May 14 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber has defended its decision to appoint a new race engineer for Valtteri Bottas as of the last Formula 1 race in Miami. The Finn admits that he isn’t sure what his next move in F1 will be, having also declared that Audi signing Nico Hulkenberg for 2025 and beyond was […]
Schumacher to advise Vettel on Le Mans experience
May 14 (GMM) Ahead of his Le Mans debut next month, Mick Schumacher says he will report directly to his friend and mentor Sebastian Vettel. Despite a recent extensive test, Porsche left quadruple world champion Vettel out of its hypercar lineup for the fabled 24 hour endurance race this year. As he pushes to return […]
Red Bull ‘too slow’ as major F1 rivals close in
May 14 (GMM) Ferrari is setting up a major assault on Red Bull’s dominance of Formula 1, with even Dr Helmut Marko admitting that the rivals are closing the gap. In fact, Red Bull’s top F1 consultant confesses that McLaren driver Lando Norris beat triple world champion Max Verstappen last time out in Miami based […]
Marko now tips Ferrari move for Adrian Newey
May 13 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko now thinks Adrian Newey will eventually re-emerge in Formula 1 at Ferrari. Red Bull’s top Austrian F1 consultant admits that the behind-the-scenes turbulence at the team throughout 2024 so far, including the Christian Horner scandal, contributed to the genius designer’s decision to quit. “It had been looming for some […]
Lawson replacing Ricciardo at Imola ‘nonsense’ – Marko
May 13 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has warned F1 hopeful Liam Lawson not to hold out too much hope of an immediate leap into Formula 1. Recently, rumours have swirled that the Red Bull camp is so disillusioned with Daniel Ricciardo’s struggle to get back up to speed in F1 that he may be replaced […]
Porsche not slamming door after Vettel snub
May 13 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel needs “more time” before he is ready to take on Le Mans with a car that is capable of winning the fabled 24-hour endurance race. The retired quadruple world champion, who had also been linked with a potential return to Formula 1, recently tested Porsche’s 963 top-tier hypercar. However, Porsche […]
Hulkenberg deserves Audi F1 seat – Verstappen
May 13 (GMM) Max Verstappen has backed F1 rival Nico Hulkenberg and Audi’s decision to team up. It has been claimed that the now 100 percent Audi-owned Sauber team – to transition to a full works Audi team for 2026 – will pay Hulkenberg, 36, 5 million euros to start racing for the Swiss-based outfit […]
FIA should not block Antonelli’s F1 debut – Verstappen
May 13 (GMM) Max Verstappen thinks F1’s governing body, the FIA, should not block 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli from entering the sport immediately. Recently, it emerged that a team – probably Mercedes-powered Williams – had applied to the FIA for special dispensation so that Antonelli can make his race debut prior to his 18th birthday in […]
Haas returns legal fire at sacked boss Steiner
May 13 (GMM) The Haas Formula 1 team has punched back at Gunther Steiner, after the sacked boss launched legal action earlier this month. Steiner, still present in the F1 paddock as a popular TV pundit, is suing Haas in North Carolina – where he lives and Haas is based – for continuing to use […]
GM won’t let Andretti’s F1 push ‘fail’
May 13 (GMM) General Motors, one of the world’s biggest carmakers, has pledged its ongoing loyalty to the quest to help Andretti enter the Formula 1 world. Recently, it emerged that the US congress is now looking into F1’s allegedly anti-competitive decision to lock Andretti out of the grid and pitlane. “It’s a fight that […]
Alpine may be eying Mick Schumacher for F1 seat
May 13 (GMM) A return to the Formula 1 grid for former Haas driver Mick Schumacher is becoming a real possibility. Since losing his seat at the end of 2022, the 25-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher has split his Mercedes test and reserve duties with a return to racing in 2024 with Alpine’s […]
Newey exit won’t hurt Red Bull until 2026 – bosses
May 10 (GMM) Adrian Newey’s departure will not hurt Red Bull – at least in 2025. That is the view of two well-known former Formula 1 team bosses, Gunther Steiner and Gian Carlo Minardi. Some are predicting that Red Bull is already beginning to lose its dominant edge in 2024, with Ferrari and McLaren winning […]
CEO says Audi entering F1 to be ‘at the very front’
May 10 (GMM) Audi intends to enter Formula 1 and be “at the very front” of the grid, the Volkswagen-owned German carmaker’s CEO Gernot Dollner insists. This year, Audi surprised the F1 world by ramping up its original plan to eventually buy 75 percent of the Swiss team Sauber – and instead took 100 percent […]
Imola must ‘resist’ demise of European F1 races
May 10 (GMM) Italy will try to “resist” Formula 1’s gradual shift away from Europe, as Imola seeks a new race deal with the sport’s owner Liberty Media. During an investors call this week, Liberty CEO Greg Maffei admitted capping the calendar at 24 grands prix for now has created a “great incentive scarcity” amid […]
Leclerc fell out with departing race engineer – media
May 10 (GMM) Growing unrest between Charles Leclerc and his race engineer has led to the departure from the role of the latter at Ferrari. That’s the claim of authoritative Italian media sources, as the Maranello team announced that Leclerc’s race engineer since 2019, Xavi Marcos, is moving to “other important company programs”. Alessandra Retico, […]
Door closing for Sainz as Perez nears new F1 deal
May 9 (GMM) A key door seems to have closed for Carlos Sainz, amid new rumours that Red Bull has agreed a new single-season deal for Sergio Perez next year. It is believed the Ferrari-departing Spaniard recently let a deadline set by Audi-owned Sauber pass, as he holds out for better options at Red Bull […]
Ferrari to test Imola-spec upgrade before next race
May 9 (GMM) Ferrari is set to give its Imola-spec car upgrade a trial run during a ‘filming day’ at the Italian team’s own Fiorano circuit. Red Bull is also planning a car upgrade for Imola next weekend – the second major aerodynamic update for the dominant outfit so far this year. Lando Norris won […]
US congress demands answers from F1 by May 21
May 8 (GMM) The Judiciary Committee of the United States federal congress has formally opened an investigation into why Andretti-Cadillac was barred from entering Formula 1. A week ago, twelve congress members went public and signed a joint letter to F1 owner Liberty Media outlining their “concerns with the apparent anti-competitive actions that could prevent […]
Sainz may be getting ‘nervous’ about 2025 seat
May 8 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber is still waiting for Carlos Sainz to make his decision regarding 2025 and beyond. It was rumoured recently that the job-seeking Spaniard let an Audi deadline lapse, in order to hold out hope of a plum Red Bull or Mercedes seat instead. “Isn’t he nervous that he doesn’t have a […]
F1 pecking order to keep evolving at Imola
May 8 (GMM) The 2024 pecking order looks set to keep evolving at next weekend’s return to action in Imola. When the championship-leading Red Bull trailed McLaren’s Lando Norris home last Sunday, the German newspaper Bild cheekily declared in its headline: “Formula 1 winner is NOT Verstappen”. Max Verstappen did, however, emerge fastest from both […]