Aug.2 (GMM) One of Otmar Szafnauer’s last acts before leaving the F1 paddock and his role as Alpine team boss behind in Belgium was to stop in at the Aston Martin motorhome. He may, of course, have simply been saying farewell to his former colleagues, as only he moved from the Silverstone based team to […]
Andretti ‘optimistic’ as Renault link strengthens
Aug.2 (GMM) Michael Andretti says he is “optimistic” the FIA will green-light his organisation’s application to join the Formula 1 grid. The latest rumour in the Andretti-Cadillac saga is that the Spanish sports daily Marca reports that the former McLaren driver met with Renault CEO Luca de Meo at the Canadian GP recently. The revelation […]
Ferrari sides with Mercedes against Alpine power boost
Aug.1 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur admits he is not receptive to Renault’s push for special engine freeze dispensation to address its horsepower deficit. While the F1 Commission last week agreed that the works power unit in Alpine’s cars is about 30hp down, there is so far no agreement on how the FIA will allow the team […]
Abiteboul agrees Alpine ‘arrogance’ hurting F1 team
Aug.1 (GMM) “Arrogance” may explain the current management turmoil at Renault-owned Alpine, former team boss Cyril Abiteboul said. Already, since the sudden ousting of new boss Otmar Szafnauer, long-serving sporting boss Alan Permane and technical guru Pat Fry, another former Renault chief – Alain Prost – has blasted former Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. “He is […]
D’Ambrosio is reserve Mercedes team boss – Wolff
Aug.1 (GMM) Former F1 driver Jerome d’Ambrosio has become the ‘reserve team boss’ at Mercedes, Toto Wolff has revealed. Recently, former Virgin and Lotus driver d’Ambrosio is usually spotted at Wolff’s shoulder during grands prix – in his new role as driver development director. Previously, he was team boss at the Formula E team Venturi, […]
Verstappen-Lambiase spat ‘great fun’ – Marko
Aug.1 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has played down a major narrative that emerged from the Belgian GP weekend – that Max Verstappen is increasingly at odds with his race engineer. Radio traffic between the pair as Verstappen dominated at Spa-Francorchamps indicated that the 25-year-old and Gianpiero Lambiase may be on a collision course to a […]
Court says Mazepin free to return to Formula 1
Aug.1 (GMM) A top European court has confirmed that sacked Nikita Mazepin is now free to race in Formula 1. Earlier this year, the same court temporarily lifted European sanctions on the Russian former Haas driver that had been imposed at the outset of the Ukraine conflict. “The court was not satisfied that the restrictive […]
Pirelli agrees full wet tyres now ‘useless’
Jul.31 (GMM) Pirelli’s F1 boss does not disagree with drivers who are calling the full wet tyres “useless”. A Formula 1 rule dictates that if a race starts behind the safety car, as it did in the Saturday sprint at Spa Francorchamps, then the drivers must have full wets fitted. But at Spa, almost the […]
Artificial Renault engine boost could ‘ruin F1’ – Wolff
Jul.31 (GMM) Allowing Renault to enjoy special rules to boost engine power could “ruin Formula 1”. That is the view of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, after the F1 Commission last Friday rejected Alpine’s proposal that it be allowed to run higher-than-allowed fuel flow rates in order to bridge the power gap. Renault has reportedly claimed […]
Szafnauer hopes to return to Alpine-like role ‘soon’
Jul.31 (GMM) There is “fake news everywhere” in Formula 1 these days, according to departing Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer. Sunday in Belgium was the Romanian-born American’s last race in the paddock for now, as together with long-serving sporting director Alan Permane he has been ousted with immediate effect. And according to some, Szafnauer did […]
2024 contract talks a ‘rollercoaster’ – Hamilton
Jul.31 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is continuing to insist that his “plan” is to still be a Mercedes driver in 2023. However, although team boss Toto Wolff says the pair have “emotionally” agreed a new deal, a signature is not yet on paper. “I think it’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster on both sides,” seven time world […]
Verstappen could still win ‘without a front wing’
Jul.31 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is starting to wonder if Red Bull can complete an astonishing and unprecedented clean sweep of victories in 2023. Max Verstappen’s championship lead over his own teammate blew out to a whopping 125 points at Spa Francorchamps on Sunday – his eighth win on the trot. But Red Bull as […]
F1 auditors even reading Whatsapps – report
Jul.30 (GMM) F1’s budget cap inspectors are even digging into Whatsapp text messages as up to three top teams risk being found guilty of spending breaches. The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports that, like last year, Red Bull and Aston Martin are under the FIA’s spotlight once again. But this time, Mercedes is also reportedly […]
Leclerc plays down risk of Ferrari exit
Jul.30 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has played down fears he might not stay with Ferrari beyond his 2024 contract. Frederic Vasseur has delayed contract talks for now, but Leclerc said at Spa-Francorchamps that he is at least happy with the team’s new boss. “I have complete confidence in Fred Vasseur,” Leclerc told the Belgian broadcaster RTBF. […]
Marko reassures Perez over 2024 contract
Jul.30 (GMM) As rumours continue to swirl about Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull, Dr Helmut Marko has moved to reassure the Mexican. Having declared his intention to charge for the title following a strong start to 2023, Perez’s performance slumped badly. It led to rumours that Red Bull may react by signing a new […]
Szafnauer doubts Sunday will be ‘last time’ in F1
Jul.30 (GMM) Otmar Szafnauer thinks he will be back in the Formula 1 paddock eventually. The Alpine team boss, who was poached from Aston Martin for 2022, has been ousted by the chaos-ridden Alpine team – along with Alan Permane and Pat Fry. James Vowles, who has snapped up Fry to be Williams’ technical boss, […]
Guanyu Zhou wants ‘longer contract’ for 2024
Jul.30 (GMM) Zhou Guanyu will be pushing for a longer contract when talks kick off with Alfa Romeo. The Swiss team Sauber, currently known as Alfa Romeo but transitioning to Audi before 2026, confirmed at Spa Francorchamps that the Chinese driver is not yet signed up for 2024. 24-year-old Guanyu, and his reported EUR 20 […]
Rookie Piastri happy with Red Bull rumours
Jul.30 (GMM) Despite rumours linking him with Red Bull, Oscar Piastri says he’s content at McLaren for now. Last year, Alpine tried to promote its development driver to the departing Fernando Alonso’s race seat – but he and manager Mark Webber rejected the deal as they controversially signed instead with McLaren. The fresh-faced 22-year-old Australian […]
Sauber admits Chinese Zhou not yet signed for 2024
Jul.29 (GMM) Sauber, the Formula 1 team currently known as Alfa Romeo, has confirmed that contract talks with Zhou Guanyu are yet to take place. Recently, the Chinese driver and his reported EUR 20 million in sponsorship was linked with potential moves to Haas and Williams for 2024. Now, Alfa-Sauber team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi […]
Ricciardo could stay at Alpha Tauri in 2024
Jul.29 (GMM) It is possible that Daniel Ricciardo will stay at Alpha Tauri in 2024. That is despite the fact that rumours are swirling that team owner Red Bull actually wants to reunite the 33-year-old Australian with Max Verstappen at the energy drink company’s premier team. However, team boss Christian Horner says that cannot happen […]