May 22 (GMM) Andretti is accelerating its push for a place in the Formula 1 paddock. The Hill, a US political newspaper, reports that with congress already instigating an investigation into F1’s snub of the hopeful new team, another official probe may soon be underway. Another bipartisan group of politicians – this time senators – […]
Vettel still not considering F1 comeback
May 21 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is still no closer to deciding to return to Formula 1. The quadruple world champion retired after the 2022 season – although he has always left the door open for a comeback in the future. Vettel, 36, has stayed connected both to F1 and motorsport in general, including […]
Aston Martin will not scrap Imola car upgrade
May 21 (GMM) Mike Krack insists Aston Martin will not be hitting reverse gear on the Formula 1 team’s latest major car upgrade. Technical boss Dan Fallows went into Imola hailing an “aggressive” upgrade for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll’s cars. And while Stroll scored two points, Alonso qualified and finished an abysmal 19th. Alonso’s […]
Thailand could push Monza off F1 calendar
May 21 (GMM) A potential new Formula 1 race in Thailand looks set to oust an existing European race host from the sport’s annual calendar. Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, told L’Equipe newspaper this week that “France must host a grand prix”, after the Paul Ricard event he promoted fell off the schedule after […]
More troubles for Perez could mean ‘he’ll be fired’
May 21 (GMM) Sergio Perez may once again be in danger of losing his race seat at Red Bull. Recently, it had appeared that the Mexican had done enough to secure at least another contract for 2025, given that he was maintaining second place in the world championship behind his own teammate Max Verstappen. But […]
Sargeant ‘in danger’ of losing Williams seat – boss
May 20 (GMM) It appears very unlikely that Logan Sargeant will remain in Formula 1 beyond 2024 – and he could leave Williams even earlier. One rumour is that Toto Wolff’s teenage protege Kimi Antonelli could replace the struggling American from Monza – and another rumour is that Valtteri Bottas may already have signed to […]
Wache denies feeling ‘pressure’ of replacing Newey
May 20 (GMM) Pierre Wache has denied that he is feeling the “pressure” of effectively replacing the great Adrian Newey as Red Bull’s top technical guru. Although Wache was already technical director before Newey decided to leave, team figures have repeatedly pointed out that Red Bull should continue to remain competitive because of the 49-year-old […]
Wolff admits ‘human factor’ hurting Mercedes
May 20 (GMM) Toto Wolff is not worried that Mercedes’ formerly dominant team structure appears to be in a state of collapse. Just before Imola, it emerged that leading team personnel Jerome d’Ambrosio – team boss Wolff’s deputy – and head of chassis performance Loic Serra were defecting to Ferrari. And then at Imola, news […]
Hulkenberg would ‘love’ Sainz to sign for Audi
May 20 (GMM) Audi-Sauber is continuing its charm offensive to attract Carlos Sainz to the team. Currently racing under the ‘Kick’ or ‘Stake’ monikers, the Swiss team – already 100 percent owned by the German carmaker – will become Audi’s new works Formula 1 team from 2026. Nico Hulkenberg recently signed up as one driver […]
Aston Martin progress at risk of stalling – Alonso
May 20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso agrees with his mentor and advisor Flavio Briatore that Aston Martin is at risk of being left behind in the Formula 1 midfield. In the midst of a difficult weekend for Alonso, including a crash and a “boring” run to an abysmal 19th in both qualifying and the race, Briatore […]
‘Air getting thinner’ as Red Bull dominance fades
May 20 (GMM) McLaren only needs “a little something” more and Max Verstappen will be legitimately beatable. That’s the view of former Formula 1 driver Timo Glock, after Red Bull’s exhausted Verstappen only managed to beat Miami winner Lando Norris to the chequered flag by less than a single second. “The air is getting thinner,” […]
Bottas spotted visiting Williams motorhome at Imola
May 19 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas was spotted making a solo visit to the Williams motorhome at Imola. With Nico Hulkenberg already under contract to Audi-owned Sauber for 2025 and beyond, and the team also openly courting Carlos Sainz, Bottas admits he’s searching for a new Formula 1 home. “We are still talking,” the popular 34-year-old […]
Alonso’s advisor says Aston Martin ‘going backwards’
May 19 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s key advisor says the Aston Martin team is “going backwards”. The two-time champion is having a dire weekend at Imola, including a big practice crash and then a technical problem in Q1 that leaves him on the very last row on the grid. “When I went for my last attempt, […]
Audi admits signing Sainz an ‘important objective’
May 19 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber is now openly describing the possibility of signing Carlos Sainz for 2025 and beyond as an “important objective”. Earlier, it was believed Audi had set a decision deadline for the Ferrari-departing Spaniard. But now, given that Nico Hulkenberg has already signed on, team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi said at Imola […]
Niki Lauda’s widow wins dispute with Lauda Foundation
May 19 (GMM) Niki Lauda’s widow is now emerging from a legal dispute over about 30 million euros of the late F1 legend’s estate. The case first emerged a year ago, when Lauda’s wife at the time of his death, Birgit Wetzinger, sued the Lauda Foundation. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Birgit, 45, won […]
Media ‘overestimated’ Ferrari upgrade – Sainz
May 19 (GMM) Max Verstappen emerged from his Imola struggles on Saturday to equal the great Ayrton Senna’s record of eight consecutive pole positions. The triple world champion had earlier complained of chronic handling problems – with his subsequent qualifying triumph prompting some of his rivals to roll their eyes. “They always use lower engine […]
Two candidates shape up to replace Ocon, Gasly
May 18 (GMM) Alpine can thrive even without its two current race drivers, team boss Bruno Famin insists. Although the Renault-linked team is showing signs of emerging from its deep performance slump, there is no doubt that Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon have been looking around on the driver market. Ocon hinted at Imola that […]
Newey ‘closer and closer’ to Ferrari contract
May 18 (GMM) Adrian Newey is inching “closer and closer” to a sensational move to Ferrari. From Imola, Britain’s Daily Mail claims the departing Red Bull technical guru has even put pen-to-paper on a forthcoming switch to Ferrari, where he will be united for 2025 and beyond with Lewis Hamilton. Italy’s Corriere della Sera is […]
Red Bull upgrade not working well yet – Marko
May 18 (GMM) Ferrari has become a “serious opponent” for the dominant Red Bull team, the latter’s top F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko admitted at Imola. Maranello-based Ferrari brought a major upgrade to this weekend’s race, with Red Bull technical boss Pierre Wache admitting the new components on his drivers’ cars are less “visible”. La […]
Bearman cruising towards 2025 Haas race seat
May 18 (GMM) Oliver Bearman appears to be marching towards a full-time Haas race seat for 2025. It emerged recently that the small American team will lose the services of its on-form German driver Nico Hulkenberg to the newly Audi-owned Sauber project. Team boss Ayao Komatsu admits it is a bitter pill to swallow. “Of […]