Aug.29 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur admits there is a need for Ferrari to “restructure” its operations. The Italian press is once again scathing of the fabled Maranello marque’s progress after the Dutch GP, where poor pace was allied with driver and team errors. La Gazzetta dello Sport said it was a “shameful” showing, while Corriere dello […]
Verstappen has ‘talked’ about Norris for Red Bull
Aug.29 (GMM) Speculation that Sergio Perez’s days at Red Bull are numbered just will not go away. Before Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand at Zandvoort, rumours were rife that Red Bull’s plan was to find a way out of Perez’s 2024 deal. But now, with Liam Lawson at the wheel of Ricciardo’s Alpha Tauri for […]
Bad news for injured Ricciardo after surgery
Aug.28 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo received bad news after undergoing surgery on his broken hand. The Australian, who hit the wall at Zandvoort on Friday when he encountered the crashed McLaren of countryman Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, was initially diagnosed with a broken metacarpal in his left hand. He was put in a cast at a hospital […]
Stroll hits back at wild tennis switch rumours
Aug.28 (GMM) Lance Stroll has lashed back at reports suggesting he may hang up his helmet and attempt to launch a professional tennis career instead. Stroll, the 24-year-old son of Aston Martin owner and billionaire Lawrence Stroll, has been comprehensively outshone by new team recruit Fernando Alonso, 42, this season. And, over the recent summer […]
Schumacher admits ‘time running out’ for F1 return
Aug.28 (GMM) Mick Schumacher admits the time has come for his plans for 2024 to become clearer. At Zandvoort, what did become clear is that the Williams race seat alongside the on-form Alex Albon might be up for grabs, with rookie Logan Sargeant given a mission to up his game. “You have to earn your […]
‘Listless’ Leclerc brushes off Ferrari exit question
Aug.28 (GMM) Charles Leclerc brushed off suggestions he might need a change of environment in Formula 1. The highly-rated Monegasque driver had a notably lacklustre weekend at Zandvoort, as Ferrari’s overall performance slumped even more. “Williams, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, they’re all quicker than us here,” his teammate Carlos Sainz admitted. Leclerc, however, […]
Albon will not return to Red Bull – Marko
Aug.28 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has played down suggestions Red Bull should reunite with the on-form Alex Albon. At the wheel of a Williams, the British-born Thai driver was in the top 5 or 6 throughout the Dutch GP weekend, before finishing eighth in the race. The performance comes at an awkward time for Max […]
Verstappen ‘best ever F1 driver’ – Marko
Aug.28 (GMM) Max Verstappen is now one of the best Formula 1 drivers “of all time”. That is the view of Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, as Dutchman Verstappen matched Sebastian Vettel’s old record with his ninth win on the trot at home at Zandvoort. Even F1 legend Fernando Alonso – second in his resurgent […]
‘Small details’ holding up new Hamilton deal
Aug.27 (GMM) Only “small details” are still to be ironed out of Lewis Hamilton’s new Mercedes contract for 2024. Some fans had expected the Brackley based team to finally end the long-running saga of the seven time world champion’s delayed negotiations this weekend at Zandvoort. But Hamilton, 38, told reporters “No” on Thursday when asked […]
Marko insists 2024 Red Bull lineup ‘clear’
Aug.27 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has brushed aside new claims suggesting Sergio Perez may be ousted at the end of the season. At Zandvoort, Mexican Perez was a massive 1.3 seconds slower than dominant teammate Max Verstappen’s pole position time. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told Auto Motor und Sport that the result is bizarre. “Perez […]
Leclerc delighted Ferrari will scrap 2023 car
Aug.27 (GMM) Charles Leclerc is delighted that Ferrari will essentially scrap the current 2023 car at the end of the season. The 25-year-old crashed out of qualifying at Zandvoort, amid speculation in the paddock that the Italian team arrived at the Dutch GP with a fundamentally incorrect choice of aerodynamic settings. “There are no excuses […]
Brown slams Palou for burning F1 chance with McLaren
Aug.27 (GMM) Zak Brown thinks Indycar star Alex Palou has hurt his chances of taking the step up to Formula 1. Brown is the CEO of McLaren, who tried to poach Spaniard Palou – the 2021 champion, current Indycar leader, and recent McLaren F1 reserve driver – from Chip Ganassi to McLaren’s own Indycar squad. […]
CEO hits back at Verstappen’s criticism of F1
Aug.27 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has defended all the changes that are being made to Formula 1’s traditional format. World champion Max Verstappen has warned that he could actually quit F1 prior to the expiry of his 2028 contract – with rule changes made for the ‘show’ given as a main reason. “I think it’s good […]
F1 CEO admits Dutch GP may need to alternate
Aug.27 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has played down fears about the future of the highly popular Dutch GP – even though he admits it may cease to be run every year. Zandvoort’s contract with Formula 1 runs only until 2025, with circuit director Robert van Overdijk admitting this weekend that negotiations about the future may be […]
F1 CEO defends utter Verstappen dominance
Aug.27 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has defended Max Verstappen’s utter dominance of the sport this year. The Red Bull driver’s closest challenger in Zandvoort qualifying was Lando Norris, whose McLaren was half a second adrift. When asked if he was surprised at the big gap, Norris said: “No, no. It’s never a surprise anymore. […]
Zhou, Sargeant struggling to keep F1 seats
Aug.26 (GMM) Two current Formula 1 drivers are struggling to hang onto their race cockpits for 2024. One of them is Guanyu Zhou, despite the Alfa Romeo driver declaring at Zandvoort that he was “a lot more nervous” about his contractual situation a year ago. “We’ve been talking together before the summer shutdown and we […]
‘Crashgate’ legal action not against Hamilton – Massa
Aug.26 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he has “nothing against” Lewis Hamilton even though he wants the 2008 world championship to be taken away from his former F1 rival. At Zandvoort, Hamilton was asked about the news that former Ferrari driver Massa’s lawyers have written to Formula 1 authorities warning of legal action over the ‘crashgate’ […]
Bottas ‘of course’ eyeing Audi deal for 2026
Aug.26 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is not hiding his desire to remain at Sauber as the Swiss team transitions to its works Audi future. Some observers have been wondering if the experienced Finn, a former race winner at Mercedes, has been impressive enough at Sauber – currently known as Alfa Romeo – this year to secure […]
New Mercedes deal ‘just taking time’ – Hamilton
Aug.26 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that speculation during the summer break that his Mercedes contract has finally been signed for 2024 was wide of the mark. “No,” the seven time world champion said clearly when asked about the rumours by Italian reporters at Zandvoort. Hamilton has even been linked with Carlos Sainz’s seat at […]
Marko hits back at Verstappen speeding controversy
Aug.26 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hit back at the controversy surrounding a video of Max Verstappen speeding on a motorway at the wheel of the Adrian Newey-penned Valkyrie supercar. Some reports suggest that French police have not ruled out prosecuting Red Bull’s dominant world championship leader. “Max always has stories like this going on,” […]