Mar.27 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he’s not thinking of quitting just because Mercedes stuck with a flawed car concept for two consecutive seasons. The 51-year-old has flirted with stepping down as team boss in the past, but he says the support from his own bosses at Mercedes is still strong. “We’ve been through all the […]
Red Bull can run car lower than rivals – Wurz
Mar.27 (GMM) Alex Wurz says Red Bull’s dominance this year is about more than just a highly-efficient DRS. So dominant is the energy drink-owned team that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits there is no chance any team can catch Red Bull in 2023. “It is not realistic to think that we can close the gap […]
Ricciardo reminds F1 world ‘I’m still here’
Mar.27 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says he wants to remind the Formula 1 world that he’s “still here”. The Australian, who lost his McLaren seat for 2023 season, did not attend the opening Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix in his new role as Red Bull’s third driver. But he will be in Melbourne this weekend. […]
Nike thwarts Verstappen’s fashion plans
Mar.27 (GMM) A planned clothing line by Max Verstappen has been stopped in its tracks by Nike. De Limburger newspaper reports that the back-to-back world champion intended to call it ‘Max 1’ – which Nike argued is too close to their ‘Air Max’ shoe line. The Belelux Office for Intellectual Property confirmed that an investigation […]
‘Distrust’ between Red Bull pair obvious – Surer
Mar.27 (GMM) Former F1 driver Marc Surer is predicting troubled waters ahead for Red Bull. It appears as though the 2023 world championship will be a one-team head-to-head battle for the drivers’ title fought between Max Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez. And Surer tells motorsport-total.com that the omens are not good for a smooth […]
Hamilton-Leclerc seat swap chances played down
Mar.24 (GMM) There is no room at Red Bull for Lewis Hamilton, according to team boss Christian Horner. 38-year-old Hamilton’s contract negotiations with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff are currently in a period of long delay – coinciding with ongoing car struggles and the impressive performance of teammate George Russell. It has all given rise to […]
Unlike Porsche, Honda still undecided about 2026
Mar.24 (GMM) Honda is not yet decided about definitely staying in Formula 1 beyond 2025. This week, unofficial reports suggested that Volkswagen-owned Porsche has now definitively decided against designing an F1 engine for the new 2026 rules. Porsche had talks with Red Bull, but the energy drink owned team ultimately decided to go a more […]
Alpha Tauri boss to retire by 2026
Mar.24 (GMM) Franz Tost has admitted the end of his Formula 1 career is approaching. A big story so far in 2023 is that Red Bull is unhappy with the performance of its second team – Tost-led Alpha Tauri. There have even been rumours that Faenza based team could be sold, relocated to the UK, […]
Marko denies ‘muzzle’ amid Red Bull tension
Mar.24 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has denied that he was muzzled after last Sunday’s Saudi Arabian GP. In recent weeks, there have been rumours of trouble behind the scenes among Red Bull’s upper management, as Marko in particular starts working with Oliver Mintzlaff – the late Dietrich Mateschitz’s replacement as CEO. According to the Austrian […]
F1 CEO admits Madrid wants Formula 1 race
Mar.24 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admits Madrid is still pushing to host a grand prix. The sport’s top boss on Thursday was in the Spanish capital to mark the beginning of an official F1 exhibition, in which cars, memorabilia and even Romain Grosjean’s charred Haas from his fiery 2020 crash in Bahrain are on […]
Haas teammates ‘don’t fight each other’ in 2023
Mar.24 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has revealed that he and teammate Nico Hulkenberg are racing at Haas this year under the cloud of a particular “rule”. Hulkenberg, 35, returned to Formula 1 this year to replace Mick Schumacher. The German is paired with Kevin Magnussen, with whom he famously clashed in 2017 in an incident remembered […]
Top four unlikely as McLaren shakes up F1 team
Mar.24 (GMM) Top Ferrari engineer David Sanchez’s move to McLaren is now confirmed, as news breaks that the British team has ousted its technical boss James Key. Woking based McLaren – dead last in the constructors’ championship so far this season – has had a dire start to its 2023 campaign. In the wind tunnel, […]
Two Italian F1 races unlikely after 2025
Mar.23 (GMM) Italy might struggle to hang onto both of its annual grands prix beyond 2025, the country’s automobile association chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani has warned. Currently, the historic circuits at Monza and Imola are both on the annual Formula 1 calendar, with Italian GP host Monza in particular now scrambling to make circuit improvements […]
‘Something must be done’ at Ferrari – Arnoux
Mar.23 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur admits new car parts in Melbourne next weekend may not move the struggling Ferrari team forwards. After two races so far in 2023, Carlos Sainz says the Maranello based team at least knows “exactly” what the problem is with its new car. Boss Vasseur agrees that the problem is excessive tyre […]
Red Bull admits ‘a lot’ of reliability concerns
Mar.23 (GMM) Red Bull’s drivers have revealed their concern about car reliability. After two races in 2023, it seems almost certain that this year’s fight for the world championship will be between two drivers only – Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. At Jeddah, Perez won from pole – but arguably only because Verstappen’s driveshaft failed […]
Pirelli confirms ‘interest’ in F1 beyond 2024
Mar.23 (GMM) Pirelli has reiterated its interest in remaining Formula 1’s sole tyre supplier behind 2024. Early this month, we reported that the sport’s governing body was poised to launch the mandatory tender process for the 2025, 2026, 2027 and possibly 2028 seasons. “Obviously the decision is not in our hands,” we quoted Pirelli’s F1 […]
Mercedes triggered Alonso’s pitstop penalty
Mar.22 (GMM) It was Mercedes that was responsible for alerting the FIA to Aston Martin’s pitstop penalty transgression in Saudi Arabia. That is the claim of the newspapers Bild (Germany) and Blick (Switzerland). They each separately reported that Toto Wolff-led Mercedes asked the governing body to look at whether a mechanic had touched the green […]
Red Bull’s 2023 ‘DRS’ turning heads in F1
Mar.22 (GMM) One of Red Bull’s major advantages in Formula 1 this year is becoming clear – DRS. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton said the way Max Verstappen passed him in Saudi Arabia last weekend astonished him. “I don’t know how or why, but he passed me with impressive speed,” he said. “I didn’t even bother to […]
Ferrari lacks ‘characters’ for F1 revival
Mar.22 (GMM) Ferrari is lacking the “characters” required for a big shakeup and a return to winning ways in Formula 1. That is the view of Italian and former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore, who said he isn’t surprised that Ferrari has kicked off yet another disappointing championship campaign. “It always happens,” he told the […]
Russell ‘now always ahead of Hamilton’
Mar.22 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is not likely to quit Formula 1 at the end of 2023. That is the view of former F1 driver Christian Danner, even though the seven time world champion continues to trail his much younger teammate George Russell. “There’s a specific thing with something on this car that I’ve never had […]