Oct.23 (GMM) Mick Schumacher says he is hoping his plans for 2024 continue to shape up. The axed Haas driver, currently Mercedes’ F1 reserve, had hoped to return to the grid next year – but as the vacant cockpits all filled up, he turned his attention to Le Mans-style racing. Last week, before travelling to […]
Audi’s F1 project still has green light – Bravi
Oct.23 (GMM) ‘Team representative’ Alessandro Alunni Bravi has moved to end speculation that Audi may call off its works Formula 1 project in collaboration with Sauber. In Austin, rumours continued to swirl around the paddock that the VW-owned marque might either pull out of the 2026 takeover deal completely or hand it over to Porsche. […]
Perez ‘serious’ about ending performance slump – Marko
Oct.23 (GMM) In Austin, Sergio Perez took a step towards ending the speculation surrounding his future at Red Bull. The Mexican has a firm contract in place for 2024, and team boss Christian Horner says there is “no such requirement” in that deal mandating that he hang onto second place in the drivers’ standings. But […]
Horner proposes sprint race format tweaks
Oct.23 (GMM) Christian Horner thinks Formula 1 should consider tweaking the ‘sprint race’ format. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen declared in Austin that the sprint format “takes away the magic” of fans turning on the TV on a grand prix Sunday to find out which driver can turn their pre-race pace into a result. But now, […]
‘Angry’ Alonso often calls FIA president
Oct.22 (GMM) Fernando Alonso occasionally picks up the phone to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem – and starts to swear! But Ben Sulayem, boss of the Paris based federation that regulates Formula 1, says the two-time champion is nonetheless a “true example for young drivers”. “He was in Formula 1, he left, he came back […]
Renault not losing interest in F1 – Famin
Oct.22 (GMM) The partial sale of the Formula 1 team to high-profile investors does not indicate that Renault-owned Alpine is losing interest in the sport. That is the insistence of interim boss Bruno Famin, towards the tail-end of a tumultuous season both on and off the track. Pierre Gasly admitted in Austin that his first […]
Verstappen says his F1 ‘mission’ is complete
Oct.22 (GMM) Max Verstappen is already working on his post-Formula 1 plans, insisting he has already achieved everything he wanted to in motor racing’s top category. The Red Bull driver has utterly dominated his third consecutive drivers’ title this year, but he is at least committed contractually to Red Bull through 2028. “I want to […]
Haas’ new ‘B’ car appears a failure
Oct.22 (GMM) Haas’ highly-anticipated ‘B’ car has not improved the situation for the struggling American team. Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg had high hopes that the first major car development for 2023 – the full switch to a Red Bull-like aerodynamic concept – would stop this year’s Haas car from eating up the tyres in […]
Sauber-Audi plans still on track – Benoit
Oct.22 (GMM) Audi’s plans to take over Sauber and enter Formula 1 in 2026 still have the green light, according to veteran Swiss journalist Roger Benoit. In recent days and weeks, rumours have suggested either that the German carmaker is pulling out of the deal altogether, or that the project will be transitioned to fellow […]
Hamilton doubts Mercedes can catch up for 2024
Oct.22 (GMM) It’s “Max’s time” in Formula 1 at present – and everyone may need to get used to that for some time to come. That is the word from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, having already ruled out intervening with rules to rein in Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance. Lewis Hamilton finished second […]
No F1 race axe despite Azerbaijan war – FIA
Oct.21 (GMM) Azerbaijan’s grand prix is safe – despite the large-scale military offensive against the Armenian breakaway state of Artsakh in the last few days. In early 2022, Nikita Mazepin and his Russian sponsor were axed by Haas and the Russian GP at Sochi was scrapped by Formula 1’s governing FIA following the outbreak of […]
Russell insists modern F1 drivers not ‘soft’
Oct.21 (GMM) George Russell has slammed a trio of former Formula 1 drivers who are opposed to moves to make racing in the heat much easier for today’s racers. The FIA is already looking into potential measures following the oppressive Qatar GP, where several drivers suffered massively in the heat. “If we can find a […]
FIA should help stop Verstappen dominance – Hamilton
Oct.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has called on the FIA to help ensure Red Bull’s dominance doesn’t become locked in for the next several years. With Max Verstappen having wrapped up his third consecutive drivers’ title early and in an unprecedentedly-dominant style, attention is now turning to whether Red Bull’s rivals can close the big gap […]
Marko admits ‘differences of opinion’ at Red Bull
Oct.21 (GMM) There is no problem with a supposed power struggle at the otherwise dominant Red Bull team, world champion Max Verstappen insists. In Austin, the Dutchman had already dismissed the rumours of potentially terminal disagreements between bosses Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko as “BS”. But some sources believe Verstappen’s intervention, given his close […]
Stewart ‘moved’ by Gasly’s Cevert helmet tribute
Oct.21 (GMM) Sir Jackie Stewart has vowed to follow the career of French driver Pierre Gasly more closely. The F1 legend and triple world champion, 84, sat down with Gasly on the verge of the US GP in Austin to check out the Alpine driver’s tribute helmet to the late Francois Cevert. Cevert, Stewart’s Tyrrell […]
‘Mystery’ why F1 teams opposing Andretti team bid
Oct.21 (GMM) Michael Andretti says it’s a “mystery” why the existing ten teams are so opposed to his General Motors-linked bid to enter Formula 1. Andretti-Cadillac has been green-lit by the FIA, and the former McLaren driver revealed in Austin that his goal is to get the team up and running for 2025. “We’ll have […]
Wolff plays down effect of F1 absence
Oct.21 (GMM) Toto Wolff is back in the Formula 1 paddock to restore order to his Mercedes team. “All good,” he said ahead of the US GP in Austin. “Just a ligament replacement. “Difficult to walk but it’s ok.” While recovering from knee surgery, the Austrian skipped his least favourite races – in faraway Japan […]
Mazepin takes ‘step forward’ in reviving F1 career
Oct.20 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin insists he is still trying to revive his Formula 1 career. The Russian was not only ousted by Haas at the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis early last year, but sanctioned by western powers – stopping even his freedom to travel to Europe and beyond. However, he then won some key […]
Political party wants to revive German GP
Oct.20 (GMM) Moves are afoot to revive the defunct German GP. Public interest in F1 in the country has collapsed in recent seasons, with Nico Hulkenberg now the only active driver and neither Hockenheim nor the Nurburgring on the calendar. “I don’t think we’ll see a grand prix in Germany for a long time,” retired […]
Verstappen slams ‘BS’ Red Bull rumblings
Oct.20 (GMM) Max Verstappen has slammed rumours of a political power struggle at the otherwise dominant Red Bull team as “BS”. Team boss Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko have also played down the speculation suggesting they are clashing over how much influence they each wield over the energy drink company’s Formula 1 projects. “I […]