Jul.2 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hit out at Lando Norris following the McLaren driver’s crash with Max Verstappen in Austria. Red Bull’s Verstappen was actually penalised for the high-profile incident, and large sections of the media have suggested it was a clear return of the Dutch ‘bad boy’ of the past. And although Norris, […]
Valentino Rossi urges Mercedes to sign Antonelli
Jul.2 (GMM) MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi is urging Mercedes’ Formula 1 team to sign up fellow Italian Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli. A protege of team boss Toto Wolff, 17-year-old Antonelli is clearly the favourite to replace Lewis Hamilton next year – but Wolff is nonetheless keeping the door open for now for Max Verstappen. “My job […]
Andy Cowell linked with top F1 job at Aston Martin
Jul.2 (GMM) A big change is afoot at the very top of the struggling Aston Martin team. Fernando Alonso, still managed by Flavio Briatore, has expressed clear frustration with the Silverstone-based team’s lack of progress this season. Briatore, now also executive advisor at Alpine, told Italian radio Rai when asked about Aston Martin: “They have […]
Ferrari will not scrap latest car upgrade – Vasseur
Jul.2 (GMM) Ferrari is not going to scrap its latest car upgrade, team boss Frederic Vasseur insists. Italian racing driver Matteo Bobbi, now a commentator for Sky Italia, says that although the recent upgrade has added downforce to Ferrari’s 2024 car, “it has brought the bouncing back”. “I would not be surprised if they brought […]
Liam Lawson ‘will’ be on F1 grid ‘next year’ – Marko
Jul.2 (GMM) Liam Lawson “will” be on the Formula 1 grid next year, Red Bull’s F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko insists. Marko, 81, had already suggested in the days before the recent Austrian GP that Daniel Ricciardo will be moved aside at the junior team RB to make way for Lawson. According to strong speculation, […]
Mercedes’ $11m Adidas deal now done – report
Jul.2 (GMM) A rumoured $11 million annual deal between Mercedes’ Formula 1 team and the iconic German sports brand Adidas is all but ready to be announced. In April, we reported that with Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari next year, two fashion brands affiliated with him – Puma and Tommy Hilfiger – will need to […]
Gravel strip solution to be used elsewhere – FIA
Jul.2 (GMM) Formula 1 may now implement the ‘gravel strip’ solution to the thorny issue of track limits at other circuits. Last year’s Austrian GP became a farce because of the sheer amount of track limits violations – well over 1000 – committed by drivers going over the outside white lines. At the Red Bull […]
Sainz’s next team to be known ‘in a few days’ – Briatore
Jul.2 (GMM) Carlos Sainz’s next move in Formula 1 should be known within “the next few days,” according to Alpine’s new executive advisor Flavio Briatore. Until very recently, the departing Ferrari driver’s only options for 2025 and beyond appeared to be Audi-owned Sauber or Williams – both long-term deals. But as 74-year-old Briatore now returns […]
Alpine needs a ‘bandit’ like Briatore – Ecclestone
Jul.2 (GMM) Alpine needs a “bandit” like Flavio Briatore to get Renault’s factory Formula 1 team back on track, according to former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. 74-year-old Briatore’s return to the Enstone based team and F1 has been controversial, given the flamboyant Italian’s central role in the ‘crashgate’ scandal that initially resulted in a lifetime […]
Governor slams climate activists at Austrian GP
Jul.1 (GMM) The governor of Styria has slammed climate activists for attempting to disrupt Sunday’s Austrian GP. Just before the start of the F3 support race at the Red Bull Ring, several protesters breached the spectator fences and made it as far as the middle of a gravel trap – reportedly with the intention to […]
Haas boss not deterred by Bearman’s lacklustre 2024
Jul.1 (GMM) The boss of Haas says he won’t let Oliver Bearman’s difficult season in Formula 2 sway his selection process for the team’s 2025 driver lineup. Most paddock insiders believe the Ferrari-promoted British teenager’s graduation to a full-time F1 seat next year is effectively already a done deal. That is despite the fact that […]
Both Verstappen and Norris were ‘naughty’ – Marko
Jul.1 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were “naughty” during their ill-fated battle for Austrian GP victory on Sunday. McLaren’s Norris, who is now the triple world champion’s main challenger for the 2024 title, admitted even his friendship with Verstappen is now in doubt following the late-race clash at the […]
Alpine’s Briatore says Sainz a ‘super driver’
Jul.1 (GMM) The likelihood that Carlos Sainz will sign a contract with Williams for 2025 and beyond has reportedly almost completely collapsed. Until very recently, the Ferrari refugee was tossing up between two long-term offers – from Audi-owned Sauber, and a rumoured four-year Williams deal. But the 29-year-old has apparently let Williams’ final deadline pass, […]
Even Budapest upgrade may not end Aston Martin slump
Jun.30 (GMM) A return to form could be a long way off for the struggling Aston Martin team, lead driver Fernando Alonso has admitted. Last year, the rapidly developing and investing team stunned with Alonso’s early sequence of podiums – but around P15 has been the Spaniard’s level this weekend in Austria. “It’s going to […]
Ferrari ‘careful’ before announcing Newey deal – Elkann
Jun.30 (GMM) Ferrari is being “careful” before definitively deciding or announcing that Adrian Newey will join the Maranello based team. That was the coy message given by Ferrari chairman John Elkann in a new interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper, amid rumours departing Red Bull technical guru Newey might actually end up at Aston Martin. […]
Latest upgrade ‘hammering’ Ferrari with porpoising
Jun.30 (GMM) Mid-season in 2024, Ferrari is being ‘hammered’ by the recurrence of a nasty aerodynamic phenomenon – porpoising. Most teams, including the Maranello-based outfit, had largely solved the issue that suddenly emerged with the debut of new ground effect rules in 2022. But Ferrari’s latest major upgrade means the issue is back again. “The […]
Wolff comes clean about Hamilton, Marko and Jos
Jun.30 (GMM) Toto Wolff has opened up about three of his most fascinating relationships in Formula 1 – with Lewis Hamilton, with his fellow Austrian and key rival Dr Helmut Marko, and with Max Verstappen’s father Jos. Relations between the Mercedes boss and Hamilton have been clearly strained in 2024, amid wild sabotage theories following […]
Haas admits Magnussen could be replaced for 2025
Jun.30 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says his team boss at Haas is being very open about the fact that talks with alternative drivers for 2026 are currently taking place. Rookie Oliver Bearman appears definitely set to make his Formula 1 debut with the small American team next year, but Haas may also replace Magnussen – with […]
Marko admits key clauses in Verstappen’s contract
Jun.30 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted for the first time that Max Verstappen’s place at Red Bull is directly connected with his own role at the F1 team. After a recent period of relative calm following the power struggle and conflict earlier in 2024, Max’s father Jos and Christian Horner are clashing once again […]
Aston Martin to modify F1 car for 2026 tyre testing
Jun.29 (GMM) Aston Martin has won in a “lottery process” to become the first Formula 1 team to test Pirelli’s new and slightly smaller tyres for the 2026 rules. It was originally proposed that F1 should find some extra weight savings by reverting to 16-inch tyres for the all-new engine and chassis rules, but in […]