Jun.5 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone thinks Ferrari could finally be on the road back to world championship victory in 2017. Despite being ousted as chief executive, the former F1 supremo has attended four of the six grands prix so far this year, most recently in Monaco. While in the Principality, he told Blick newspaper: “Ferrari now […]
Month: June 2017
Stewart tips Vettel to beat Hamilton in 2017
Jun.5 (GMM) F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart has tipped Sebastian Vettel to win a fifth world championship in 2017. So far in 2017, the title battle has been a two-team, two-driver scrap between Ferrari’s Vettel and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Stewart told Sport Bild: “Sebastian has more experience and is calmer than Lewis. “It will […]
Force India angry after race number controversy
Jun.5 (GMM) Force India is angry with F1’s governing body in the wake of a dispute about race numbers. Before Barcelona, teams were told to include bigger and more prominent numbers on their cars’ bodywork, and Force India was penalised for falling afoul of the directive. The small Silverstone based team fixed its livery for […]
Malone, Mateschitz in ‘secret’ F1 meeting
Jun.5 (GMM) Red Bull recently met in “secret” with F1’s new owner John Malone. Malone is the US billionaire tycoon behind Liberty Media, who are now contemplating the future of the sport’s controversial engine regulations. In recent days, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko warned that if the current ‘power unit’ regulations stay beyond 2020, the […]
Monaco to build new F1 pits for 2018
Jun.5 (GMM) Monaco will build a new pitlane and paddock complex at a cost of EUR 30 million ahead of the 2018 race. That is the exclusive claim of Bild newspaper, reporting that Monaco’s Prince Albert confided the news to friends during the grand prix weekend recently. “Monaco wanted to prepare the new pitlane for […]
Russia wants later race date in 2018
Jun.5 (GMM) Russia will press to have its round of the 2018 world championship pushed back by several months. Having staged an early round of the season for the past couple of years, deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak told Russia 24 that Sochi now wants a later race next season. “We have asked formula one […]
Magnussen sitting out sessions due to contract
Jun.5 (GMM) Contractual details explain why Kevin Magnussen will sit out so many Friday practice sessions in the second half of 2017. With Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi set for seven Friday morning sessions with Haas, it is the American team’s Danish regular Kevin Magnussen who will give up his car on six of those occasions. […]
Tyre situation ‘an Italian mystery’ – Wolff
Jun.5 (GMM) Pirelli has hit back at conspiracy theories about Ferrari’s sudden return to the top in F1 this year. After three consecutive years of Mercedes dominance, it is now the red team that is clearly leading in 2017. “At 25 points ahead, Vettel is now clearly the world championship favourite,” Mercedes team chairman Niki […]
Raikkonen ‘basically’ Ferrari no.2 – Salo
Jun.2 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is “basically” already the number 2 driver at Ferrari for 2017. That is the view of the Finn’s countryman Mika Salo. His comments follow Monaco, where a controversial pit strategy saw Raikkonen lose the lead and the subsequent race win to teammate and championship leader Sebastian Vettel. “Vettel has a good […]
Alonso ‘wasting time’ at McLaren – Andretti
Jun.2 (GMM) Motor racing legend Mario Andretti says Fernando Alonso is “wasting” his time at McLaren-Honda. Last weekend, the Spaniard skipped Monaco in order to tackle the fabled Indy 500 with the team run by Andretti’s son and former McLaren driver Michael. But Alonso, 35, will be back in his McLaren-Honda in Canada, even though […]
Sauber ‘open’ to taking Honda-linked driver
Jun.2 (GMM) Monisha Kaltenborn has admitted Sauber may take a driver from Honda’s talent pool for 2018. Earlier, when regular Pascal Wehrlein was injured, the German was replaced by Antonio Giovinazzi, who is engine supplier Ferrari’s official reserve driver. But Sauber has subsequently done a deal to be powered by Honda power units for 2018, […]
Engine rules ‘driving McLaren to ruin’ – Marko
Jun.2 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says formula one desperately needs new engine rules for 2021. The Austrian is a leading F1 official at Red Bull, the energy drink owned company that has two teams on the grid and is promoter of the Austrian grand prix. He told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper that F1’s current “nonsensical power […]
‘No back problems’ after Monaco – Wehrlein
Jun.2 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein says he will take part in next weekend’s Canadian grand prix. After missing races earlier in 2017 with fractured vertebrae, the German had said after a rollover crash in Monaco that he would undergo scans this week. “Monaco is checked off for me,” the Sauber driver told Germany’s Sport Bild late […]
Wolff sympathises amid Ferrari controversy
Jun.1 (GMM) Toto Wolff has joined those who are rejecting the Ferrari ‘team orders’ conspiracy. Ferrari has denied that it deliberately disadvantaged Kimi Raikkonen through pit strategy at Monaco so that Sebastian Vettel could take maximum points for the championship. Championship rival Mercedes’ team boss Toto Wolff said he sympathises with Ferrari amid the controversy. […]
No regrets as BAR became Mercedes – Villeneuve
Jun.1 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve says he has no regrets about investing millions into F1’s Brackley based team. In 1998, in a project led by the then reigning world champion’s then manager Craig Pollock, Villeneuve put up the money to buy the Tyrrell team and establish the new F1 outfit BAR. Le Journal de Montreal said […]
Stroll not crumbling under ‘pressure’ – father
Jun.1 (GMM) Lance Stroll’s father has denied that his son is crumbling under the “pressure” of expectations in F1. Still just 18, Canadian Stroll has struggled at Williams so far in 2017, with many questioning his ability amid the image of being the ‘pay driver’ son of a billionaire. That billionaire is the fashion mogul […]
Giovinazzi deal ‘unfortunate’ for Magnussen
Jun.1 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen will have less practice time to prepare for forthcoming grands prix. According to the Danish broadcaster TV2, the Haas racer has been told he will need to give up his car on six of the seven occasions on which Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi drives in Friday morning practice sessions this year. […]
Kanaan hits back at Hamilton’s Indy jibe
Jun.1 (GMM) An Indycar driver has hit back at Lewis Hamilton following recent comments made by the triple world champion. As Fernando Alonso was tackling the Indy 500, Hamilton scoffed at how the Spaniard was able to be so competitive straight out of the box in qualifying. “To see him fifth against drivers who are […]
McLaren-Honda struggles ‘tiring’ – Alonso
Jun.1 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says McLaren-Honda’s ongoing struggles in F1 are “tiring”. The Spaniard skipped Monaco to do the Indy 500, but will return to his regular formula one duties next weekend in Canada. “I’m happy, the only thing missing is to be competitive,” Alonso told EFE news agency. “With Honda and the engine we […]
Alonso surprised at Indy pay-cheque
Jun.1 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has admitted his surprise at how lucrative taking part in the Indy 500 is. The Spaniard qualified fifth, was crowned rookie of the year and retired with a blown Honda engine as he skipped Monaco to take part in the fabled US oval race. It emerged that he took home about […]