Feb.10 (GMM) Force India chief Vijay Mallya has a new battle on his hands ahead of the 2017 season. Reportedly now a former billionaire, the Indian businessman was unable to attend grands prix in 2016 after having his passport revoked amid financial scandals in his native country. Now, the Indian government is moving to extradite […]
Month: February 2017
Raikkonen to open karaoke bar
Feb.10 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is set to open a karaoke bar in Helsinki, the capital of his native Finland. That is the claim of the Finnish entertainment magazine Seitseman Paivaa. The report said the Ferrari driver and 2007 world champion wanted to keep the precise location of the venue secret, but it is apparently close […]
Alonso to debut 2017 McLaren
Feb.10 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will give McLaren’s 2017 car its track debut later this month. It has been a period of change for the Honda-powered team, since the forced departure of McLaren supremo Ron Dennis. The traditional “MP4” will be removed from the official name of the 2017 chassis, and there are rumours McLaren will […]
Vettel bruised after Fiorano crash
Feb.10 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel got his 2017 season off to a bad start this week by crashing. Although official testing doesn’t begin for another two weeks, the German was at the wheel of Ferrari’s 2015 tyre test ‘mule’ car on Thursday. Vettel was testing Pirelli’s wet tyres when amateur video footage depicts him evidently aquaplaning […]
Renault promising Spain GP engine boost – Marko
Feb.9 (GMM) Red Bull is confident engine supplier Renault will deliver in 2017 — particularly after the opening few races of the season. After the first four ‘flyaway’ races in March and April, the sport moves on to Barcelona and Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko is promising a big boost in Spain. “We are seeing […]
Vasseur exit won’t hurt Renault – Palmer
Feb.9 (GMM) The departure of team boss Frederic Vasseur will not hurt Renault. That is the claim of the French works team’s British driver Jolyon Palmer, referring to last month’s surprise news that Frenchman Vasseur has left after a single year. In 2016, Renault had a bad first season after taking over Lotus, but Palmer […]
Briatore won’t join Brawn as F1 ‘consultant’
Feb.9 (GMM) Flavio Briatore says he is not about to rejoin his old F1 colleague Ross Brawn by returning to the sport. Briatore, a famous former team boss, worked with new F1 managing director Ross Brawn at Benetton back in the 90s. It has been rumoured the Italian might now be interested in returning as […]
Alonso back in title-winning shape – trainer
Feb.9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is back in the kind of physical shape that won him back-to-back world championships more than a decade ago. That is the claim of the Spanish sports daily AS, quoting the popular McLaren-Honda driver’s trainer Edoardo Bendinelli. After a period of winter silence, 35-year-old Alonso burst back into life on social […]
Schumacher manager questions F1’s Liberty buyout
Feb.9 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s former manager is not so sure the takeover by Liberty Media will really be good for F1. So far, since the US media group took over from controversial former owner CVC, most commentators have said Liberty’s modern savvy should help F1 step up a gear. But Willi Weber, who famously guided […]
Promoter sure Baku race better in 2017
Feb.9 (GMM) Promoter Arif Rahimov is sure Azerbaijan’s second F1 race this year will be more exciting than its 2016 calendar debut. The streets of Baku had been billed as one of the sport’s most exciting new destinations, but the Italian magazine Autosprint claims the race last year was ultimately a letdown. Race promoter Rahimov, […]
Melbourne protest possible over F1 row – report
Feb.9 (GMM) An argument over clever and controversial suspension systems looks set to keep raging early in 2017. Earlier, Ferrari called into question the legality of setups being run by Mercedes and Red Bull, which reportedly mimic the effects of active suspension or the similarly-banned ‘Fric’ innovation. Auto Motor und Sport reports that on Tuesday, […]
Wolff sure Mercedes drivers will get along
Feb.9 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he is confident Lewis Hamilton will get along with his new Mercedes teammate in 2017. This week, triple world champion Hamilton’s father Anthony said his son would “much rather” still be paired with Nico Rosberg rather than the retired German’s replacement Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton snr also warned: “Lewis kills drivers. […]
Kaltenborn says Wehrlein not ‘junior’ driver
Feb.8 (GMM) Sauber boss Monisha Kaltenborn has denied claims the Swiss team has signed up a “junior” for 2017. In the media, Pascal Wehrlein is often referred to as a junior due to his prominent role in Mercedes’ driver development programme. But the 22-year-old made his debut with Manor in 2016 and this year is […]
Ousting Ecclestone a mistake – Mosley
Feb.8 (GMM) Max Mosley thinks F1’s new owners have made a mistake by dumping Bernie Ecclestone. Although given the honorary title ‘chairman emeritus’, 86-year-old Briton Ecclestone has been effectively ousted and replaced by Liberty Media’s Chase Carey and Ross Brawn. For years, Ecclestone and Mosley was a formidable double-act, and now the former FIA president […]
F1 designer worried about 2017 rules shakeup
Feb.8 (GMM) A well-known F1 engineer is concerned the sport is setting off down the wrong path with its radical new rules for 2017. On social media, Carlos Sainz posted a photo demonstrating that he has drastically bulked up muscle in preparation for the much faster cars set to race this year. But Luca Furbatto […]
Verstappen-Vandoorne like Senna-Prost – pundit
Feb.8 (GMM) F1 could be heading into a new ‘Senna versus Prost’ era. That is the view of a well known F1 pundit, as two youngsters from the Benelux region prepare to go head-to-head in 2017. Peter Windsor, a former Williams team manager turned journalist, told the Dutch magazine Formule 1: “I’m a big fan […]
Rosberg backs Kubica for F1 test comeback
Feb.8 (GMM) World champion Nico Rosberg has welcomed news Robert Kubica could be looking to get back into F1. The Pole had to leave the category after almost severing his wrist in a 2011 rally crash, but he will return to full-time circuit racing in 2017 with a top prototype Le Mans seat. And now […]
Bank guarantee secures 2018 French GP return
Feb.8 (GMM) France’s return to the F1 calendar is definitely on for 2018. In December, it emerged that after a decade’s absence, France will be back on the 2018 schedule with a race at Paul Ricard and a new five-year contract. But until now the actual deal was not complete. However, French publications including La […]
Hamilton could be Bottas ‘career killer’ – father
Feb.8 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s father has fired an ominous warning in the direction of Mercedes newcomer Valtteri Bottas. Anthony Hamilton, who guided his son’s early career in formula one, said anyone signing up to be the triple world champion’s teammate puts their entire career at risk. Finn Bottas, 27, has signed just a one-year contract […]
De Vries still with McLaren team – spokesman
Feb.7 (GMM) Nyck de Vries remains with the McLaren team, a spokesman for the British outfit told us on Tuesday. Earlier, the Dutch broadcaster RTL GP cited “sources” as it reported the 22-year-old Dutchman, who for years has been a McLaren development driver, is now seeking a seat for 2017 without the British team’s support. […]