Dec.8 (GMM) Carlos Sainz “has earned” a better seat than Williams in Formula 1, his father and namesake insists. Sunday will be 30-year-old Sainz junior’s 88th and final grand prix for Ferrari. His replacement for 2025 is seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was heavily criticised on Saturday by his former Mercedes teammate Nico […]
Marko ‘can’t say’ when Perez news will emerge
Dec.8 (GMM) Red Bull’s top brass are staying quiet amid rampant and intensifying speculation about Sergio Perez. Almost every respected specialist outlet and journalist in the Formula 1 paddock now agrees – the energy drink brand has decided to oust the Mexican driver and replace him with Liam Lawson for 2025. The stumbling block is […]
Signing with Sauber was a ‘big mistake’ – Bottas
Dec.8 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says that if he could rewind the past three years, he wouldn’t have signed on the dotted line at Sauber. With the exception of the axed Logan Sargeant, former 10-time grand prix winner Bottas, 35, is the only driver who has raced in 2024 without a single point to his name. […]
Parenting will not slow Verstappen down, says father
Dec.8 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father does not believe becoming a father will slow the quadruple world champion down. “No, that’s bullsh*t,” Jos Verstappen told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, after Max’s girlfriend Kelly Piquet revealed she is expecting. Max, 27, confirmed the news in Abu Dhabi, insisting it shouldn’t change his life too much as […]
Verstappen, Russell, healing broken relationship
Dec.8 (GMM) Max Verstappen and George Russell look to be healing their broken relationship. Their very public argument spilled over from Qatar to Abu Dhabi, even pulling in their respective Formula 1 team bosses Christian Horner and Toto Wolff. Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, however, was not impressed. “If the drivers are fighting with each […]
Ricciardo could return to F1 – report
Dec.8 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo does not look likely to remain ‘retired’ for long. The major German newspaper Bild is reporting that the new Cadillac F1 team for 2026, to be headed by former Marussia boss Graeme Lowdon, is interested in the former Red Bull driver. “The Australian is the big favourite for a cockpit at […]
Williams presses Alpine for Colapinto decision
Dec.8 (GMM) Alpine only has a few more days to snap up the services of Franco Colapinto for 2025. A wild rumour in the Abu Dhabi paddock is that Alpine decided to oust Esteban Ocon early in order to ‘test’ his 2025 replacement Jack Doohan before next season. The speculation suggests team advisor Flavio Briatore […]
Bearman hits out at ‘young driver’ F1 test rules
Dec.7 (GMM) Oliver Bearman has hit out at the rules forbidding him from taking part in FP1 and next week’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Originally, Ferrari’s plan was to run the 19-year-old Briton in FP1 in Abu Dhabi – but the Maranello team ultimately ran Charles Leclerc’s brother Arthur. That’s because, given that Bearman […]
Abu Dhabi finale absence was ‘team’s decision’ – Ocon
Dec.7 (GMM) Esteban Ocon claims it was “the team’s decision” to prematurely part ways ahead of the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Alpine had framed the move, in which Jack Doohan was put in Ocon’s car this weekend, as a negotiated deal to allow the French driver to test for Haas at the same […]
F1 should ‘find a way’ to protect iconic races – Sainz
Dec.7 (GMM) F1 should help circuits like Zandvoort “find a way” to remain in the sport, according to Carlos Sainz. Hot on the heels of the news that 2026 will mark the final Dutch GP for financial reasons, Formula 1 announced a new annual contract with Shanghai’s Chinese GP through 2030. It’s just the latest […]
Lawson, Hadjar waiting for Perez’s ‘decision’
Dec.7 (GMM) With every hour that passes in Abu Dhabi, the situation with Sergio Perez seems to become clearer and clearer. A growing number of authoritative sources, now including the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, believe Red Bull has definitely decided to part ways with the Mexican driver after Sunday’s Abu Dhabi GP. It is believed […]
Russell’s Verstappen spat could be political
Dec.7 (GMM) The spotlight is shining ever more brightly on George Russell in the wake of his public spat with Max Verstappen. The saga, in which the Mercedes driver furiously accused Verstappen of threatening him with “violence” and a crash in Qatar over a qualifying penalty, has now completely pulled in their respective F1 team […]
Female driver slams Hamilton over F1 ‘diversity’
Dec.6 (GMM) Sophia Florsch, a female open wheeler driver, has hit out at seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Recently, the 24-year-old German, who competes against male competitors in the FIA Formula 3 series, hit out at Formula 1 for “pinkwashing” via the all-female F1 Academy series. She slammed the fact that the inaugural F1 […]
FIA could ease restrictions for Russians from 2025
Dec.6 (GMM) Good news could be on the horizon for Russian drivers who are currently locked out of FIA-sanctioned international motor racing. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Russian drivers like the axed Nikita Mazepin were not only burdened with western sanctions, but strict conditions placed on them by the FIA. For instance, they […]
Zandvoort can survive without Dutch GP – designer
Dec.6 (GMM) Zandvoort will survive even without Formula 1, according to the circuit designer who was in charge of preparing the circuit for its run of Dutch grands prix. After 2026, the Dutch GP will no longer be on the calendar – entirely due to financial reasons and the lack of government support. Max Verstappen’s […]
BMW contract lets Magnussen keep working with Haas
Dec.6 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen’s new contract with BMW enables him to keep working in Formula 1 with Haas. Led by Ayao Komatsu, the small American team did not renew the 32-year-old’s race contract for 2025. On Thursday, BMW announced that the Dane will be a works prototype sports car driver next year, although “details about […]
Lawson, Hadjar, set for big Red Bull promotions
Dec.6 (GMM) Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar are both set for big promotions within Red Bull’s F1 family for 2025. Despite repeating the word “contract” no fewer than five times in his meeting with reporters on Thursday, most now expect Sergio Perez to be ousted after Sunday’s Abu Dhabi GP. The Mexican’s father Antonio Perez […]
Alonso slams F1’s official ‘Power Rankings’
Dec.6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has rubbished F1’s official ‘Power Rankings’. After each race, a five-judge panel working for Formula 1 give drivers a score out of 10, “taking machinery out of the equation”. But Alonso, ninth in the drivers’ championship despite driving what he often calls “the slowest or second slowest car”, is not even […]
Haas boss denies knowledge of Ocon’s Alpine axe
Dec.6 (GMM) The boss of the Haas team says he has no idea why Esteban Ocon was ousted from his Alpine seat ahead of the 2024 season finale. Alpine explained that the French driver’s 2025 successor, rookie Jack Doohan, will race in Abu Dhabi so that Ocon is able to test the 2024 Haas car […]
Tempers flare as bosses enter Verstappen-Russell fight
Dec.6 (GMM) Tempers are flaring as Formula 1’s longest-ever season winds down in Abu Dhabi. A week after their spat in Qatar, Max Verstappen and George Russell are still at each other’s throats. Lando Norris, however, can only giggle at the spat. “Yes, the two you’re thinking about were sat as far away from each […]