Apr.2 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg is taking his return to Formula 1 very seriously. Haas brought the 35-year-old out of a three-year sabbatical this season to replace his struggling and much younger German countryman Mick Schumacher. “We got exactly what we wanted,” team boss Gunther Steiner confirmed. “I think he’s enjoying life here. He works hard, […]
Former driver questions Bottas’ F1 ‘hunger’
Apr.2 (GMM) Well-known racing driver Toni Vilander has criticised his fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas. Since losing his Mercedes seat at the end of 2021, 33-year-old Bottas has seemed much more relaxed. He even strolled into the Melbourne paddock this weekend with a local ‘mullet’ hairstyle, Australian style ‘flip flops’ and a self-styled ‘tank top’. He […]
Red Bull contradicts Perez twice in Melbourne
Apr.2 (GMM) Red Bull has contradicted Sergio Perez for the second time this weekend in Melbourne. First, the Mexican driver suggested that Red Bull is not used to running “two cars” equally. “Before I came, basically they were just going racing with two cars because they had to,” he said. Team boss Christian Horner hit […]
New Mercedes is ‘best’ and ‘worst’ for drivers
Apr.2 (GMM) While George Russell is happy with his Mercedes, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton admits he has a fundamental problem with it. With the pair qualifying just behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Melbourne, Fernando Alonso scoffed at Mercedes’ claim that the car concept is a dud. “They are always fast,” said the Spaniard. […]
Perez denies Jos Verstappen snub
Apr.1 (GMM) Sergio Perez has hit out at those who slammed teammate Max Verstappen’s father for snubbing the victory celebrations in Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago. As Perez celebrated with his mechanics in parc ferme, the cameras zoomed in on Jos Verstappen and Max’s manager Raymond Vermeulen – who appeared to ignore the Mexican. “I […]
Tsunoda could replace Perez in 2025 – Tost
Apr.1 (GMM) Yuki Tsunoda could be ready to be Max Verstappen’s teammate by 2025. That is the view of Franz Tost, boss of the second Red Bull-owned team Alpha Tauri. Japanese Tsunoda, 22, has been a rough diamond since his debut in 2021, leading many to surmise that 2023 may be his third and final […]
New Red Bull CEO lacks F1 ‘expertise’ – Marko
Apr.1 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is continuing to play down speculation of a power struggle at the very top of Red Bull’s Formula 1 program. It appears as though rumours of the second team Alpha Tauri’s sale were prompted by Oliver Mintzlaff – the new Red Bull CEO in the wake of founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s […]
Hamilton ‘weaknesses’ showing in 2023 – Alonso
Apr.1 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s claim that the 2023 Red Bull is the fastest-ever Formula 1 car. “He has a short memory. He’s getting old!” the 41-year-old laughed to France’s L’Equipe. Alonso and Hamilton, 38, were infamously paired together at McLaren in 2007 – but the latter went on to […]
Leclerc’s F1 career ‘slipping through his fingers’
Apr.1 (GMM) Ferrari is in “crisis”, according to the Maranello team’s former and highly-successful president Luca di Montezemolo. “You put a knife in the wound,” he said on the LA7 program Piazzapulita, “because together with my family, Ferrari has been the most important thing in my life. “I’m sorry to see it in this state […]
F1, MotoGP could share single race weekend in Madrid
Apr.1 (GMM) Formula 1 and its two-wheeled equivalent MotoGP may be exploring the idea of sharing a single race weekend. Recently, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admitted talks are underway with potential organisers of a new Formula 1 race in the Spanish capital Madrid. And now, MotoGP rights holder Dorna’s CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta revealed that – […]
Bridgestone eyeing F1 return – report
Apr.1 (GMM) Japanese tyre marque Bridgestone may be considering a return to Formula 1. Recently, it emerged that F1’s governing FIA had kicked off a new mandatory tender process to determine the identity of the sole tyre supplier for 2025, 2026, 2027 and possibly 2028. The successful applicant will also supply Formula 2 and F3. […]
Red Bull to vote for second qualifying session
Apr.1 (GMM) Formula 1 teams are set to be invited to vote for a shakeup of the already-controversial ‘sprint race’ weekend format within mere days. Having already revealed his desire to scrap most practice sessions in Formula 1, the sport’s CEO Stefano Domenicali is now proposing that a second qualifying session be added to the […]
Michael Masi ‘open’ to chat with Hamilton, Wolff
Apr.1 (GMM) Former race director Michael Masi says he is “done” with Formula 1. After the highly controversial outcome of the 2021 world championship, Australian Masi, 44, was ousted by the FIA and subject to waves of hostility on social media. He relocated to his native Australia, now has prominent roles in local motor racing, […]
F1 capable of 30-plus races per season – CEO
Mar.31 (GMM) Formula 1 is capable of organising more than 30 grands prix per season, according to CEO Stefano Domenicali. Currently, there are 23 races – more than ever before – with plans for 24 next year thanks to China’s expected return. But Domenicali admits that demand from potential promoters is through the roof. “We […]
Vettel not ruling out F1 comeback
Mar.31 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel is not ruling out a potential return to Formula 1. The quadruple world champion, 35, retired at the end of last season – and now admits it’s “a bit strange” to see Fernando Alonso doing so well in the Aston Martin cockpit he used to occupy. “But it is outweighed by […]
Alonso hoping for ‘hot environment’ at Red Bull
Mar.31 (GMM) With Red Bull so dominant early in 2023, the only real championship intrigue could be an apparently tetchy relationship in the Red Bull garage. Back to back world champion Max Verstappen admits Sergio Perez is his only realistic challenger in Melbourne this weekend – and clear signs of tension have been obvious for […]
Talks underway for Melbourne F1 night race
Mar.31 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admits talks are underway about converting the Australian GP from a daytime race to one that is run under floodlights. Melbourne’s current Formula 1 contract runs all the way until 2035, but if organisers want the race to take place after dark then it will require the installation of […]
Verstappen warns against scrapping F1 practice
Mar.31 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen has warned F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali not to tinker too hard with Formula 1’s basic race weekend format. Prior to the Australian GP weekend, Domenicali said he was pushing to eliminate as many practice sessions as possible from the existing schedule. And in Melbourne, many of the top drivers […]
Ricciardo eyes getting ‘back on the grid’ in 2024
Mar.31 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo admits he doesn’t want to settle in to ‘sabbatical’ life too much. When he lost his McLaren race seat, and signed up as a Red Bull third driver rather than seek a drive further down the grid, the 33-year-old said he was looking forward to time off. “It’s only been a […]
Sainz admits ‘concept problem’ with 2023 Ferrari
Mar.31 (GMM) Carlos Sainz admits Ferrari is starting to lose faith in the basic ‘concept’ of its 2023 car. Earlier, after disappointing showings in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, new team boss Frederic Vasseur insisted the basic concept is sound – with excessive tyre wear in the race more of a setup problem. But Spaniard Sainz […]