According to the Oberver, a London newspaper, Fernado Alonso and Ross Brawn, respectively the immediate past Formula One champion and the former Ferrari chassis designer credited with Ferrari’s most competitive Formula One cars, are headed to Red Bull Racing for 2008.  Friday, it was confirmed that Alonso and McLaren had reached agreement releasing Alonso from his contract, with a year still left to go on the original term.
   
Brawn’s designs were driven to five World Championships by Michael Schumacher when Brawn was with Ferrari.  He took 2007 off from Formula One.  At the time, however, he said he would return to Ferrari.
   
But Ferrari has done well without Brawn, winning both the constructors and driver’s championships for 2007.  So, Brawn would not be returning to the same environment in which he had previouslyt ruled supreme.  Also, Brawn was close to Nigel Stepney, the disgraced technical director who worked for Ferrari but spied for McLaren. 
   
At Red Bull, Brawn will join Adrian Newey, the former McLaren and Williams chief designer.  The combination could complement the skills of both, but it can’t be cheap.  Adding both Brawn and Alonso to the Red Bull team has to be costing huge sums of money.
   
If this story is true, it means either David Coulthard or Mark Webber is out of a ride at Red Bull.  It’s also a setback for Renault, who had been thought the leading contender for Alonso’s services for next year. 
   
But, though Formula One is international in its racing, there is one common language which everyone involved understands.
   
Money.