Mar.3 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says Red Bull made big changes over the winter to ensure last year’s budget cap scandal does not re-emerge. The reigning champions paid a $7 million fine for the ‘minor’ 2021 overspend and had a further 10 percent of their wind tunnel time taken away. “We have learned from the […]
Alpine smiling after mysterious test form
Mar.3 (GMM) Alpine’s place in the 2023 pecking order is perhaps less clear than any other Formula 1 team. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer admits that, at least publicly, the sole Bahrain test last week was an “inconspicuous” performance for the Renault-owned outfit. However, between the boss and the team’s French drivers Esteban Ocon and newcomer […]
Hamilton hits back over contract delay rumours
Mar.3 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has hit back at two fellow world champions who wonder if the Mercedes driver will sign another contract. Team boss Toto Wolff said recently that tentative talks are beginning, but Hamilton’s former McLaren teammate Jenson Button says the 38-year-old is probably waiting to see how competitive the 2023 car is. “Why […]
Apparent Red Bull dominance ‘dangerous’ – Berger
Mar.3 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger says it is “dangerous” for Red Bull to assume it is the clearly dominant team heading into the 2023 season. As the sport’s players re-gathered in Bahrain on Thursday ahead of the first race, the feeling that back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen is the runaway favourite is unanimous. “I’m […]
Court gives green light for Mazepin’s F1 return
Mar.3 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin has been given the green light by Europe’s court of justice to return to Formula 1. At the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the Russian driver and his sponsor Uralkali were ousted from Haas and the sport. The 24-year-old took his case to the Court of Justice of the European Union […]
Injured Stroll denies Bahrain return ‘not smart’
Mar.3 (GMM) Lance Stroll admits he has “a little pain” at the wheel of a Formula 1 car, but he’s confident he will get through this weekend’s Bahrain season opener. The Canadian sat out pre-season testing at the same Sakhir circuit last week following a mountain bike crash – in which he broke one wrist […]
Stroll in Bahrain for FIA medical checks
Mar.2 (GMM) Lance Stroll has travelled to Bahrain ahead of this weekend’s 2023 season opener. The Canadian, whose father Lawrence owns the team, sat out pre-season testing for Aston Martin last week after a reported mountain biking fall in Spain. But according to Sky Italia, he successfully underwent surgery for a wrist injury and late […]
Steiner denies ‘bullying’ axed Schumacher
Mar.2 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has denied “bullying” ousted Haas driver Mick Schumacher. Prior to their Formula 1 split, it was clear that relations between team boss Steiner and 23-year-old Schumacher were strained. But the extent of the difficulties only became clearer in the latest edition of Drive To Survive on Netflix, with phone calls between […]
Wolff denies Mercedes still ‘porpoising’
Mar.2 (GMM) Toto Wolff has hit back at claims from the Red Bull camp that Mercedes’ new car is affected by ‘porpoising’. Last year, the former championship-dominant team struggled throughout the season as Formula 1’s new ‘ground effect’ era began. The biggest problem was the phenomenon described as ‘porpoising’ or jumping, caused by a constant […]
Liberty Media turned off F1’s German market
Mar.2 (GMM) Formula 1’s new “Hollywood recipe” is a turn-off for German fans, according to the sport’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Just days before the 2023 season begins in Bahrain, not only is Nico Hulkenberg now the only German driver, there are no more German races – and Bahrain will not even be on free-to-air […]
Hamilton should only have six titles – Ecclestone
Mar.2 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton should only have six world championships, according to Bernie Ecclestone. Actually, many fans of the seven time drivers’ title winner think Hamilton, 38, actually deserves eight championships – due to the highly controversial outcome of the 2021 season. But as far as former F1 supremo Ecclestone is concerned, it is Michael […]
Journalist triggered Alpha Tauri sale rumours
Mar.2 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks rumours about Alpha Tauri’s potential sale were triggered by a single journalist. The Faenza based team, which like the premier outfit Red Bull Racing is also owned by the energy drink company, has now taken the step of issuing an official statement to deny the rumours. In the statement, […]
Hulkenberg defends Schumacher family’s silence
Mar.1 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has defended the ongoing decision of Michael Schumacher’s family to keep the details of his health condition secret. Eddie Jordan, who was the seven time world champion and F1 legend’s first boss in Formula 1, caused a stir this week by suggesting the 54-year-old is severely brain damaged. “It can’t be […]
De Vries learns lesson about F1 media
Mar.1 (GMM) Nyck de Vries says he is already learning lessons about Formula 1’s global media environment. For instance, he commented at the Bahrain test that one of his biggest problems was that – following a wash – his new Alpine suit had shrunk and no longer fit him. It is believed the suit manufacturer […]
Teams must be ‘careful’ with Netflix details
Mar.1 (GMM) Formula 1 teams may need to wise up about how Netflix puts together the sport’s official series Drive To Survive. With Max Verstappen returning to the newly-released season 5 following his boycott, it was hoped the new season would please some of F1’s more critical ‘purist’ fans. Esteban Ocon, however, broke that illusion […]
Hulkenberg not ‘nervous’ before F1 comeback
Mar.1 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg is feeling relaxed ahead of his return to Formula 1 racing this weekend in Bahrain. The 35-year-old, who is the same age as the newly-retired fellow German Sebastian Vettel, has been brought back into F1 as Mick Schumacher’s replacement at Haas. “It’s like riding a bike,” Hulkenberg smiled after his three-year […]
Vettel ‘done’ with Formula 1 – Ecclestone
Mar.1 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has shot down rumours already linking the newly-retired Sebastian Vettel with a return to Formula 1. Aston Martin has already ruled the quadruple world champion out of contention to replace the injured Lance Stroll in Bahrain, but boss Mike Krack admitted that there were talks. When asked if those talks would […]
Vasseur tipped to succeed as Ferrari boss
Mar.1 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone expects Frederic Vasseur to succeed as Ferrari’s new team boss. Vasseur moved from Sauber to the fabled Maranello team over the winter to replace Mattia Binotto after Ferrari’s sequence of errors in 2022. Ecclestone, the 92-year-old former F1 supremo, told Sport1: “At Ferrari, you need someone who works without emotion, who […]
Red Bull ‘solution’ should help Perez
Mar.1 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits that Sergio Perez requires a “more docile” Formula 1 car compared to back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen. It comes as Alex Albon, who lost his seat alongside Verstappen to Mexican Perez, alleged that Red Bull tunes its car in a “unique way” especially for the Dutchman. “If you play […]
Steiner expects Binotto to return to F1
Mar.1 (GMM) Gunther Steiner thinks his friend Mattia Binotto will return to Formula 1. The pair, who worked closely together amid Ferrari and Haas’ technical alliance, were depicted driving through Italian wine country at the opening of Netflix’s latest F1 series. So when asked about Binotto’s next move in the wake of his ousting at […]