Jul.4 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits that Sergio Perez’s contract extension was influenced in part by the wishes of “the Verstappens”. Pressure is currently mounting on both Perez, 34, and Red Bull, as the Mexican driver struggles for form in only the first month since the new two-year deal was announced. Marko, Red Bull’s top […]
Brad Pitt to appear on track at Spa GP in July
Jul.3 (GMM) Hollywood icon Brad Pitt will be back in action at a Formula 1 circuit just after the forthcoming summer break. Last year at the Belgian GP, several sequences of the feature film with the working title ‘Apex’ were filmed at the fabled Spa-Francorchamps circuit. However, due to the Hollywood writer’s strike at the […]
Mazepin urges end to sanctions for Russian athletes
Jul.3 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin hopes the time is nearing when Russian athletes like him are no longer penalised for the Russia-Ukraine war. Since being axed by Haas at the outbreak of the conflict in early 2022, the 25-year-old has been fighting in the courts for the mere right to travel to Europe. Mazepin has secured […]
Ricciardo hoping to change Marko’s mind by summer break
Jul.3 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo thinks he will head into the forthcoming summer break with his hopes of remaining in Formula 1 beyond 2024 still alive. The 34-year-old Australian admits that, having not outpaced Yuki Tsunoda this year as per his brief, he basically has no other option other than a renewed RB seat for 2025. […]
Antonelli future to remain unclear for now – Wolff
Jul.3 (GMM) Toto Wolff is determined to keep his teenage protege Andrea ‘Kimi’ Antonelli on tenterhooks as he leaves a potential race seat wide open for Max Verstappen. The Mercedes boss says he didn’t believe Verstappen’s “yes” in Austria last week when the triple world champion was asked if he was sure he remained committed […]
Verstappen booing at British GP like ‘a Knighthood’ – Tost
Jul.3 (GMM) Max Verstappen should not be afraid of a bit of extra ‘booing’ this weekend at Lando Norris’ home British GP at Silverstone. Mere days ago, the pair – whose well-known friendship is now on the rocks – crashed whilst dicing for the lead in Austria, earning the Red Bull driver a furious rebuke […]
GPDA to discuss Verstappen-Norris crash at Silverstone
Jul.3 (GMM) Alex Wurz, president of the Formula 1 drivers’ union, says Max Verstappen and Lando Norris’ highly-contentious crash in Austria will be discussed during the GPDA meeting at Silverstone ahead of the British GP. Fellow former driver Johnny Herbert was one of the stewards on duty at the Red Bull Ring, who justified the […]
Marko hits back at ‘pathetic’ behaviour by Norris
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, […]