Apr.23 (GMM) Opinions are already divided, as Formula 1 stakeholders gear up for talks about expanding the current points system. The F1 Commission will discuss a proposal, forwarded by the smaller teams but also reportedly supported by Red Bull, to expand the points-scoring places from P10 to P12. Six teams must vote in favour of […]
F1 CEO in Thailand for grand prix talks
Apr.23 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has added Thailand to his travelling itinerary this week. It was already clear that, after a South Korean delegation visited Suzuka recently for talks about a Formula 1 race, Domenicali intended to visit the country this week “for further discussions”. But on Monday, the Italian was not in Korea […]
Upgrades keep McLaren on path to beating Red Bull
Apr.23 (GMM) After Lando Norris chased his friend Max Verstappen to the chequered flag in China, McLaren is now setting its sights on Red Bull. It’s been a low-profile start to 2024 for the Woking based team, despite quietly and comfortably sitting between Ferrari and Mercedes in the pecking order. Indeed, Norris made a friendly […]
Pressure piling up on ‘worst’ F1 driver Stroll
Apr.22 (GMM) The pressure is piling on the shoulders of Lance Stroll. Daniel Ricciardo, struggling to hang onto his Formula 1 career, lost control of his tongue in Shanghai when talking to reporters about being rear-ended by Stroll’s Aston Martin behind the safety car. “I slowly started to calm down and then I was told […]
2025 F1 ‘silly season’ nearing boiling point
Apr.22 (GMM) Christian Horner has slammed his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff’s intensifying push to woo Max Verstappen away from Red Bull for 2025 and beyond. The ‘silly season’ is reaching an early boiling point at present, largely because of Lewis Hamilton’s shock Ferrari move opening up his Mercedes race seat. That’s making Carlos Sainz, set […]
F1 considers another points system overhaul
Apr.22 (GMM) Formula 1 is on the cusp of what would almost certainly be another highly controversial reform. After 2002, at the height of Ferrari’s ultra-dominant Michael Schumacher era, F1 expanded the awarding of points for P1 through P6 all the way to P8 as well. By 2010, the top 10 were all scoring points […]
Wolff looking forward to post-Hamilton ‘refresh’
Apr.22 (GMM) Just like Ferrari and also McLaren, Mercedes is planning a key car update for the forthcoming Miami GP. The formerly-dominant team, now in a three-season slump that has cost Mercedes the post-2024 services of Lewis Hamilton, showed no signs of recovery last weekend in China. “This is a bad car,” an increasingly forthright […]
Ferrari scrambles to prepare updates for Miami, Imola
Apr.22 (GMM) There’s still a long way to go in 2024, but Dr Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen is essentially on a cruise to his fourth consecutive title. Indeed, such was the Dutchman’s comfort at the front of the pack in Shanghai on Sunday that he said of his Red Bull car: “I could do […]
‘Almost everything’ points at new Perez deal – Marko
Apr.21 (GMM) A contract extension for Sergio Perez is appearing more and more likely. His current deal expires at the end of 2024, and at a very awkward time for the 34-year-old Mexican – just as on-form Ferrari refugee Carlos Sainz is also on the move. But Perez has, so far in 2024, suddenly taken […]
Chassis change working out for embattled Ricciardo
Apr.21 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is hopeful his Formula 1 career is back on track. The embattled Australian had hoped to humble his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda this year and leapfrog into the Red Bull Racing seat next to Max Verstappen for 2025. Tsunoda, however, has had the clear edge so far, even triggering speculation that […]
‘Joke’ Alpine still fending off F1 sale rumours
Apr.21 (GMM) For about the third time in as many weeks, Bruno Famin has once again rejected persistent rumours that Alpine’s Formula 1 team is on the market. After a couple of seasons of management and shareholding chaos, Renault’s works team emerged with arguably the slowest car of all for the 2024 season. Esteban Ocon […]
Audi ‘putting pressure’ on 2025 F1 driver market – Haas
Apr.21 (GMM) Haas looks set to lose Nico Hulkenberg at the end of the season. Last year, the now-ousted team boss Gunther Steiner brought the 36-year-old out of retirement to replace Mick Schumacher – and he promptly shone. It’s put long-time Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in difficulty, as new boss Ayao Komatsu told the Danish […]
Former teammate slams Hamilton for excuse-making
Apr.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes teammate has slammed the seven time world champion for rolling out constant excuses about his 2024 troubles. Hamilton went into the Chinese GP lambasting critics who “talk sh*t” about him – but he then impressed by being P2 in both sprint qualifying and Saturday’s short race. However, by Saturday […]
Non-racing F1 role likely for Alonso after 2026
Apr.20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s new Aston Martin contract could soon make his long-time colleague Pedro de la Rosa redundant. Alonso and former F1 driver de la Rosa have been paired together not only at Aston Martin, where the latter Spaniard is a team ambassador, but also at McLaren and Ferrari in the past. Alonso, 42, […]
Honda would ‘welcome’ Yuki Tsunoda to Aston Martin
Apr.20 (GMM) Honda is making no secret of its desire to see a Japanese driver at the wheel of a Honda-powered car for Formula 1’s new rules era beginning in 2026. Currently, the engines powering the four Red Bull-owned cars in F1 are officially called ‘Honda RBPT’ – the latter acronym standing for Red Bull’s […]
‘No regrets’ for Vasseur as Ferrari tempers heat up
Apr.20 (GMM) Things are starting to heat up in the red cockpits at Ferrari. Until now, team boss Frederic Vasseur has almost blankly refused to speak at length about 2025 – when Lewis Hamilton rather than Carlos Sainz will be Charles Leclerc’s teammate. As a result, Sainz is in red-hot form at present and he […]
Andretti ‘offended’ by F1’s closed-door policy
Apr.20 (GMM) Ahead of a key meeting with Formula 1, Mario Andretti admits he was “offended” by the way the sport defended its decision to block the debut of an eleventh team. Andretti, with the express support of General Motors, is actually headed by the 1978 world champion’s son Michael, whose original plan was to […]
Gasly hopes Alpine inching out of F1 crisis
Apr.20 (GMM) Alpine is making small steps “in the right direction”, according to Pierre Gasly. There is no doubt that Renault’s works Formula 1 team is in a deep slump – fending off wild rumours of acquisitions and facing the prospect of losing both Gasly and his fellow French teammate Esteban Ocon for 2025. Part […]
Perez admits pushing for two-year Red Bull deal
Apr.20 (GMM) Sergio Perez openly admits he is pushing for more than a one-year contract extension at Red Bull Racing. The 2025 ‘silly season’ is now moving at a fast pace at an uncharacteristically early time of the new season – both because so many drivers are out of contract and also because of the […]
‘Discussions’ about 2025 seat have begun – Bottas
Apr.19 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is among the Formula 1 drivers who is yet to find his seat amid the 2025 driver market ‘silly season’. The experienced Finn and former Mercedes race winner looks likely to be left out of new team owner Audi’s plans at his existing team, Sauber. Multiple drivers are linked with the […]