Sep.11 (GMM) Renault’s CEO has justified his decision to dump Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer. The Renault-owned Formula 1 team shocked the paddock at Spa-Francorchamps just before the summer break by announcing that Szafnauer would be departing after a mutual decision. Szafnauer denied it was mutual. “I don’t know why this decision was made,” he […]
Ferrari ‘squeezed’ engines at Monza – Marko
Sep.11 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has backed Fernando Alonso’s suspicion that Ferrari’s sudden surge in performance at Monza last weekend might be short-lived. “It is the Ferrari circuit,” Spaniard Alonso, who raced for the Maranello based team for five years until 2014, said after Ferrari’s impressive outing at the Italian GP. “For years they have […]
Marko hits reverse after Perez comments backlash
Sep.11 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hit reverse gear following backlash about his comments linking Sergio Perez’s nationality with his basic characteristics as a Formula 1 driver. The powerful Red Bull advisor had told the energy drink company’s own Servus TV broadcaster that because Mexican Perez is “South American”, he is “just not as completely […]
Haas to debut Red Bull-like ‘B’ car in Austin
Sep.11 (GMM) Haas is set to follow in Red Bull and McLaren’s wheel-tracks with a looming car update. After an abysmal performance for the small American team at Monza, drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen lamented a lack of car development this year. “It’s just a paradox that we have one of the weakest cars […]
F1 pressure is slowing Leclerc down – Fittipaldi
Sep.8 (GMM) Charles Leclerc may be struggling under the pressure at Ferrari, a two-time Formula 1 world champion has declared. Emerson Fittipaldi won titles in the early 70s for Lotus and McLaren, and he thinks Leclerc’s own push to become world champion is making his teammate Carlos Sainz look better at the moment. “I can […]
Europe may force F1 to open door to Andretti-Cadillac
Sep.8 (GMM) Formula 1 could be set to run up against European Commission laws that would effectively force the sport to open the door to Andretti-Cadillac. Michael Andretti’s US-based racing empire made waves this week by unveiling its full rebranding from ‘Andretti Autosport’ to ‘Andretti Global’. It’s another sign that the FIA has effectively green-lit […]
Zhou admits Sauber-Audi negotiations ‘not easy’
Sep.7 (GMM) Guanyu Zhou admits he needs to be “careful” not to be pushed off the Formula 1 grid. It is the 24-year-old Chinese driver’s second season on the grid this year with Alfa Romeo, who are now beginning the transition to full works status and Audi ownership and control by 2026. Valtteri Bottas, already […]
Alonso impressed by Norris and Albon in 2023
Sep.7 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has singled out Alex Albon and Lando Norris as two of Formula 1’s most promising young drivers at the moment. At 42, and with F1’s all-time record for the most number of grands prix contested and counting, the Spaniard is enjoying a new dawn of competitiveness at the wheel of his […]
Mazepin welcomes Olympics’ new Russia stance
Sep.7 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin says it’s a good sign that Russian athletes appear poised to be invited to take part in the next Olympics. The Russian driver and his father’s company Uralkali were ousted by Haas at the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis early last year. Not just that, other Russian drivers told by the […]
Andretti re-brand hints at looming F1 future
Sep.7 (GMM) Michael Andretti’s racing organisation has given the clearest sign yet that its push to enter Formula 1 may actually succeed. Although the Cadillac-backed F1 application has the apparent backing of the FIA, Andretti is facing strong opposition from the existing teams as well as Liberty Media. And while the outcome of the application […]
Lawson on course for full-time F1 seat – Marko
Sep.7 (GMM) Liam Lawson is setting himself up for a full-time seat in Formula 1, according to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko. The 80-year-old Austrian told Servus TV this week that the Alpha Tauri driver Lawson has replaced for now – Daniel Ricciardo – will be out for at least two more races. “Unfortunately, it’s […]
Marko rules out Vettel-Verstappen driving pairing
Sep.6 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has laughed off suggestions he might pair a returning Sebastian Vettel with Max Verstappen at Red Bull. At present, the newly-retired four time world champion Vettel hasn’t signalled any intention to return to Formula 1 – but he also has not ruled it out. But despite Red Bull openly wondering […]
Driver relations getting ‘restless’ at McLaren
Sep.6 (GMM) Relations between McLaren’s two young drivers could get “a little more restless” in the coming months. That is the prediction of former F1 driver Timo Glock, after McLaren boss Andrea Stella said the collision between Lando Norris and rookie Oscar Piastri at Monza was “unacceptable”. Norris, 23, has been repeatedly linked with a […]
Alpha Tauri to become Hugo Boss – report
Sep.6 (GMM) Alpha Tauri’s renaming to Hugo Boss looks set to go ahead. Motorsport-magazin.com reported a month ago that Red Bull’s second team is likely to be known as ‘Hugo Boss Bulls Racing’ from next year. Indeed, while ‘Boss’ branding is currently on the Aston Martin, the German luxury fashion house is pulling out of […]
Palou admits F1 door may never re-open
Sep.6 (GMM) Alex Palou admits he might never get the chance to switch to Formula 1. Now with his second Indycar title in his pocket, the 26-year-old Spaniard had appeared destined for a future on the F1 grid due to his backing by McLaren. McLaren CEO Zak Brown, however, is now suing Palou for up […]
Massa wants Ferrari support in ‘crashgate’ case
Sep.6 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he is hoping to secure Ferrari’s support in his push to overturn the result of the 2008 world championship. The Brazilian’s lawyers have given Formula 1 and the FIA only days to properly respond to their legal threats over the famous ‘crashgate’ scandal. Massa, now 42, was racing for Ferrari […]
Marko hits back at Wolff’s ‘Wikipedia’ jibe
Sep.6 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he will start taking Toto Wolff seriously again once Mercedes returns to being a “serious rival”. As well as being showered with boos by the Monza crowd last weekend, Verstappen’s new all-time record for ten race wins in succession was played down by Wolff. Wolff said it was a […]
Verstappen, Hamilton did not ‘build’ F1 teams – Alonso
Sep.6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has hit back at Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s claims that Red Bull ‘built’ a winning team especially around Max Verstappen. Rather, the former two-time champion says F1’s last two dominant drivers – Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton – simply lucked into their winning cars just as the regulations changed. “Hamilton and […]
Has flexi-wing clampdown hurt Aston Martin? – report
Sep.6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he is determined to get Aston Martin back ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ world championship. The Silverstone based team had a poor outing at Monza, triggering new rumours the problem could be the FIA’s new clampdown on flexible wings. “It’s not something that affects us,” said Red Bull’s Christian […]
Sainz’s father hints at unequal Ferrari treatment
Sep.6 (GMM) Carlos Sainz’s father has suggested Ferrari treats his son differently compared to teammate Charles Leclerc. At Monza last weekend, boss Frederic Vasseur told the drivers that they should not take risks as Leclerc, in fourth, chased Spaniard Sainz for the podium. However, Leclerc then battled the sister Ferrari wheel-to-wheel, with Sainz emerging with […]