Dec.13 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher has a clear message for Formula 1’s dominant Red Bull team – don’t oust Dr Helmut Marko. This year, rumours of a power struggle between team boss Christian Horner and Red Bull consultant Marko, 80, have been swirling – apparently triggered by the death of Marko’s fellow Austrian Dietrich Mateschitz. Marko […]
‘Too late’ to improve current aero rules – FIA
Dec.13 (GMM) F1’s governing body admits it is too late to make tweaks to the new-in-2022 ‘ground effect’ regulations in order to improve overtaking. Much of the motivation of the new rules was to inspire closer wheel-to-wheel racing with regular passing manoeuvres, but FIA technical boss Nikolas Tombazis admits the cars didn’t quite live up […]
Verstappen ‘still happy’ to tolerate F1 ‘show’
Dec.12 (GMM) Max Verstappen insists he is “still happy” to be a Formula 1 driver, even though his patience seemed to be wearing thin at the tail-end of 2023. On paper and on the track, the Red Bull driver utterly dominated the sport this year, easily cruising to his third consecutive drivers’ title. But at […]
Madrid GP caught up in FIA-Liberty conflict
Dec.12 (GMM) As far as one top FIA official is concerned, a Madrid GP is not ready to be announced. Rumours about a new urban race in the Spanish capital have been around for months, with Carmelo Sanz de Barros, also president of Spain’s automobile club Real Automovil Club de Espana, declaring in June that […]
Alpine aims to fix engine deficit for 2024
Dec.12 (GMM) Alpine is hoping to overcome an engine performance deficit in 2024. The performance aspects of the power units in Formula 1 are currently frozen, and Renault-owned Alpine’s efforts to get permission to catch up with the rest of the field were rejected this year. Alpine tried to compensate for the deficit – believed […]
Petrol’s days are numbered in F1 – Verstappen
Dec.11 (GMM) Max Verstappen predicts that Formula 1’s petrol-powered days are coming to an end. When asked where the sport will be in a decade, the triple world champion told Blick newspaper: “Petrol will probably be gone. “But our sport is already becoming greener and more sustainable. What is for certain is that Max Verstappen […]
Audi plans will not hurt Ferrari relationship – Sauber
Dec.11 (GMM) Sauber will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with Ferrari even though the team’s partnership with Audi is now looming large. Late last week, reports in Germany suggested Audi’s new CEO Gernot Dollner was fully supportive of the F1 project for 2026 – contrary to weeks and months of alarming speculation. Sauber team […]
F1 risks oversaturating public with so many races
Dec.11 (GMM) Formula 1 risks imploding its popularity by continuing to push the limits with the annual race calendar. Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 grands prix this year, but he admits the ever-expanding calendar – blowing out to an unprecedented 24 races in 2024 – could mean he calls it quits after his […]
A critical 3 minutes for Michael Schumacher
Dec.11 (GMM) A critical three minutes may have made all the difference to the health outcome of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher. Late this month, the sad anniversary of a full ten years since the great German’s skiing accident will pass. To mark the occasion, German journalist Jens Gideon has produced a series for the […]
De Vries didn’t get ‘fair chance’ in F1
Dec.11 (GMM) Nyck de Vries didn’t get a “fair chance” to shine in Formula 1, according to fellow Dutchman Tom Coronel. Alpha Tauri owner Red Bull decided to oust the underperforming 28-year-old Dutch rookie mid-season, but Coronel thinks de Vries was actually caught up in Red Bull’s internal wrangling. “It only lasted ten races,” Coronel, […]
Verstappen’s F1 dominance ‘not boring’ – Villadelprat
Dec.11 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s utter domination of Formula 1 this year was not “boring”, according to one well respected engineer. Red Bull won 21 out of the 22 grands prix in 2023, with triple world champion Max Verstappen securing 19 of those victories for himself. And Jake Dennis, a key F1 simulator driver for Red […]
Toyota putting more drivers on road to F1
Dec.11 (GMM) Toyota has put a second driver on course for a potential future in Formula 1. Recently, with McLaren signing the Toyota-backed Ryo Hirakawa as a new F1 test driver, it was rumoured the British team might be eyeing a future with Toyota power. That proved wide of the mark, with McLaren ultimately inking […]
F1 pundit says he would sack Sergio Perez
Dec.11 (GMM) A well-known Dutch motor racing personality has issued a scathing assessment of Sergio Perez’s form alongside Max Verstappen this year. Mexican Perez actually won twice early in 2023 – in Jeddah and Baku. After that, though, his form collapsed and Verstappen utterly dominated in the sister Red Bull while a cloud formed over […]
Boss admits Williams had ‘other options’
Dec.11 (GMM) Logan Sargeant is getting “another chance” to prove he belongs in Formula 1. Williams boss James Vowles, however, also admits that he had “other options” to slot in as the impressive Alex Albon’s teammate next year – after rookie American Sargeant only managed to finish above the dumped Nyck de Vries in 2023. […]
Hamilton calls for ‘change’ after Wolff scandal
Dec.11 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has added his condemnation to the bizarre and aborted investigation into Toto Wolff and the Mercedes boss’ wife Susie. The saga took another twist just ahead of the FIA’s awards gala in Baku, attended by Hamilton to collect his trophy for third overall in 2023. Just prior to the event, F1’s […]
2024 Ferrari must be ‘all-terrain vehicle’ – Sainz
Dec.8 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says Ferrari needs to make its 2024 car more of an all-rounder. Corriere dello Sport, an Italian national sports newspaper, has published rumours that next year’s Maranello-made single seater will be unveiled on 13 February. And Charles Leclerc’s teammate Sainz says the team’s task is clear. When asked to name the […]
Verstappen names surprise team as top 2024 rival
Dec.8 (GMM) Max Verstappen has named three rival teams that will threaten his dominance of Formula 1 in 2024. At a sim racing event in Amsterdam this week, the Red Bull driver and triple consecutive drivers’ world champion admitted it will be “almost impossible” for him to maintain his 2023 levels of superiority next year. […]
FIA boss ‘deserved slap in the face’ over Wolff scandal
Dec.8 (GMM) The Mohammed Ben Sulayem-led FIA has performed a humiliating back-down after opening an investigation this week into a scandal implicating Toto Wolff and his wife Susie. The investigation into an alleged conflict of interest and an exchange of confidential information between Mercedes boss Wolff and his wife Susie, who is now managing director […]
New Audi CEO backs Sauber takeover and F1 entry
Dec.8 (GMM) Audi’s new CEO has finally dismissed speculation that he might sensationally axe the Volkswagen-owned carmaker’s pledge to enter Formula 1 in 2026. Although the deal with Sauber is set in stone, with 25 percent ownership of the Swiss team already in Audi’s hands, Gernot Dollner’s recent appointment as a cost-cutting CEO had triggered […]
Alpine ‘hungry for more’ after tough year – Ocon
Dec.7 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says the underperforming Alpine team is “hungry for more” in Formula 1. Having lost Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin over the winter, Ocon got a new teammate in the form of fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly for 2023 – and the pair were closely matched. The Renault-linked team, however, was embroiled in […]