Oct.19 (GMM) Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll has leapt to the defence of his struggling and embattled son. Team driver Lance Stroll was warned by the FIA after being instructed to apologise in writing for violently shoving his trainer in Qatar – following his fourth consecutive failure to even get out of Q1. According […]
Horner denies trying to oust Marko
Oct.19 (GMM) Christian Horner has denied that he is trying to oust the controversial Dr Helmut Marko from Red Bull’s Formula 1 activities. Amid the premier team’s utter dominance at present, rumours of a power struggle broke out this week – with Horner reportedly making moves to improve his influence at the parent company in […]
Red Bull Ring calm over FIA president warning
Oct.19 (GMM) Organisers of the Austrian GP seem calm about FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s warning that the race at the Red Bull Ring could be axed. The ‘track limits’ situation and festival of often-delayed rulings about deleted laps was nothing short of farcical at this year’s Austrian GP, but Ben Sulayem lost his cool […]
Vasseur hints at keeping ‘excellent’ driver lineup
Oct.18 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur sounds determined to keep Ferrari’s “excellent” driver lineup intact beyond the expiry of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s 2024 contracts. The Maranello-based marque’s former president Luca di Montezemolo declared this week that “the last problem for Ferrari today is the drivers – it is the car”. New team boss Vasseur appears […]
Verstappen singles out Alonso for special praise
Oct.18 (GMM) Max Verstappen has singled out F1’s elder statesman as the active driver he admires the most. The new triple world champion, who is some 16 years younger than Fernando Alonso, says it’s the 42-year-old Spaniard who he relates to the most among his current rivals. “It’s strange, because we belong to very different […]
Perez rejects Mexico GP retirement rumours
Oct.18 (GMM) Sergio Perez has dismissed rumours that he might announce his retirement from Formula 1 at his home grand prix in Mexico next week. “Rumours are rumours,” former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde said on the DRS De Race Show podcast on Tuesday. Amid his form slump, and despite his 2024 contract to […]
Marko says ‘Mr Horner’ has no power to oust him
Oct.18 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has rejected rumours of a power struggle behind closed doors at Red Bull – as he insists Christian Horner has no ability to oust him. Amid the team’s utter dominance in Formula 1 at present, speculation kicked off this week that Horner – Red Bull Racing’s team boss – is […]
F1 rejected Alpine’s bid for engine power boost
Oct.18 (GMM) Formula 1 has blocked Alpine’s push for special permission under ‘engine freeze’ homologation rules to be allowed to improve its Renault power unit. Back in July, the Enstone and Viry-based outfit made the case that because it was 30 horsepower inferior to its F1 rivals, it should be allowed to ramp up the […]
FIA says Renault cannot stop Andretti’s F1 debut
Oct.17 (GMM) Mohammed Ben Sulayem says Renault or any other engine supplier will not be able to stop Andretti-Cadillac from entering F1. The FIA president is currently in a power struggle with Formula 1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media and the ten existing teams, who are opposed to Andretti being welcomed to the grid as […]
Massa extends ‘crashgate’ deadline yet again
Oct.17 (GMM) Felipe Massa’s deadline for Formula 1 and the FIA to respond to his threat of legal action has been extended once again. Recently, former F1 personality Eddie Jordan urged Brazilian Massa, now 42, to stop his crusade to be crowned the retrospective world champion of 2008 over the ‘crashgate’ scandal. “If it was […]
Sargeant says lack of testing hurt him in F1
Oct.17 (GMM) Logan Sargeant agrees with his boss that he would have performed better in his debut Formula 1 season if he had enjoyed more preparation time. The 22-year-old American’s current seat is the last one yet to be officially filled for the 2024 season, but Williams boss James Vowles takes some of the blame […]
Verstappen wants call from Ferrari chairman
Oct.17 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he wants Ferrari chairman John Elkann to give him a call. However, the call would not be about a potential deal to see the triple world champion make the sensational move from Red Bull to Ferrari. Rather, Dutchman Verstappen, 26, has his eye on one of the most historic and […]
Schumacher to test Le Mans car on Tuesday
Oct.17 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s likely Le Mans adventure looks set to kick off at the Spanish circuit Jerez on Tuesday. Motorsport-magazin.com and Bild newspaper report that the Mercedes F1 reserve and axed Haas driver is set to test Alpine’s new world endurance championship prototype. The news was confirmed by the Renault-owned concern. Alpine motor racing […]
Marko, Horner power struggle breaks out at Red Bull
Oct.17 (GMM) Notwithstanding Red Bull’s utter dominance of Formula 1 at present, there are rumblings of a power struggle within the energy drink owned team’s upper ranks. Rumours suggest that Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner is at odds with the team owner’s powerful F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko, 80. A report by the Brazilian […]
F1 teams say their 2024, 2025 cars will be similar
Oct.17 (GMM) The pressure is on Red Bull’s rivals to produce much better cars for 2024 – because they will then be used as the basis for the teams’ next cars in 2025. Auto Motor und Sport reports that moves are afoot to ban design and development preparations for the all-new rules in 2026 until […]
Tsunoda plays down Aston Martin rumours
Oct.16 (GMM) Yuki Tsunoda has moved to clarify rumours linking him with Lance Stroll’s seat at Aston Martin. Rumours about the underperforming son of team owner Lawrence Stroll only intensified in Qatar when Lance, 24, violently shoved his own trainer after a fourth consecutive failure to even break out of Q1. The FIA even launched […]
Hungary likens Mazepin sanctions to communism
Oct.16 (GMM) Hungary’s foreign minister has slammed the sanctions that have ended the Formula 1 dream of Nikita Mazepin for now. At the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia crisis, Russian Mazepin was sacked by Haas but also blocked even from returning to Europe due to European Union sanctions against the 24-year-old and his influential father Dmitry. […]
Verstappen will keep dominating for now – Prost
Oct.16 (GMM) F1 legend Alain Prost says Max Verstappen’s rivals need to prepare for more Red Bull domination. Recently in Qatar, Dutchman Verstappen became a triple consecutive drivers’ champion with five full grands prix still left to run in 2023. Prost, a quadruple world champion who admitted to L’Equipe that he expects the 26-year-old to […]
Drivers ‘the least’ of Ferrari’s problems – Montezemolo
Oct.16 (GMM) Drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are “the least” of Ferrari’s problems, according to the Italian marque’s former president Luca di Montezemolo. Now 76, Italian Montezemolo attended the Il Festival dello Sport in Trento and said there are plenty of things he likes about modern Formula 1. “Today’s F1 is beautiful because there […]
Piquet-Hamilton comments not racist, homophobic – court
Oct.16 (GMM) It’s been a busy few days in Formula 1 news. Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has escaped jail for tax fraud, Lance Stroll apologised to the FIA in writing and was warned over his recent conduct, and the governing body is re-thinking Lewis Hamilton’s EUR 50,000 fine for crossing the track in Qatar. […]