Dec.14 (GMM) The FIA crossed a “red line” with its aborted investigation into Toto Wolff and his wife Susie. Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss and co-owner, has been guarded in his public statements about the implied allegation that his wife’s work as managing director of the F1 Academy series meant that confidential information was being […]
Long-term Leclerc deal ‘positive’ for Ferrari, says Minardi
Dec.14 (GMM) Former F1 team owner and boss Gian Carlo Minardi says a new long-term deal for Charles Leclerc at Ferrari would be “positive” for the Italian team. It is rumoured that the Maranello based team is moving to tie Leclerc to Ferrari until the end of the decade – with a doubled salary. Carlos […]
Alpha Tauri racing away from ‘junior team’ image
Dec.13 (GMM) Alpha Tauri is racing away from its image as Red Bull’s ‘junior team’ in Formula 1. The Faenza based team is undergoing a total re-branding for 2024, with the name believed to be changing to ‘Racing Bulls’. Long-time team boss Franz Tost has now stepped down, with his replacement Laurent Mekies – the […]
F1 boss leaves surprising name off ‘best’ list
Dec.13 (GMM) Andrea Stella, the team boss at McLaren, has left a conspicuous name off his very short list of the very best drivers in Formula 1 today. Unsurprisingly, the Italian insists he is very happy with his current driver lineup, comprised of the highly-rated Lando Norris and this year’s clear rookie-of-the-year, Oscar Piastri. “Oscar […]
Alpine potential ‘not exploited’ in 2023 – Gasly
Dec.13 (GMM) Another one bites the dust at Alpine, as the Renault-owned team confirmed the departure of Davide Brivio. Having switched from a successful management career in MotoGP, Brivio struggled in his new F1 role as racing director in 2021, resulting in a demotion to ‘director of racing expansion projects’ away from the F1 tracks. […]
Mick replaced ‘sick’ Russell at Mercedes this week
Dec.13 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s ongoing reserve driver duties for 2024 got off to a premature start this week. After driving the 2023 Mercedes last week at Magny-Cours for a wet-tyre Pirelli test, Schumacher then replaced George Russell for pre-Christmas visits to the staff at the team’s Brackley and Brixworth factories this week. Lewis Hamilton and […]
Schumacher tells Red Bull: Don’t sack Dr Marko
Dec.13 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher has a clear message for Formula 1’s dominant Red Bull team – don’t oust Dr Helmut Marko. This year, rumours of a power struggle between team boss Christian Horner and Red Bull consultant Marko, 80, have been swirling – apparently triggered by the death of Marko’s fellow Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz. Marko […]
‘Too late’ to improve current aero rules – FIA
Dec.13 (GMM) F1’s governing body admits it is too late to make tweaks to the new-in-2022 ‘ground effect’ regulations in order to improve overtaking. Much of the motivation of the new rules was to inspire closer wheel-to-wheel racing with regular passing manoeuvres, but FIA technical boss Nikolas Tombazis admits the cars didn’t quite live up […]
Verstappen ‘still happy’ to tolerate F1 ‘show’
Dec.12 (GMM) Max Verstappen insists he is “still happy” to be a Formula 1 driver, even though his patience seemed to be wearing thin at the tail-end of 2023. On paper and on the track, the Red Bull driver utterly dominated the sport this year, easily cruising to his third consecutive drivers’ title. But at […]
Madrid GP caught up in FIA-Liberty conflict
Dec.12 (GMM) As far as one top FIA official is concerned, a Madrid GP is not ready to be announced. Rumours about a new urban race in the Spanish capital have been around for months, with Carmelo Sanz de Barros, also president of Spain’s automobile club Real Automovil Club de Espana, declaring in June that […]
Alpine aims to fix engine deficit for 2024
Dec.12 (GMM) Alpine is hoping to overcome an engine performance deficit in 2024. The performance aspects of the power units in Formula 1 are currently frozen, and Renault-owned Alpine’s efforts to get permission to catch up with the rest of the field were rejected this year. Alpine tried to compensate for the deficit – believed […]
Petrol’s days are numbered in F1 – Verstappen
Dec.11 (GMM) Max Verstappen predicts that Formula 1’s petrol-powered days are coming to an end. When asked where the sport will be in a decade, the triple world champion told Blick newspaper: “Petrol will probably be gone. “But our sport is already becoming greener and more sustainable. What is for certain is that Max Verstappen […]
Audi plans will not hurt Ferrari relationship – Sauber
Dec.11 (GMM) Sauber will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with Ferrari even though the team’s partnership with Audi is now looming large. Late last week, reports in Germany suggested Audi’s new CEO Gernot Dollner was fully supportive of the F1 project for 2026 – contrary to weeks and months of alarming speculation. Sauber team […]
F1 risks oversaturating public with so many races
Dec.11 (GMM) Formula 1 risks imploding its popularity by continuing to push the limits with the annual race calendar. Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 grands prix this year, but he admits the ever-expanding calendar – blowing out to an unprecedented 24 races in 2024 – could mean he calls it quits after his […]
A critical 3 minutes for Michael Schumacher
Dec.11 (GMM) A critical three minutes may have made all the difference to the health outcome of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher. Late this month, the sad anniversary of a full ten years since the great German’s skiing accident will pass. To mark the occasion, German journalist Jens Gideon has produced a series for the […]
De Vries didn’t get ‘fair chance’ in F1
Dec.11 (GMM) Nyck de Vries didn’t get a “fair chance” to shine in Formula 1, according to fellow Dutchman Tom Coronel. Alpha Tauri owner Red Bull decided to oust the underperforming 28-year-old Dutch rookie mid-season, but Coronel thinks de Vries was actually caught up in Red Bull’s internal wrangling. “It only lasted ten races,” Coronel, […]
Verstappen’s F1 dominance ‘not boring’ – Villadelprat
Dec.11 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s utter domination of Formula 1 this year was not “boring”, according to one well respected engineer. Red Bull won 21 out of the 22 grands prix in 2023, with triple world champion Max Verstappen securing 19 of those victories for himself. And Jake Dennis, a key F1 simulator driver for Red […]
Toyota putting more drivers on road to F1
Dec.11 (GMM) Toyota has put a second driver on course for a potential future in Formula 1. Recently, with McLaren signing the Toyota-backed Ryo Hirakawa as a new F1 test driver, it was rumoured the British team might be eyeing a future with Toyota power. That proved wide of the mark, with McLaren ultimately inking […]
F1 pundit says he would sack Sergio Perez
Dec.11 (GMM) A well-known Dutch motor racing personality has issued a scathing assessment of Sergio Perez’s form alongside Max Verstappen this year. Mexican Perez actually won twice early in 2023 – in Jeddah and Baku. After that, though, his form collapsed and Verstappen utterly dominated in the sister Red Bull while a cloud formed over […]
Boss admits Williams had ‘other options’
Dec.11 (GMM) Logan Sargeant is getting “another chance” to prove he belongs in Formula 1. Williams boss James Vowles, however, also admits that he had “other options” to slot in as the impressive Alex Albon’s teammate next year – after rookie American Sargeant only managed to finish above the dumped Nyck de Vries in 2023. […]