Mar.10 (GMM) 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter says greed led to the demise of Africa’s return to the Formula 1 calendar. Lewis Hamilton often bemoans the continent’s absence from the world championship schedule, and current champion Max Verstappen also insists the sport “needs” an African GP. “We are basically on every other continent, so I […]
Category: Recent stories
Sergio Perez will be F1 champion – father
Mar.10 (GMM) Sergio Perez has no intention of settling for second best in Formula 1, his father Antonio insists. With back-to-back reigning world champion Max Verstappen riding high at Red Bull, some say it’s obvious that Mexican Perez is the ideal ‘number 2’. Not so, according to father Antonio. “We will have a Formula 1 […]
Top-three target unlikely for Alpine in 2023 – CEO
Mar.10 (GMM) Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi admits the Renault-owned team is unlikely to hits its goal of breaking into the top three constructors’ in Formula 1 this year. Last year, Alpine – then with Fernando Alonso at the wheel – finished fourth overall before the two-time champion defected to Aston Martin. Aston Martin now appears […]
Williams revival will take ‘years’ – Vowles
Mar.10 (GMM) It will take Williams years to return to the top four places in the constructors’ world championship. That is the frank admission of new team boss James Vowles, who switched from Mercedes over the winter to replace the ousted Jost Capito. “It’s about what I expected,” Vowles, 43, told France’s Auto Hebdo. “It […]
Top Ferrari engineer set to join McLaren – reports
Mar.10 (GMM) Another key member of Ferrari’s Formula 1 team has departed. Over the winter, Frederic Vasseur moved to Maranello to replace ousted team boss Mattia Binotto, who was followed through the exit door shortly afterwards by chief strategist Inaki Rueda. And now, specialist Italian publications report that Ferrari’s head of vehicle concept, David Sanchez, […]
Alpine must ‘get closer’ to Aston Martin – boss
Mar.9 (GMM) Alpine needs to take the example of Aston Martin as it continues to push towards the front of the Formula 1 grid. Last year, Renault-owned Alpine finished fourth overall in the constructors’ standings – behind only Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. Aston Martin, on the other hand, was a lowly seventh. But over […]
Netflix brought ‘female fanbase’ to F1 – Horner
Mar.9 (GMM) Netflix has delivered a new, young, American and female audience to Formula 1. That is the view of Christian Horner, the Red Bull team boss, when asked about the controversial series Drive To Survive which is often criticised by ‘purists’ for blurring the lines between reality and drama. “It’s a bit like the […]
‘Silver bullet’ unlikely for ‘lost’ Mercedes – Marko
Mar.9 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has rubbished as “nonsense” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s claim that Red Bull will win every single grand prix in 2023. “That’s nonsense,” he told Osterreich newspaper when asked about comments made not only by Wolff but also Mercedes racer George Russell. “You can’t say that after one race,” Marko added. […]
2026 engine will be Red Bull, not Ford – Marko
Mar.9 (GMM) Red Bull, not Ford, will be at the heart of the reigning champion team’s power unit for 2026 and beyond. The energy drink owned team had talks with existing partner Honda, and then Porsche, about potential engine collaborations for the next rules era. Ultimately, Red Bull decided to team up with Ford. When […]
Sidepods won’t fix ‘trash’ Mercedes car – Wolff
Mar.8 (GMM) Toto Wolff has already written off Mercedes’ chances of winning the 2023 world championship. Fellow Austrian Dr Helmut Marko said after the Bahrain season opener that if Red Bull was in Mercedes’ shoes, “it would take us three or four races” to recover the deficit. Wolff, however, is taking another tack – simply […]
‘Red Bull man’ gave Aston Martin huge boost – Wolff
Mar.8 (GMM) Toto Wolff agrees with Red Bull’s assessment that Dan Fallows is making all the difference at Aston Martin this year. After Bahrain, where the two Red Bull drivers were accompanied on the podium by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Dr Helmut Marko pointed at the recent defection of its aerodynamics chief. “It’s true – […]
Budget cap penalty will hurt Red Bull – Domenicali
Mar.8 (GMM) Red Bull’s penalty for breaching the budget cap could hurt the team later this season. That is the view of F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who urged Ferrari’s fans not to get too downbeat about Red Bull’s utter dominance seen in Bahrain. “Red Bull demonstrated their strength,” the Italian told Sportmediaset, “but we must […]
2023 not destined to be ‘boring’
Mar.8 (GMM) Although Red Bull looked utterly unbeatable in Bahrain, the next race in Jeddah could be a different story. “I believe they will win every race this year,” a pessimistic Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told Osterreich newspaper. But not everybody thinks that. “The race was very boring because of course we want to […]
Tsunoda ‘must’ prove himself in 2023 – Marko
Mar.8 (GMM) Alpha Tauri’s current drivers are on notice to perform or risk their place in Formula 1. 2023 is 22-year-old Japanese Tsunoda’s third successive season in F1 with Red Bull’s junior team. When asked if he has to prove himself this year, Red Bull top official Dr Helmut Marko answered: “Yes, he must. “But […]
Horner should be F1 supremo – Ecclestone
Mar.8 (GMM) If Bernie Ecclestone was still running Formula 1, Christian Horner would be next in line for the sport’s top job. Ecclestone, now 92, was ousted amid the Liberty Media takeover in 2017. Former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali took over as Chase Carey’s successor in 2021, but he would not have been Ecclestone’s pick. […]
Unlike Mercedes, Ferrari sticking with ‘concept’
Mar.7 (GMM) Ferrari is sticking with its car concept despite a thorough beating at Red Bull’s hands in Bahrain. However, both the Maranello team and Mercedes appear to have fallen behind even Aston Martin at the start of the 2023 season. Mercedes has reacted by vowing to scrap the current car concept, with Auto Motor […]
Andretti admits Alpha Tauri not for sale
Mar.6 (GMM) Michael Andretti admits buying Alpha Tauri will not be the ticket to revving up his own Formula 1 team. Amid Andretti-Cadillac’s push to enter F1, it is believed the existing teams have voted essentially unanimously to see the current new-team entry fee raised from $200m to $600 million. But there are also reports […]
Wins, not title, possible for Alonso in 2023
Mar.6 (GMM) Aston Martin has taken “just the first step” on the road to ultimate victory in Formula 1, team owner Lawrence Stroll said on Sunday. Since the new green car was launched, tested and now raced, the hype has been building about what many now regard as the second fastest team behind dominant Red […]
Red Bull accuses Aston Martin of ‘copying’
Mar.6 (GMM) Red Bull thinks Aston Martin made a meteoric leap up the grid over the winter by clearing copying clear aspects of last year’s dominant car. “It’s nice to see three Red Bull cars on the podium,” Sergio Perez joked after Sunday’s season-opening Bahrain GP. The Mexican, second, was beaten by his Red Bull […]
No Audi contract talks for Schumacher yet
Mar.5 (GMM) Audi has denied that early contract talks with Mick Schumacher might already be taking place. In recent days, it was suggested that Volkswagen-owned Audi intends to put a German driver at the wheel once its takeover of Sauber is complete ahead of 2026. The only active German driver at present is 35-year-old Hulkenberg, […]