Nov.14 (GMM) Greg Maffei, the CEO in charge of Formula 1’s owner, has taken the extraordinary step of issuing an apology in the days before Liberty Media’s new blue-riband event. The company, via its ownership of F1 commercial rights entity Formula One Management, has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the Las Vegas GP. […]
Horner hits back at claims of ‘radical’ 2024 Red Bull
Nov.14 (GMM) Red Bull is bracing for a “much more intense” battle for the world championships next year, team boss Christian Horner insists. Max Verstappen’s utter dominance this year has been disheartening for his rivals, especially as Red Bull has voluntarily limited development of the 2023 machine throughout the season. And Red Bull was additionally […]
Mercedes off-target for 2024 title push – Surer
Nov.14 (GMM) Toto Wolff powered plenty of raised eyebrows in the Interlagos paddock recently by declaring that it had been Mercedes’ “worst weekend in 13 years”. His extraordinary criticism of his own team’s progress had followed a wave of optimism within the Brackley based team, with a late-season floor development propelling Lewis Hamilton to back-to-back […]
Hulkenberg abandons Haas’ flop ‘B’ car for Vegas
Nov.14 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg will not be at the wheel of Haas’ ‘B’-spec car this weekend in Las Vegas. The German has impressed on his return to Formula 1 this year, but he has actually been critical of his own team’s struggles to up its game with a highly-anticipated major car upgrade that was introduced […]
Piastri admits he’s still behind experienced rivals
Nov.14 (GMM) Oscar Piastri admits he still has some improving to do when it comes to looking after the tyres in Formula 1. The 22-year-old rookie has impressed this year alongside the highly-rated and on-form Lando Norris at McLaren – even beating Max Verstappen in a straight fight in the Qatar sprint race. But over […]
Verstappen tested a Ferrari racer at Mugello – report
Nov.13 (GMM) Max Verstappen got at the wheel of a Ferrari racing car, the Swiss newspaper Blick reports. However, it was not a Formula 1 machine doing laps at Mugello, but instead a Ferrari 296 GT3. The Red Bull driver’s mission? To give a young driver he supports, Thierry Vermeulen, some “good tips”. Vermeulen is […]
Red Bull would be wrong to sack Perez – Massa
Nov.13 (GMM) Red Bull should not be considering ousting Sergio Perez, according to former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa. Despite Mexican Perez’s signed-and-sealed 2024 contract, and the team’s repeated denials that it is considering axing the struggling Mexican, rumours of a potential change over the forthcoming winter period persist. When told by Bloomberg that Perez’s […]
Furious Alonso slams Spanish paparazzi
Nov.13 (GMM) Fernando Alonso reacted with fury when he visited his native Spain between the Brazilian and Las Vegas grands prix. On social media, he added a vomit emoji to furious posts denouncing an example of the sort of harassment he faces by his country’s paparazzi-style media. The Aston Martin driver showed photos of a […]
F1 film production to continue into 2024 – report
Nov.13 (GMM) The Hollywood writer’s strike has set back production on the Formula 1 feature film starring Brad Pitt. Production kicked off earlier in 2023, but then slowed and finally stalled amid the strike. But the strike has now ended and Reuters claims a big rush is now on “to get film and TV sets […]
Mercedes installs casino ban for Las Vegas GP week
Nov.13 (GMM) Mercedes will not allow its F1 team staff to spend their downtime at the Las Vegas casinos this week, Toto Wolff has admitted. The new street track that even takes in the iconic ‘Strip’ is now taking full shape ahead of this weekend’s grand prix, with all eyes now on the forecasts of […]
Rapidly-improving Alpha Tauri eyes Williams
Nov.13 (GMM) A change of approach and the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo sees Alpha Tauri now eyeing Williams’ seventh-place in the 2023 constructors’ championship with two races to go. Earlier this year, before the Red Bull-owned team ousted the underperforming Nyck de Vries, Alpha Tauri’s car was clearly among the slowest overall on the 2023 […]
Andretti’s father ‘cannot understand’ F1 rejection
Nov.13 (GMM) As Formula 1 returns to the US this week to race at the highly-anticipated Las Vegas GP, Michael Andretti’s famous father says he “cannot understand” why the sport is opposed to a new American team backed by carmaker giant General Motors. While the FIA has green-lit the Andretti-Cadillac bid, the deal is current […]
Elliott could join Schumacher at Alpine – Montagny
Nov.13 (GMM) A former Formula 1 driver sees a link between a major recent development at Mercedes and Mick Schumacher’s likely move to Le Mans-style racing. Some pundits have linked Mercedes’ failed ‘no sidepods’ car concept of 2022 and 2023 with the departure of technical chief Mike Elliott. Team boss Toto Wolff denies it. “We […]
Cadillac will not jump ship to another F1 team
Nov.10 (GMM) General Motors has ruled out making the switch from hopeful eleventh Formula 1 entry Andretti to an existing team. Late in October, Associated Press sports writer Jenna Fryer cited three insiders who confirmed that F1 bosses “asked General Motors if it would partner with someone other than Andretti”. Andretti, in alliance with iconic […]
Italy wants two F1 races on calendar through 2030
Nov.10 (GMM) Italy’s motor racing chief says the country is on track to keep both of its Formula 1 races on the annual calendar for “another five years”. Angelo Sticchi Damiani, president of the Italian automobile club Aci, has revealed to La Gazzetta dello Sport that outline agreements for both Monza and Imola are in […]
McLaren upgrades making drivers look good – Albon
Nov.10 (GMM) Alex Albon says it’s so difficult for a driver in the lower half of the grid to make his mark in Formula 1. In actual fact, the British-born Thai driver has managed to rebuild his reputation at Williams after being replaced as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate for poor performances. But it does […]
Verstappen dominance ‘the biggest risk to F1’
Nov.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen admits he could be in the running to match the achievements of the most successful drivers in Formula 1 history. The 26-year-old Dutchman’s performance this season for his third consecutive drivers’ title was nothing short of imperious – and arguably monotonous. “The fact that even the most ardent fans of Max […]
F1 stewards seek end to ‘track limits’ saga
Nov.10 (GMM) Formula 1 stewards have ruled that the controversial and often farcical ‘track limits’ issue needs to be solved. It comes after the governing FIA rejected Haas’ request for a revision to the US GP results, with the American team having compiled a lengthy dossier of track limits violations that went unnoticed and unpunished […]
Sprints with triple header ‘very difficult’ – Krack
Nov.9 (GMM) Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack has voiced his reservations about the demanding nature of the modern Formula 1 race schedule – particularly when sprint races are coupled with gruelling triple-header weekends. To Servus TV, he remarked on the immense challenge posed by this combination, which has tested the limits of teams and […]
Constant change at Ferrari ‘not good’ – Todt
Nov.9 (GMM) Despite eager anticipation from fans and the media, reports suggesting that Charles Leclerc’s rumoured contract extension with Ferrari would be announced this week have been quashed. Hopes were stoked by a teasing social media post from the Italian team, which led many to believe a significant announcement was imminent. Instead, it turned out […]