Nov.11 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone and his wife revealed they provided “help” to get Gabriel Bortoleto onto the Formula 1 grid for 2025 and beyond. The Audi-owned Sauber team last week finally announced that Valtteri Bottas will be ousted at the end of the season and replaced by Bortoleto, a 20-year-old Brazilian. Ecclestone, the famous former […]
‘Insecurities’ cost Norris the 2024 title – pundits
Nov.8 (GMM) The head-to-head for the 2024 drivers’ world championship highlighted the psychological gap between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Christian Danner, a former Formula 1 driver who is now a well-known German-language pundit, said Verstappen took the opportunity to deal “incredible psychological blows” in the last laps of his victory from P17 on the […]
Ecclestone tips Colapinto to secure 2025 seat ‘soon’
Nov.8 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone thinks a full-time race seat will emerge for promising Argentinean rookie Franco Colapinto “soon”. With Audi-Sauber announcing Gabriel Bortoleto for its second 2025 seat, and Colapinto needing to vacate his current Williams cockpit for Carlos Sainz at the end of the year, the 21-year-old is facing a return to the reserve […]
F1 drivers in ‘tug of war’ with FIA over swearing
Nov.8 (GMM) Formula 1 drivers have hit out at the sport’s governing body and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, insisting they want to be treated like “adults”. Ben Sulayem recently clamped down hard against the language used by the drivers, even sentencing Max Verstappen to community service and fining Charles Leclerc 10,000 euros for uttering […]
F1 return ‘unrealistic’ for Mick Schumacher now
Nov.7 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber skipped over its other options, including incumbent Valtteri Bottas and Mick Schumacher, and confirmed that it has signed up rookie Gabriel Bortoleto for the 2025 season. That is the despite the fact that, just weeks ago, Blick correspondent and veteran Formula 1 journalist Roger Benoit confidently reported that Bottas, 34, would […]
Mercedes denies Hamilton to sit out last races
Nov.6 (GMM) Mercedes has denied swirling rumours that Brazil could have been Lewis Hamilton’s last grand prix for the team. As his difficult 2024 season descended to a new low at Interlagos, the Ferrari-bound seven time world champion said on the radio after the chequered flag: “If this is the last time that I get […]
Norris, Verstappen no longer friends – Schumacher
Nov.6 (GMM) Lando Norris’ friendship with Max Verstappen may have been stretched beyond its limit in recent weeks. There have been signs – as the pair clashed on track, in the points standings, as well as verbally via the media at times – that the pair are not currently on speaking terms. “It’s hard to […]
Driver penalty situation in F1 ‘crazy’ – Ecclestone
Nov.6 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says the way Formula 1 drivers are being penalised for on-track incidents at present is “crazy”. Pundits have been highly critical of some of Max Verstappen’s racing lately, but drivers up and down the pitlane are loudly calling on the FIA to clarify the “guidelines” about what is and is not […]
Audi bosses tell Bottas no contract for 2025
Nov.6 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber has informed Valtteri Bottas that he will not be retained for 2025. That is the claim of a rising number of authoritative media sources, including La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy and Germany’s Sport1 broadcaster. Those and other sources, like the respected German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, say Nico Hulkenberg […]
Complaints about Brazil GP conditions ‘laughable’
Nov.6 (GMM) A motor racing legend has slammed as “laughable” complaints that the conditions at the Brazilian GP were too dangerous to race in. As he filled in for the ill Kevin Magnussen at Haas, rookie Oliver Bearman radioed his engineer and declared: “Come on, talk to the FIA – this is really dangerous. “I’m […]
British media hits back at Verstappen’s bias claims
Nov.6 (GMM) Prominent British journalists have hit back at Max Verstappen’s insinuation of clear bias in their reporting and coverage of Formula 1. After his impressive win from P17 on the grid in Brazil, amid hefty criticism of his driving style in recent weeks, the triple world champion noted that the British media appeared to […]
Even Hamilton hails Verstappen’s ‘amazing drive’
Nov.5 (GMM) On the cusp of his fourth consecutive drivers’ world championship, the superlatives are rolling in for Max Verstappen. The Dutchman stunned the paddock and silenced his mainly British critics with his run from P17 on the grid at Interlagos to the top of the podium – and a near-unassailable points lead over McLaren’s […]
Drivers’ title race is over now, declares Marko
Nov.5 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen will definitely win his fourth world championship in 2024. Before Brazil, amid a season of turmoil for Red Bull and ongoing car performance issues, the Dutchman was shedding points to McLaren’s Lando Norris. Not just that, Verstappen, his father Jos, and team advisor Marko were all hinting […]
Hamilton hints he’d like to quit Mercedes now
Nov.5 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton may have dropped a worrying hint about his immediate future in Formula 1. 2024 has been somewhat awkward for the seven time world champion, as he has faced the entire season knowing he will leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of the year. The 39-year-old has struggled with Mercedes’ volatile […]
Briatore hails Alpine F1’s 30 million euro pay-day
Nov.4 (GMM) Sunday at Interlagos may have been worth a whopping 30 million euros to the struggling Alpine team. That’s the admission of the team’s famous new executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who amid the decision to scrap owner Renault’s works F1 engine program for 2026 has been brought back in to revive the outfit’s fortunes. […]
F1 veterans Alonso, Hamilton slam Pirelli wet tyres
Nov.4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has joined fellow Formula 1 veteran Lewis Hamilton in his criticism of the wet-weather tyres supplied by Pirelli. Seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton gatecrashed a live interview in the sodden Interlagos pitlane with Stefano Domenicali as the F1 CEO explained why qualifying had to be delayed for safety reasons. A […]
Bottas poised to learn Audi-Sauber fate ‘soon’
Nov.4 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber is now just days away from finally announcing the identity of Nico Hulkenberg’s teammate for 2025. Widespread media reports and authoritative sources are all now reporting that McLaren has agreed to release promising rookie Gabriel Bortoleto on a long-term Audi deal. Roger Benoit, a highly respected Swiss journalist, wrote in Blick […]
McLaren admits Verstappen ‘on his way’ to 2024 title
Nov.4 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father admits his son took a “very positive” step towards his fourth consecutive drivers’ world championship on Sunday. “Defending the title is now just a formality,” exclaimed the specialist publication Auto Motor und Sport, after Max Verstappen won from P17 on the grid in often torrential conditions at Interlagos. “Give him […]
Aston Martin now ‘ninth or tenth team’ in F1 – Alonso
Nov.3 (GMM) Aston Martin is now almost the slowest team on the entire Formula 1 grid. That’s the assessment not of an outspoken pundit, but of team driver and two-time champion Fernando Alonso himself. The 43-year-old Spaniard has missed the last two Thursday ‘media days’ in Mexico and now Brazil, officially because of an intestinal […]
Jos Verstappen denies F1 management falling out
Nov.3 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father has slammed rumours of a falling out with the triple world champion’s co-manager, Raymond Vermeulen. Together, Jos Verstappean and Vermeulen guided Max from boyhood to Formula 1 and onto championship success. But rumours just prior to the Brazilian GP suggested Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, via his spokesman Paul […]