Apr.7 (GMM) Williams’ moves to pull itself back to winning form in Formula 1 are meeting local opposition. According to the Sun newspaper, the Grove based team has bought up farmland around its factory and has big expansion plans. However, Williams is already not popular with residents of Grove, a village and civil parish in […]
Doohan ‘not certain’ to be at next grand prix
Apr.7 (GMM) The pressure on Jack Doohan’s shoulders simply won’t let up, as footage emerges of Franco Colapinto doing a ‘TPC’ test with Alpine at Monza. On loan from Williams, the high-profile reserve driver did not travel to Japan, and now it is clear why – he was on factory-based simulator duties throughout the Suzuka […]
Hamilton hoping new floor to solve Ferrari flaw
Apr.7 (GMM) Ferrari is pinning its hopes on a much-needed floor upgrade that will reportedly make its debut this weekend in Bahrain. Team boss Frederic Vasseur admits the 2025 car is lacking pace. “We’re missing two to three tenths of a second in qualifying,” he told Sky Italia. “In the race, it’s even more. We’re […]
Marko pokes fun at McLaren’s ‘Papaya rules’
Apr.7 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko poked fun at McLaren’s so-called ‘Papaya rules’, after Max Verstappen beat the two faster orange-coloured cars at Suzuka on both Saturday and Sunday. McLaren is receiving plenty of criticism after Red Bull’s Verstappen closed the championship gap to Lando Norris to a single point. One criticism is the risk-averse race […]
Verstappen instigated pre-Suzuka emergency meeting
Apr.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen initiated the recent emergency technical meeting at Red Bull’s Milton-Keynes factory, preceding his breakthrough first win from pole at Suzuka. Given the obvious pace and handling problems of the 2025 car, amid raging speculation the quadruple world champion may quit the team, Verstappen is now scooping up unprecedented praise for his […]
F1 should prevent Doohan-like DRS crashes – Sainz
Apr.6 (GMM) New Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director Carlos Sainz is calling for changes to the DRS systems in Formula 1 in the name of safety. Alpine’s Jack Doohan admits he deliberately left his DRS rear-wing flap wide open as he sped flat-out at 300kph into turn 1 at Suzuka in practice – result in […]
Bottas put Antonelli back on track at Suzuka
Apr.6 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas deserves some credit for getting Kimi Antonelli up to speed at Suzuka. That’s the view of the Mercedes team at Suzuka, according to Auto Motor und Sport’s Formula 1 editor Michael Schmidt. Having lost his Sauber seat, former Mercedes race winner Bottas returned to the German marque this season to keep […]
Marko hits back at ‘nonsense’ Horner speculation
Apr.6 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has slammed reports that he has become increasingly disempowered at Red Bull. Days ago, the energy drink brand’s well-known Formula 1 advisor was quoted as saying had had nothing to do with the decision last year to re-sign Sergio Perez. “That wasn’t my decision,” he reportedly said. “I didn’t choose […]
Albon jetted into Thai earthquake for F1 talks
Apr.5 (GMM) Alex Albon jetted into his native country last week expecting only to support Thailand’s bid for a Formula 1 race. Actually, he landed in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake that so far has cost at least 3000 lives. “It was like DEFCON 3,” the British-born Thai driver for Williams told Sky […]
Boss admits growing ‘unrest’ around Doohan cockpit
Apr.5 (GMM) The weight on Jack Doohan’s shoulders turned into real-world pain at Suzuka with a 300kph crash. Auto Motor und Sport reports that the rookie Australian, already clinging to his race seat at Alpine, tried to replicate a trick he tried in the simulator by taking the flat-out first corner with DRS wide open. […]
Honda keen to reunite with Verstappen in future
Apr.5 (GMM) Honda admits it would like its Formula 1 engines to power Max Verstappen beyond this season. The quadruple world champion caused a stir earlier this week in Tokyo whilst attending an event to mark the looming end of the successful Honda-Red Bull partnership. “I’m still quite young and you never know what happens […]
F1 engine makers to discuss V10s in Bahrain
Apr.5 (GMM) A meeting next week could end all the speculation about the return of V10 engines to Formula 1. While Red Bull and Ferrari appear open to delaying the start of the radical 2026 engine rules so that V10s running on sustainable fuel can arrive, Mercedes, Honda and Audi seem opposed. “We are aware […]
Marko’s account of Tsunoda selection history wrong
Apr.5 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko’s account of recent driver decisions at Red Bull have been contradicted. Yuki Tsunoda is in the cockpit now, but only after Sergio Perez’s contract was renewed last year – and then bought out for millions. Liam Lawson was his replacement, but he underperformed so extremely that he lasted only the […]
Newey has ‘no big ideas’ yet – Alonso
Apr.4 (GMM) Adrian Newey has no “big ideas” about how to add pace to Aston Martin’s current car. That’s the admission of Fernando Alonso, exactly one month after the renowned Formula 1 design ‘genius’ started work at the Silverstone based team. The team has made no secret of the fact that Newey is working on […]
Vasseur explains absence of new floor at Suzuka
Apr.4 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur has explained why a new floor for Ferrari’s 2025 car is not already up and running at Suzuka. After the Melbourne-Shanghai double-header, a flaw with the existing floor – making it overly sensitive to ride height, costing valuable downforce – was identified. Initial reports suggested a fix has been made and […]
Bortoleto confronted Marko over ‘B-grade’ jibe
Apr.4 (GMM) Formula 1 rookie Gabriel Bortoleto confronted Dr Helmut Marko after being described in the media as a ‘B-grade’ driver. 20-year-old Brazilian Bortoleto is the reigning F2 champion, but Red Bull advisor Marko pointed out recently that “he only had two wins”. “He’s a very intelligent driver who brings the car home, but I […]
Antonelli went karting with Valentino Rossi
Apr.4 (GMM) Before travelling to Japan, Kimi Antonelli spent a day with MotoGP legend and fellow Italian Valentino Rossi. Eurosport Italia reports that new Mercedes driver Antonelli, 18, joined Rossi to take part in a karting day for the retired nine-time world champion’s VR46 talent academy. “We went to train on the kart together, which […]
‘No Verstappen clauses’ triggered yet, says Marko
Apr.4 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko may disagree with the latest driver decisions at Red Bull. The 81-year-old Austrian is known in the Formula 1 paddock for primarily being concerned about driver selection and management. But he is now quoted by Osterreich newspaper as insisting he disagreed with the decision last year to re-sign Sergio Perez […]
Russell ‘not worried at all’ about 2026 Mercedes seat
Apr.3 (GMM) George Russell on Thursday insisted he is “not worried at all” about his forthcoming contract negotiations. Max Verstappen is increasingly linked with a move to Mercedes for the new rules era beginning in 2026. Despite Russell’s superb current form, hailed by team boss Toto Wolff, it is widely believed that if Mercedes did […]
More Honda titles possible in future – Verstappen
Apr.3 (GMM) It could be an innocuous comment, or it could be a strategic hint – but Max Verstappen has suggested he could still be Honda-powered in the future. Amid swirling rumours about his potential next move, the Dutchman attended a pre-Japanese ‘show-run’ with old Red Bull F1 cars in Tokyo and said of Honda: […]