May 10 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says the biggest difference between the Ferrari he drove for and the Maranello based team of today is “inconsistency”. In that way, the Spaniard actually agrees with Ferrari’s current drivers as well as new team boss Frederic Vasseur, who said after Miami: “We were far too inconsistent from one car […]
Szafnauer responds to CEO Rossi’s ‘pressure’
May 10 (GMM) Team boss Otmar Szafnauer says he will confront Laurent Rossi about the Alpine CEO’s latest comments. On his rare visit to a grand prix in Miami, Rossi told the French broadcaster Canal Plus that the Enstone and Viry-based team’s current situation was “not acceptable”. But he then followed up with another interview […]
Magnussen setting up post-F1 family life
May 10 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen is busily setting the foundation for his post-Formula 1 life. The Haas driver and his wife Louise already have one young child, and another is now on the way. Additionally, the 30-year-old has now returned to his native Denmark to live full time, where in his spare time he is […]
Verstappen was ‘always’ title favourite – Marko
May 10 (GMM) It was “always clear” that Max Verstappen is still the top favourite to win the 2023 world championship – his third such triumph consecutively. That is the view of Dr Helmut Marko, after some suggested following the results in Baku that Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez could win this year. Osterreich […]
Adrian Newey rejected Mercedes approach – Marko
May 10 (GMM) Mercedes reached out to Adrian Newey shortly before the famous Formula 1 designer extended his deal with Red Bull. That is the claim of f1-insider.com, reporting that Newey got a phone call from a former Red Bull employee who is now working as a personal assistant to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Red […]
Andretti eyes answer about F1 bid by ‘mid July’
May 9 (GMM) Michael Andretti is hoping to hear by “the middle of July” whether his bid in collaboration with Cadillac to enter Formula 1 in 2025 has been green-lighted by the FIA. While other groups are also submitting applications as part of the sport’s tender process to potentially add one or two new teams […]
Boss Tost admits rookie de Vries ‘under pressure’
May 9 (GMM) Alpha Tauri team boss Franz Tost admits Formula 1 rookie Nyck de Vries is “under pressure” to perform in 2023. Russian racing driver Egor Orudzhev observed last week that if the 28-year-old Dutchman doesn’t up his game soon, “I think Helmut Marko will fire him”. Indeed, de Vries has had a troubled […]
Ocon attitude did not ‘benefit the team’ – Alonso
May 9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has aimed a jibe at his former Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon. The 41-year-old former two-time champion is enjoying a true second competitive spring so far in 2023, with a string of podium finishes behind the dominant Red Bulls. Alonso is also tackling his reputation for being a trouble-maker within a […]
Drivers are Ferrari’s biggest problem – Schumacher
May 9 (GMM) Ferrari’s 2023 car “isn’t great”, but former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher thinks the Maranello based team has another problem. After Miami, both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz criticised the inconsistent handling and pace of their red single seater. “I spoke to Carlos after the race and we agreed that the car […]
Marko slams ‘manipulative’ Mercedes
May 9 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has slammed Mercedes for being “manipulative” in their attempts to slow dominant Red Bull down. Although Mercedes driver George Russell has led the complaints about the FIA’s shortening of DRS zones in 2023, Red Bull top official Marko thinks it is actually the result of lobbying from the struggling […]
Ricciardo to test 2023 Red Bull at Silverstone
May 9 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo will test Red Bull’s dominant 2023 car in the days after July’s British GP. Having lost his McLaren seat at the end of last year, the 33-year-old Australian accepted an offer from his energy drink-owned former team to become a reserve and ambassadorial driver. The Telegraph now reports that his […]
F1 could be boring for ‘years’ to come – Hamilton
May 8 (GMM) As Formula 1 drivers hit out at the wild, celebrity-fuelled pre-race proceedings at the Miami GP, the other hot topic is that the sport is not living up to the same hype on the actual track. Many thought the problem at Baku was that a DRS overtaking zone was too short, but […]
F1 drivers hit out at Miami GP pre-race spectacle
May 8 (GMM) George Russell, Lando Norris and other top Formula 1 drivers have hit out at the pre-race proceedings before Sunday’s Miami GP. As A-list celebrities flocked to the event surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium, they and the global television audience were subjected to spectacular pre-race festivities featuring Will.I.Am as well as LL Cool […]
Ferrari will not ‘copy’ rivals’ 2023 cars
May 7 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur has ruled out simply “copying” the technical solutions of the cars that are faster than Ferrari at present. While it is clear that Mercedes is moving away from the basic ‘concept’ of its admittedly flawed 2022 and 2023 single seater, team boss Vasseur says Ferrari will simply stay the course […]
Schumacher pokes Steiner after Hulkenberg crash
May 7 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher couldn’t resist making a jibe at Haas boss Gunther Steiner at the Miami GP. On Friday, the driver who replaced Schumacher’s nephew Mick for 2023 – Nico Hulkenberg – crashed. “If the team’s best practices are maintained, we will know very soon what the crash cost,” Ralf told Sky Deutschland. […]
F1 Concorde talks should be ‘behind closed doors’
May 7 (GMM) Liberty Media boss Greg Maffei wants to kick off negotiations for the next Concorde Agreement. The last commercial agreement binding the teams to the FIA and Formula 1’s Liberty Media-owned commercial rights was inked during the covid year – 2020. At the time, although a deal with all the teams was ultimately […]
Button came ‘very close’ to Ferrari contract
May 7 (GMM) 2009 world champion Jenson Button admits he came “very close” to signing a contract with Ferrari. After winning the championship with Brawn, the now retired British driver switched to McLaren – but during that period, he now admits to having Ferrari talks. “I always wanted to race for Ferrari,” he told La […]
2023 Mercedes ‘just not a good car’ – Wolff
May 7 (GMM) Mercedes’ 2023 car is “even worse” than its predecessor, a solemn team boss Toto Wolff admitted in Miami. The car appears to be about a second off the pace – with Lewis Hamilton even further behind George Russell in qualifying in a lowly 13th place. A big development upgrade is coming for […]
CEO says Alpine situation ‘not acceptable’
May 7 (GMM) A highly critical Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi admits the Renault-owned team is struggling in 2023. The team was hoping to build on its fourth place in the 2022 constructors’ championship to be on the podium regularly this year. Instead, having lost Fernando Alonso and paired Frenchman Pierre Gasly with countryman Esteban Ocon, […]
‘Can’t be behind Leclerc’ in Q3, Marko quips
May 7 (GMM) Max Verstappen is aiming for “P2 minimum” from Sunday’s Miami GP, as Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez knocks on the door of his slim championship lead. The Dutchman made a mistake on his first Q3 attempt and could not have a second attempt due to Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s crash. “You just […]