Jan.30 (GMM) Ferrari and the similarly-powered Sauber teams on Friday separately revealed their new 2015 cars. Ferrari’s long and low-nosed new car, to be raced by former Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel, is the SF15-T. Team boss Maurizio Arrivabene said the Maranello team, having completed a revolutionary shake-up after its disappointing 2014, is targeting “at […]
Month: January 2015
Lynn confirms Red Bull programme split
Jan.30 (GMM) Williams’ new development driver Alex Lynn has confirmed his split from Red Bull’s high profile junior programme. Last year, as he powered to the GP3 title and the highly coveted Macau GP win, the 21-year-old Briton was named as a contender to replace Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso for 2015. Ultimately, the F1 […]
Mercedes completes first laps with W06
Jan.30 (GMM) F1’s launch season is in full swing, and the latest new car to hit the headlines is the title-defending Mercedes. As the new silver McLaren was unveiled online on Thursday, the German giant Mercedes was giving its similarly-coloured W06 a shakedown during a ‘promotional event’ at Silverstone, before a blizzard stopped running. Mercedes […]
Ecclestone doubts Germany to host 2015 race
Jan.30 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone estimates Germany’s chances of staying on the 2015 calendar at “less than 50 per cent”. The Nurburgring was due to return to the schedule in 2015, but German reports say the boss of new circuit owner Capricorn’s offices were raided last week by local prosecutors amid allegations of fraud. And F1’s […]
Red Bull and Lotus running late for Jerez debut
Jan.30 (GMM) Red Bull and Lotus could join Force India, Caterham and Marussia in sitting out the opening winter test at Jerez beginning on Sunday. Italy’s Omnicorse claims Red Bull, whose designer Adrian Newey customarily pushes the boundaries with his new-car deadlines, has this week failed a front impact test at the FIA-approved Cranfield facility […]
Raikkonen could stay beyond 2015 – manager
Jan.30 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen’s manager says it is possible the Finn will stay at Ferrari beyond the 2015 season. A report in Finland’s Turun Sanomat said the 2007 world champion’s current deal expires at the end of the year, with a double-sided option to extend into 2016. Manager Steve Robertson said: “Above all, he has […]
Team survival more important than 1000hp – engineer
Jan.30 (GMM) A former F1 engineer thinks the sport has bigger problems than a potential move to 1000-plus horse power engines. According to Italian specialist publication Autosprint, the sport’s powerbrokers will meet next week to discuss again the possibility of adapting the current turbo V6s to produce more sound and power by 2017. The idea […]
Ricciardo doubts Vettel quit rumours
Jan.30 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has contradicted boss Christian Horner’s claims that Sebastian Vettel came close to quitting F1 last year. Horner, the team chief at Red Bull, caused a stir this week when he told the media that amid the quadruple world champion’s struggles to match Ricciardo in 2014, the German thought about retiring before […]
Ex Ferrari boss points finger at Alonso
Jan.30 (GMM) A former Ferrari chief has pointed the finger at departed Fernando Alonso following the Maranello team’s recent troubles. Legendary designer Mauro Forghieri, a key Ferrari figure from the 60s to the 80s, said the Spaniard cannot simply blame the team for his failure to add another title to his tally since joining in […]
Sirotkin money key to Force India absence – report
Jan.30 (GMM) The saga about Force India’s apparent financial troubles is continuing. Luis Vasconcelos, an experienced correspondent writing for Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, now claims a young driver from Russia is at the centre of the Silverstone based team’s absence from the Jerez test. “According to our sources,” he claimed, “the Jerez plans collapsed when […]
Fans disappointed with ‘new’ McLaren livery
Jan.30 (GMM) Many McLaren fans were reportedly disappointed on Thursday when the British team pulled the wraps off its works Honda-powered MP4-30. A report at Brazil’s Globo said the Woking squad had “raised expectations” about the appearance of the 2015 car by publishing videos “noting the past history of the Honda partnership and hinting that […]
Pirelli introduces new super-soft for 2015
Jan.29 (GMM) Pirelli will introduce an all-new ‘super soft’ tyre in 2015. The official F1 supplier’s Paul Hembery said recently that despite expecting the field to be significantly faster this year, the tyres will not fundamentally change. “This year’s tyres will be evolutions of the 2014 tyres,” he confirmed on Thursday, “with just one completely […]
New Red Bull yet to pass FIA crash tests
Jan.29 (GMM) 2014 runner-up Red Bull is reportedly pushing the boundaries with its readiness for the new season. Team boss Christian Horner has already admitted that, in the last few days before the first test at Jerez kicks off, the 2015-spec RB11 car is “not yet” ready. “There is still plenty to do before Sunday,” […]
Force India denies rumours of financial collapse
Jan.29 (GMM) Force India has denied reports it is now just the latest F1 team fighting for mere survival. The Silverstone based team took on and almost beat the British grandee McLaren in 2014, but it will begin the new season by sitting out the first winter test at Jerez. It has triggered speculation Force […]
Mercedes not expecting 2014-like domination – Wolff
Jan.29 (GMM) Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is not expecting another season of utter domination in 2015. The German team destroyed its rivals in 2014 with 16 victories at the dawn of the new turbo V6 rules, but Wolff said resting on those laurels in a world like formula one will “quickly catch you out […]
McLaren launches silver MP4-30
Jan.29 (GMM) McLaren on Thursday launched its works Honda-powered MP4-30 on the internet. The British team contradicted reports of a dramatically new white or black livery by showing the 2015 car in McLaren’s customary silver, with more pronounced red from the tip of the sleek nose to the cockpit. “It is a thoroughly refined evolution […]
Screaming engines ‘important for F1’ – Heidfeld
Jan.29 (GMM) Former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld has lamented the loss of F1’s familiar scream. Despite now racing an almost silent Formula E car, the 37-year-old former BMW and Williams driver said loud engine noise should be part of the F1 package. “When I think of my time in formula one,” said Heidfeld, “I still […]
Horner received McLaren offer in 2014 – insider
Jan.29 (GMM) Christian Horner received a “serious offer” last year to become the new boss of McLaren. That is the claim on Thursday of Ralf Bach, a correspondent for Sport Bild and TZ Munchen who now has his own blog at f1-insider.com. Bach said former racing driver and Briton Horner, who has headed the successful […]
Force India to sit out Jerez test
Jan.28 (GMM) Force India has announced it will sit out the first winter test of 2015. It was already known that, having recently ‘launched’ the 2015 livery with a show-car featuring a new-style nose, the Silverstone based team would not test the VJM08 at Jerez beginning on Sunday. Initially, Force India planned to run the […]
F1 insider claims Force India ‘insolvent’
Jan.28 (GMM) The latest team in serious peril is Force India, according to an insider. The Silverstone based team announced on Wednesday that it is sitting out the first test of the 2015 pre-season at Jerez. The reasons for the decision have not been well explained, but technical boss Andrew Green has said it was […]