May 17 (GMM) Williams boss James Vowles admits the team needs to work hard to slim down the team’s 2024 car. Just this week, the Grove based team re-signed Alex Albon into the new regulations era beginning in 2026, with the British-born Thai driver revealing at Imola that he had other options. But Vowles managed […]
Verstappen hits back at online racing criticism
May 17 (GMM) Max Verstappen has hit back at those criticising him for entering an online sim race this weekend – clashing with the Formula 1 race at Imola. On the track, Red Bull’s rivals appear to be closing in – with Lando Norris winning in Miami in the heavily-upgraded McLaren, and now Ferrari unveiling […]
Son thinks Lauda would have ended Mercedes slump
May 16 (GMM) The great Niki Lauda may have ended Mercedes’ three-year performance slump by now. That’s the view of the former Mercedes co-owner and non-executive chairman’s son Mathias Lauda, as the once-dominant team continues to struggle in the current ‘ground effect’ rules era. 43-year-old Lauda thinks the problem is clearly the chassis. “The most […]
FIA, Liberty want to end power struggle ‘clashes’
May 16 (GMM) Peace may be breaking out between Formula 1’s ruling bodies – the FIA, and the sport’s Liberty Media-owned commercial rights holder. Ever since Mohammed Ben Sulayem took over from Jean Todt as FIA president in late 2021, he has been at odds with his counterparts at Liberty and Formula One Management – […]
Rival teams ‘disrespectful’ to Lance Stroll – boss
May 16 (GMM) Rival Formula 1 teams are often “disrespectful” and “unfair” to Lance Stroll. That’s the claim of Aston Martin boss Mike Krack, amid ongoing suggestions from within and outside the F1 paddock that Stroll, 25, does not deserve to be on the grid. The Canadian is the son of billionaire team owner Lawrence […]
F1 yet to solve wet-weather visibility problem
May 16 (GMM) Formula 1 is still yet to find a technical solution to improve driver visibility in wet weather. Last year, the first prototypes of wheel covers or ‘mudguards’ designed to reduce the plumes of spray behind the cars were tested, but they did not prove successful. In collaboration with the FIA, improved fenders […]
F1 not ready to regulate use of AI – Domenicali
May 16 (GMM) Formula 1 cannot yet intervene to regulate the teams’ increasingly-powerful use of artificial intelligence technologies. As the exploding and rapidly-improving power of AI sweeps the planet, top F1 teams have not been slow to begin to use it to improve their performance. AI and machine learning are now helping the teams design […]
Alpine’s 2024 car no longer overweight
May 16 (GMM) Alpine’s push to emerge from a deep performance collapse in Formula 1 will take a brief pause as the sport returns to Europe. Many teams will unveil significant car upgrades for the first race of 2024 on the continent – including Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin and others. “In the last […]
Albon news to precede silly season ‘domino effect’
May 16 (GMM) A “domino effect” in the exciting Formula 1 driver market may have just begun, as Alex Albon removes himself from contention for a move away from Williams. Two weeks ago in Miami, the British-born Thai driver was not yet ready to commit himself to the Grove based team. “Nico (Hulkenberg) has triggered […]
F1 could scrap hybrid engines from 2030 – Domenicali
May 15 (GMM) Formula 1 could wave goodbye to the controversial ‘hybrid’ engine era from 2030. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is expecting a “closer battle” on the track at Imola this weekend, but also a busy event of off-track moves, rumours and talks. For instance, La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that the new Concorde Agreement […]
F1 not ruling out new race deal for Barcelona
May 15 (GMM) Formula 1 is not yet ruling out a new race deal for Barcelona. The future of the current Spanish GP venue has become particularly clouded since F1 agreed to transfer that official race title to Madrid for 2026 and beyond. The Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona has an existing race deal for […]
Verstappen to race in real and virtual worlds from Imola
May 15 (GMM) Max Verstappen is planning a very busy weekend at Imola. According to the Belgian broadcaster RTBF, the world championship leader will not only be racing his Red Bull, but also taking part in a 24-hour sim race on the iRacing platform. Verstappen, 26, is a high profile part of the professional sim […]
Collectors paid $4 million for Schumacher’s watches
May 15 (GMM) The sale of part of Michael Schumacher’s personal wrist-watch collection tipped the scales at well over $4 million. The high-profile auction by Christie’s in Geneva actually got off to a rocky start, with Bloomberg reporting that the company’s website may have been hacked. The auction was therefore delayed until Tuesday “for security […]
F1 won’t be ‘bored’ with off-track news at Imola – CEO
May 15 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is expecting an interesting grand prix weekend in Imola this weekend – both on and off the track itself. He said he is keen to see how Ferrari’s major car upgrade fares, whilst also musing “the arrival of new reinforcements in the team” – a clear reference to […]
F1 unlikely to feature two Italian races in 2026 – CEO
May 15 (GMM) F1’s CEO admits that one of the two grands prix in Italy is unlikely to still be on the calendar beyond 2025. The sport races at Imola this week, just a few months before the historic and traditional Italian GP at fabled Monza. “Italy is a central part of our calendar,” Stefano […]
Hamilton, Leclerc now in ‘honeymoon’ period – Vasseur
May 15 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur says he is confident Lewis Hamilton will get along with Charles Leclerc once the seven time world champion makes the switch for 2025 and beyond. The Ferrari boss told La Repubblica newspaper that deciding to oust Carlos Sainz was “not easy”, as both the Spaniard and Leclerc are “very competitive” […]
US congress should not influence F1’s Andretti decision
May 14 (GMM) Formula 1, not the US congress, should be in full control of which teams are permitted to race at the pinnacle of motorsport. That is the defiant position of Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the spokesman for the now 100 percent Audi-owned Sauber team. Recently, with Andretti-Cadillac currently locked out of F1 by the […]
Sauber-Audi defends ‘sudden’ Bottas change
May 14 (GMM) Audi-owned Sauber has defended its decision to appoint a new race engineer for Valtteri Bottas as of the last Formula 1 race in Miami. The Finn admits that he isn’t sure what his next move in F1 will be, having also declared that Audi signing Nico Hulkenberg for 2025 and beyond was […]
Schumacher to advise Vettel on Le Mans experience
May 14 (GMM) Ahead of his Le Mans debut next month, Mick Schumacher says he will report directly to his friend and mentor Sebastian Vettel. Despite a recent extensive test, Porsche left quadruple world champion Vettel out of its hypercar lineup for the fabled 24 hour endurance race this year. As he pushes to return […]
Red Bull ‘too slow’ as major F1 rivals close in
May 14 (GMM) Ferrari is setting up a major assault on Red Bull’s dominance of Formula 1, with even Dr Helmut Marko admitting that the rivals are closing the gap. In fact, Red Bull’s top F1 consultant confesses that McLaren driver Lando Norris beat triple world champion Max Verstappen last time out in Miami based […]