whilst having taken a considerable pay cut although his new teammate has not been officially announced.
The Honda engines are no more and Brawn has been avidly promoting his new purchases, the Mercedes motors that were installed this week in advance to the Silverstone test. For F1 nuts, this means one more team on the grid with the chance of taking advantage of the new 2009 F1 rule change, we can’t wait either!

The second to last testing session has yielded some interesting results that could make the 2009 season one of the most excited in recent years.

Unofficial Sunday times from Jerez:
1. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 1:19.05

2. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:20.330
3. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota, 1:20.699
4. Nico Rosberg, Williams, 1:21.171
5. Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber, 1:21.292
6. Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India, 1:21.584
7. Pedro de la Rosa, McLaren, 1:21.831
8. Nelson Piquet, Renault, 1:22.011

Could it be? We think so since FIA President Max Mosley is scheduled to arrive in Rome this week to walk the streets of the Caesar to plan a potential Roman street course for the picturesque ancient city. Mr Mosley is planning on meeting with Maurizio Flammini of the communal administration to discuss details of hosting such an international event in an already touristy city.
The race would unfold in the “EUR” neighborhood of Rome which offers long streets and sweeping turns. When asked is the plan could become reality as soon as 2010, Flammini said “I believe so, I really believe so”.

For those who have been dying for more details on the newly announced US Formula 1 team, well Tuned has brought you just that. The USF1 team will be holding a press conference at noon eastern time on Speed TV in order to clarify any misconceptions or questions that the press and public may have.
Check local listings for availability in your area. Regardless of the outcome, Tuned will be providing a whole summary of the press conference along with up to date information on the Formula 1 World Championship.

Reports on the respected industry website crash.net suggest that the Honda Formula One team has been saved and will be on the starting grid in Melbourne when the grand-prix season gets under way on 29 March.

It is believed that Ross Brawn, the principal of the Brackley-based team put up for sale by its Japanese parent company back in December – has circulated an email to staff saying that a deal has been done to secure their future, and that they should begin preparing for the opening race of the season in Australia.

It is also claimed that five sponsors have been found to adorn the side of the car, and though the identity of the engine-supplier is unknown, the McLaren partner, Mercedes-Benz, is strongly believed to be the most likely candidate.

On the driving front, finally, Jenson Button will remain, with the Briton expected to be joined by the last GP2 Series runner-up Bruno Senna, who impressed in testing for the team at Barcelona in Spain late last year, with backing from a portfolio of Brazilian sponsors.