Nov.4 (GMM) There’s a football flavour at Interlagos this weekend – with well-known former player Adriano wearing his old Inter Milan team shirt in the Ferrari garage. At the same time, Mercedes boss and one-third team co-owner Toto Wolff is now revealing that he is eyeing a stake in Manchester United. Another one-third of the […]
Liberty taking ‘time to analyse’ Andretti entry
Nov.4 (GMM) Andretti’s entry into Formula “would be good for the sport”. That is the claim not only of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, but also the Paris-based federation’s new-in-2022 CEO, Natalie Robyn. F1’s governing body has actually approved the Andretti-Cadillac bid, but it is now in the hands of the much-less-keen commercial rights holder […]
New wild rumour: F1 rival tries to poach Marko
Nov.4 (GMM) The rumours just keep on coming as the tail end of the 2023 Formula 1 season approaches. Fernando Alonso warned in Brazil that there would be “consequences” for those who dreamed up the lie about his potential retirement or 2024 switch to Red Bull. Spanish journalist Albert Fabrega has now apologised. “I want […]
Williams drops big hint about Sargeant future
Nov.4 (GMM) Williams has issued the clearest sign yet that Logan Sargeant will be offered a contract extension for 2024. It’s the final official vacancy on next year’s grid, with team boss James Vowles insisting Williams supports the rookie American but needs to see steady progress to the end of the season. Sargeant, whose crash […]
Perez ‘sure’ Verstappen will help in Brazil
Nov.4 (GMM) Sergio Perez says he’s “sure” teammate Max Verstappen will help him complete Red Bull’s perfect season by hanging onto second overall in 2023. Team chiefs have vehemently denied that the struggling Mexican has been told that unless he holds off the resurgent Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, he may lose his 2024 seat. Dr Helmut […]
Lawson will not race in any series in 2024
Nov.4 (GMM) Liam Lawson will focus exclusively on Formula 1 next year – even though he won’t be on the grid. With Daniel Ricciardo returning from his broken hand recently, rookie reserve Lawson duly exited the Alpha Tauri cockpit and returned to Japan in a bid to round out his year with the Super Formula […]
2024 Sauber car to be ‘completely new’
Nov.4 (GMM) Sauber, currently known as Alfa Romeo ahead of its Audi future, will launch an all-new car for 2024. The Hinwil based team has slumped from sixth overall last year to just 4 points from the very bottom of the constructors’ standings in 2023 so far. Roger Benoit, the veteran F1 journalist for the […]
Sprint shakeup heading to next F1 Commission
Nov.4 (GMM) Formula 1 looks set to go ahead and shake up the ‘sprint’ weekend format for 2024. Although intended to give spectators more action, the single practice session, qualifying for Sunday’s race occurring on Friday, ‘sprint shootout’ qualifying and a short race on Saturday are not universally loved. “Yeah, it’s been absolutely fantastic,” world […]
Stroll’s ‘plan’ is to stay at Aston Martin in ’24
Nov.4 (GMM) Lance Stroll says the “plan” is that he will still be at his father’s Aston Martin team in 2024. The struggling Canadian driver is back in the Formula 1 headlines – but this time for the right reasons after a solid but in many ways lucky top-3 qualifying performance in Brazil. It came […]
Travel problems for Magnussen before Brazil GP
Nov.3 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen will not miss this weekend’s Brazilian GP, despite his conspicuous absence at Interlagos on Thursday. The Dane, who insisted during the week that his hands are “fine” despite his hefty crash just a few days ago in Mexico, was absent from the FIA press conference – which is compulsory for summoned […]
Hamas war will not cancel Abu Dhabi GP – official
Nov.3 (GMM) Formula 1 has hit back at suggestions the sport’s 2023 season finale in Abu Dhabi will have to be called off. As the Brazilian GP weekend kicked off on Thursday, whispers circulated the Interlagos paddock that the FIA may be forced to axe Abu Dhabi for now because of the situation in Israel-Palestine. […]
Massa sits out Brazil GP amid F1 lawsuits
Nov.3 (GMM) Sao Paulo native Felipe Massa will not be at the Brazilian GP this weekend, despite officially serving as a Formula 1 ambassador. The former Ferrari driver is in the midst of legal action against F1 and the FIA, citing recent comments by the sport’s ex-supremo Bernie Ecclestone suggesting key officials knew about the […]
Audi chief says F1 entry ‘schedule’ still on track
Nov.3 (GMM) “No other decision” apart from entering Formula 1 in collaboration with Sauber has been taken by the Audi board. That is the “clear” denial that has come from the mouth of Jurgen Rittersberger, the VW-owned German carmaker’s chief financial officer and board member said at a meeting with business-related specialist media. His comments […]
Alonso probably started Red Bull rumours – Marko
Nov.3 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks it might have been Fernando Alonso’s camp that triggered the latest firestorm of rumours about his Formula 1 future. The 42-year-old Aston Martin driver actually reacted with fury to the swirling speculation – involving potential retirement but also a sensational Red Bull seat-swap with Sergio Perez – when asked […]
Wrong to blame Elliott for ‘bad’ Mercedes cars
Nov.3 (GMM) Mercedes’ race drivers say it’s wrong to scapegoat newly-departing Mike Elliot for the team’s ‘no sidepods’ concept failure of 2022 and 2023. Having now headed in a different direction with the latest upgrades, and with a “completely” new car coming for 2024, long-serving engineer Elliott – having been relegated from his technical director […]
Aston Martin colleague slams wild Alonso rumours
Nov.2 (GMM) One of Fernando Alonso’s team colleagues and long-time friends has slammed wild rumours linking the Spaniard with a sensational departure from Aston Martin. Alonso, 42, is already under contract for 2024, but it has been loudly whispered this week that he might be contemplating retirement – or a startling seat-swap with underperforming Red […]
New F1 rumour links Toyota with Sauber
Nov.2 (GMM) It’s been a week of wild rumours in Formula 1 – and the latest involves the name of a familiar Japanese carmaker. However, it’s not Honda – whose plan to stay on the grid after the end of its Red Bull collaboration in 2026 by switching to Aston Martin remains on track. Rather, […]
Mercedes admits top speed weakness
Nov.2 (GMM) While a new floor has paid off, and Mercedes has admitted that it must speed up its pitstops, the formerly dominant F1 team has revealed another major weakness. “Honestly, we’ve been very, very slow on the straight,” said Lewis Hamilton, who has finished second behind his former F1 title nemesis Max Verstappen for […]
Perez ‘not fast enough’ for Red Bull – Albers
Nov.2 (GMM) Sergio Perez is simply “not fast enough” to keep his seat at Red Bull, according to a former Formula 1 racer. At home in Mexico, amid swirling rumours about his future despite a signed 2024 contract, Perez crashed out at turn 1 by taking a lunge for the lead from P5 on the […]
Dead-last Haas ‘paying the price’ – Hulkenberg
Nov.2 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has issued a harsh assessment of Haas’ situation in Formula 1, as the small American team slumps to dead last in the championship. That is despite the fact that, recently in Austin, the team finally revealed a major car upgrade – but it hasn’t delivered the hoped-for promise. Indeed, when Hulkenberg […]