Aug.15 (GMM) Dutch racing driver Robin Frijns doubts Red Bull’s recent performance decline is directly attributable to the steady departure of Adrian Newey. Italy’s Autosprint magazine reports that design and aerodynamics guru Newey’s next destination in Formula 1 will be Aston Martin, with an announcement likely in September. “We’re not going to sign Adrian,” McLaren […]
McLaren not desperate to sign title sponsor
Aug.15 (GMM) McLaren CEO Zak Brown insists he is not desperate to sign up a title sponsor. The Woking based team is now arguably Red Bull’s closest challenger in Formula 1, but unlike most other teams, a high-paying brand does not appear in McLaren’s official name. It’s a situation sponsorship expert Brown inherited when he […]
Liberty not involved in Perez future decision – Marko
Aug.15 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hit back at reports suggesting Formula 1 owner Liberty Media intervened in the immediate future of Sergio Perez. Red Bull held a meeting at Milton-Keynes on the day after the Belgian GP, and most insiders were almost certain that Perez would be ousted for poor performance. However, the brand […]
Monza hits F1 deadline, confident of 2026 contract
Aug.6 (GMM) Italian GP officials are confident they are heading down the road towards a new Formula 1 race deal. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Monza has successfully met its deadline for required upgrade works in the nick of time, with the 2024 Italian GP scheduled for late August. The fabled circuit’s surface has […]
F1 rivals play down loss of engine manufacturer Renault
Aug.6 (GMM) Rival teams have played down the likely loss of Renault as a works engine manufacturer in Formula 1. The French carmaker is in the process of re-jigging the purpose of the F1 engine facility at Viry-Chatillon – and in talks with potential customer power unit suppliers for 2026 and beyond. “I think it’s […]
Verstappen’s sim ban just a ‘recommendation’ – Marko
Aug.6 (GMM) Red Bull’s ban on late-night sim racing sessions for Max Verstappen during Formula 1 race weekends is actually just a “recommendation”. That’s the revised position of the energy drink brand’s F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko, who initially declared that he and Verstappen had “agreed” that racing “well past midnight” would no longer occur. […]
Angry Alpine F1 engine staff could strike – reports
Aug.5 (GMM) Alpine’s works F1 engines could fall silent even earlier than planned, according to emerging French media reports. Before he stepped down as team boss in the past few days, Bruno Famin admitted at Spa that Renault’s works team was treading very carefully as it plots a new course as a paying user of […]
Ricciardo still fits in at ‘junior’ F1 team – CEO
Aug.5 (GMM) RB CEO Peter Bayer insists Daniel Ricciardo still fits into the “big picture” at the Faenza based ‘junior’ team. F1 team consultant Dr Helmut Marko has been hinting for months now that, at 35, the Australian driver no longer fits the profile. “The shareholders have made it known that it is a junior […]
Renault legend thinks Alpine F1 being prepared for sale
Aug.1 (GMM) Gerard Larrousse, a Formula 1 legend, thinks Renault might be clearing the path to withdraw from the sport altogether. The management turmoil and shakeups at the French carmaker’s Alpine F1 team rolls on, as the successor for the now-departed boss Bruno Famin is named. As expected, it is Oliver Oakes, who at just […]
Williams not revealing Sainz contract exit clauses
Jul.31 (GMM) James Vowles is not confirming suggestions that Carlos Sainz’s newly-signed contract with Williams contains a series of unique exit clauses. With Ferrari replacing him next year with Lewis Hamilton, and Red Bull and Mercedes not finding a place for the 29-year-old Spaniard, Sainz has picked Williams as the best choice out of the […]
Dutch GP denies F1 rotation deal with Spa now agreed
Jul.31 (GMM) The boss of the Dutch GP has denied reports suggesting a deal to annually alternate the grands prix at Zandvoort and Spa-Francorchamps from 2026 has now been reached. Mere days ago, Robert van Overdijk, director of the Zandvoort venue, sounded the alarm about the future of the popular Formula 1 event, warning that […]
Antonelli may get F1 race debut at Williams in 2024
Jul.31 (GMM) James Vowles is not ruling out a driver change at Williams even before the 2024 season is complete. The team boss this week confirmed speculation that Ferrari refugee Carlos Sainz has finally signed a contract to move to Williams for 2025 “and beyond”. Sainz replaces the struggling American driver Logan Sargeant, 23. “I […]
Haas defends decision to sign controversial Ocon
Jul.31 (GMM) Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu has defended his decision to sign the talented but controversial Esteban Ocon for 2025. The move ousts the team’s long-standing Danish racer Kevin Magnussen, and pairs current Alpine driver Ocon, 27, with teenage rookie Oliver Bearman next year and beyond. “I think Esteban has proven what he can […]
‘A lot of talk’ about more F1 chances for rookies
Jul.31 (GMM) Formula 1 is considering how to open up more opportunities for rookie drivers, according to mounting reports. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that at the recent F1 Commission meeting, a proposal for a ‘wildcard’ system forcing teams to field a rookie in grands prix at least once or twice a season was discussed. […]
Ricciardo keeping post-summer RB seat – Marko
Jul.31 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo can join Sergio Perez in breathing a sigh of relief this week, with Red Bull deciding against changing its Formula 1 driver lineups after the summer break. Ralf Bach, writing for Auto Bild, says Max Verstappen and his management team were stunned to discover that Perez will not be dropped immediately […]
‘Interesting exit clauses’ in Sainz’s new F1 deal – source
Jul.30 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has behaved impeccably amid intense and protracted speculation about his next move in Formula 1, team boss Frederic Vasseur insists. The Spaniard’s next boss will be James Vowles, after the Grove-based Williams team on Monday confirmed raging speculation throughout last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps that he had finally put his signature on […]
Mike Krack admits Audi switch rumours ‘nice’
Jul.30 (GMM) Now for a second time, Formula 1 team boss Mike Krack has skilfully swerved around swirling rumours that he could be preparing to leave Aston Martin. Amid the recent management turmoil in Audi’s new works F1 project, it was rumoured that new appointment Mattia Binotto may decide to focus more on the technical […]
Schumacher says ‘coming out’ was ‘purely selfish’
Jul.30 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher insists his ‘coming out’ story had nothing to do with making any sort of social or political statement. Two weeks ago, the former Formula 1 driver made global headlines by revealing that he is gay. In response, multiple active F1 drivers and team bosses were asked by the media to comment […]
Red Bull tells F1 team staff Perez staying in 2024
Jul.30 (GMM) Sergio Perez will still be a Red Bull driver after Formula 1’s August summer break. Ahead of decision-makers Dr Helmut Marko and Christian Horner’s Milton-Keynes meeting on Monday, the hopeful Daniel Ricciardo joked that he would leave his “phone on” rather than switch off for an immediate vacation. “If you start P2 and […]
2005 a ‘good season’ for Antonelli’s F1 debut – Wolff
Jul.29 (GMM) Toto Wolff is now freely admitting that Kimi Antonelli is his “first option” to replace the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton from 2025. Earlier, Max Verstappen was clearly the Mercedes boss’s number 1 pick to pair with George Russell next year – but the triple world champion now seems locked into his Red Bull contract […]