May 5 (GMM) Max Verstappen has not “said a word” about wanting to leave Red Bull’s dominant Formula 1 team, according to a top CEO of the famous energy drink company. Oliver Mintzlaff, one of the direct successors put in place in the wake of founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death, made a rare visit to the […]
Verstappen backs Red Bull CEO in Toto Wolff criticism
May 5 (GMM) Oliver Mintzlaff, one of the top new CEOs at Red Bull in the wake of founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death, has scolded Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Wolff is making no secret of his quest to snatch Max Verstappen away from Red Bull amid the energy drink company’s current power struggle and the Christian […]
Berger reassured RB over Ricciardo’s F1 recovery
May 5 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger played a role in reassuring the Red Bull camp that Daniel Ricciardo is still a top-line Formula 1 driver. Ricciardo, 34, is dating Berger’s daughter Heidi – and the former Ferrari and McLaren driver recently received a call from the CEO of the junior Red Bull outfit, RB. […]
Wolff denies Antonelli will make F1 debut at Imola
May 5 (GMM) Toto Wolff has moved to shut down rumours that his 17-year-old protege Kimi Antonelli is being immediately fast-tracked into Formula 1. The young Italian is clearly a contender to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year – and he will get a third test outing in an older F1 car next week, […]
F1 could expand points system to P20
May 4 (GMM) It’s possible the proposal to tweak the points system in Formula 1 could be even more radical than first thought. At the end of last month, the F1 Commission met in Geneva amid speculation the current system could be expanded so that P11 and P12 also score points. F1 and the FIA […]
FIA asked to permit Antonelli, 17, to debut in 2024
May 4 (GMM) Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli is being prepared for an imminent Formula 1 race debut. Heading into the Miami GP weekend, rumours were already swirling that it will be struggling Williams driver Logan Sargeant’s last race for the team. F2 rookie Antonelli is the protege of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who is famously close […]
‘Two vacant seats’ at Haas for 2025, says team boss
May 4 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen is not assured his place at Haas for 2025, team boss Ayao Komatsu has warned. The small American team is upset to be farewelling Nico Hulkenberg at the end of the year, with the German having accepted an offer from Sauber-Audi. “Nico has been a good reference for how fast […]
Gasly quiet as Guanyu Zhou-Alpine rumours emerge
May 4 (GMM) Pierre Gasly is keeping his 2025 cards close to his chest. The Frenchman’s contract with the struggling Alpine team expires this year, as does that of his teammate Esteban Ocon. Ocon is at least seeing light at the end of the tunnel. “Things are changing,” he told RTBF in Miami. “You saw […]
Relieved Ricciardo happy to ‘silence some critics’
May 4 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is relieved to finally be getting his 2024 season on track. Mere weeks ago, speculation was rife that Red Bull had lost patience with the Australian’s ongoing struggles and would be dropped by the junior RB squad mid-season. “If there is a change in our team, there will probably be […]
Hulkenberg would welcome Sainz to Audi-Sauber
May 4 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says he would have “no qualms” sharing the Sauber-Audi garage with Carlos Sainz next year. According to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, Sainz – who is being replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton from 2025 – has a lucrative Audi offer on his table. “I think it’s just speculation,” Sauber […]
F1’s sprint racing concept is ‘useless’ – Alonso
May 4 (GMM) Formula 1 drivers are continuing to rail against the controversial sprint weekend format. Amid talk of an expansion of the concept from six to 12 grands prix for 2025, the tweaked format debuted in Shanghai recently and is in play once again in Miami. “It felt a little weird (in China) having […]
Vasseur says ‘no comment’ as Newey eyes red or green
May 4 (GMM) Red or green? Even at Red Bull, they’re not exactly sure what Adrian Newey’s next move will be. The team’s departing technical guru is still wearing Red Bull colours in Miami as he admitted to being “a little bit tired” and in need of a break. “I think with Mandy, my wife, […]
F1 slams door in new Russian hopeful’s face
May 3 (GMM) Formula 1 has slammed the door in the face of another Russian driver. At the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Haas ousted Nikita Mazepin and his sponsor Uralkali – as F1 axed the Russian GP and imposed restrictions on other FIA-sanctioned Russian drivers. And now, new world karting champion Kirill Kutskov, who […]
Gasly upbeat as fleeing McLaren man re-emerges at Alpine
May 3 (GMM) Alpine has confirmed rumours that fleeing Ferrari and McLaren engineer David Sanchez is joining the struggling F1 team. Last year, the Frenchman left his post as Ferrari’s head of vehicle concept, before re-emerging for 2024 and beyond as technical director at McLaren. But Sanchez then suddenly left McLaren after just three months […]
Even F2, F3 unlikely for F1 hopeful Andretti
May 3 (GMM) Andretti, the hopeful Formula 1 team entrant, will struggle even to get teams up and running in the support categories Formula 3 and Formula 2. As part of its push to convince F1 owner Liberty Media to green-light Andretti-Cadillac’s grand prix dream, Michael Andretti revealed that he would also commit to setting […]
Stroll did not apologise for Ricciardo rear-end
May 3 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll are yet to bury the hatchet, two weeks after their bizarre run-in behind the safety car in China. Stroll, whose billionaire father owns the Aston Martin team he drives for, rear-ended Ricciardo’s RB in Shanghai and initially blamed the Australian – before turning his attention to the […]
Magnussen admits 2025 Haas contract ‘most likely’
May 3 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen doesn’t sound too worried about losing his seat at Haas. A week ago, Nico Hulkenberg – who has generally been the quicker of the duo since the German joined the team last year – was unveiled as the first Sauber-Audi driver for 2025 and beyond. Magnussen told the Danish newspaper […]
Good news at Zandvoort amid F1 contract talks
May 3 (GMM) Officials at the Dutch GP venue Zandvoort are breathing a sigh of relief, as circuit boss Robert van Overdijk decides to stay on board. Recently, van Overdijk was strongly linked with a change of management career to the world of professional football, with several approaches rumoured to have been made. But ahead […]
Sainz denies turning down 2025 Audi-Sauber move
May 3 (GMM) Another driver announcement is now looming at Audi-owned Sauber – but strong paddock rumours suggest it will not be Carlos Sainz. The Swiss-based team, now 100 percent owned by the Volkswagen subsidiary ahead of the full 2026 works project, announced last Friday that one driver in 2025 will be Nico Hulkenberg. Bild […]
Williams finally gets third chassis, updates in Miami
May 3 (GMM) Williams may finally be getting its 2024 season back on track. The once-great team, having slipped to the back of the grid in recent years, had high hopes for the new season as James Vowles oversaw the transition to a much more complex car and internal processes. Vowles, the team boss who […]