May 23 (GMM) Team engineering boss Luca Furbatto insists Aston Martin’s 2023 car is not a “copy” of the dominant Red Bull. Aston Martin stunned the Formula 1 paddock this year by emerging as the most competitive team after Red Bull – ahead of usual top teams Mercedes and Ferrari. Some have alleged that the […]
Massa pushing ahead with ‘crashgate’ legal action
May 22 (GMM) Felipe Massa is pushing ahead with plans to sue Formula 1 authorities in order to be declared 2008 world champion. Lewis Hamilton’s first world title has always been under a cloud due to the ‘crashgate’ scandal – where Fernando Alonso won the Singapore GP after his Renault teammate Nelson Piquet deliberately crashed. […]
‘B’ car success to be unclear in Monaco – Wolff
May 22 (GMM) Mercedes will still be in the dark about the success or failure of its “complete revamp” for the struggling 2023 car concept after this weekend’s Monaco GP. Unlike Ferrari, who have put a new rear suspension layout back in the luggage after the Imola GP cancellation, Mercedes is pushing ahead with the […]
Leclerc still ‘fighting’ amid Ferrari ‘pressure’
May 22 (GMM) Charles Leclerc admits he is under pressure at Ferrari to perform. Many think the 25-year-old Monegasque is as fast in raw terms as back-to-back reigning world champion Max Verstappen. The difference, they say, is Leclerc’s mistakes. “Somehow he makes a mistake every weekend,” said former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher. 1996 world champion […]
Williams boss says Sargeant must start ‘delivering’
May 22 (GMM) Just like Nyck de Vries, fellow Formula 1 rookie Logan Sargeant is already under pressure to keep his race seat. Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko has admitted Alpha Tauri newcomer de Vries, after a difficult start to 2023, will come under intense scrutiny now that the sport has returned to more familiar […]
Franz Tost wanted to sign Mick Schumacher – Ralf
May 19 (GMM) Departing Alpha Tauri boss Franz Tost would have preferred to sign Mick Schumacher for the 2023 season, according to the German driver’s uncle Ralf. Rumours are now swirling around the future of 28-year-old rookie Nyck de Vries, with Red Bull top official Dr Helmut Marko giving him just three more races to […]
Monaco organisers expect no delays after Imola axe
May 19 (GMM) Organisers of next weekend’s Monaco GP are not worried the situation in flood-affected Imola will impact the event on the fabled streets of Monte Carlo. It is just a 500 kilometre road trip for the Formula 1 teams from Imola, where this weekend’s event was cancelled, to Monaco. However, only a limited […]
Mercedes ‘listen’ to Hamilton about cockpit position
May 19 (GMM) While Ferrari has delayed the much-awaited debut of new rear suspension for its 2023 car, Mercedes is pushing ahead with its major upgrades. Both teams had intended to unveil their key developments at the now-cancelled Imola GP, with Ferrari concluding that Monaco is too risky a venue for that debut now. But […]
F1 might struggle to get to Monaco – Codello
May 18 (GMM) The Formula 1 world might struggle to get from Imola to Monaco in time for next weekend’s grand prix. That is the warning of the director of operations of the F1 support series Formula 2, Marco Codello, following the decision to cancel this weekend’s rounds at Imola due to local flooding. Earlier, […]
Horner hits out at ‘insane’ F1 calendar
May 18 (GMM) Formula 1’s 23-race calendar is “insane”, according to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. Actually, this year’s schedule was originally supposed to be 24 grands prix – but due to China’s handling of the covid situation, the Shanghai round was once again cancelled. Now, the calendar has shrunk again to 22 races […]
‘Obvious’ Verstappen will win third title – Schumacher
May 18 (GMM) It is “obvious” that Max Verstappen will win a third consecutive drivers’ world championship in 2023. That is the view of former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher, who thinks the foundation of 25-year-old Verstappen’s current dominance was laid when he was a child. “Upbringing plays a big role,” the German told ran.de. […]
Axed Imola GP ’99pc’ likely for 2026 re-run
May 18 (GMM) It is “99 percent” certain that the newly-cancelled Imola GP will not be rescheduled in 2023. Amid a regional flooding disaster, and with the F1 television compound and Formula 2 and Formula 3 support paddocks under water, Stefano Domenicali made the call in conjunction with local organisers and authorities. “We are sorry […]
F1 teams support Imola GP cancellation – Domenicali
May 18 (GMM) This weekend’s grand prix at Imola has been cancelled. After Formula 1 team personnel were evacuated from the paddock on Tuesday amid flooding around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, they were then asked not to return on Wednesday. That was because parts of the circuit itself began to quite seriously flood. […]
McLaren hoping new wind tunnel ends aero woes
May 17 (GMM) McLaren is hoping its imminent move into a brand new wind tunnel will put the Formula 1 team back on track. It has been a lacklustre start to the famous Woking-based team’s 2023 campaign, with CEO Zak Brown admitting the main problem is “too much drag”. “We need to create downforce without […]
Ferrari admits trying to poach Adrian Newey
May 17 (GMM) The son of Ferrari’s infamous founder Enzo Ferrari has admitted Adrian Newey turned down multiple offers to move to the Maranello-based team. Piero Ferrari, the 77-year-old vice chairman of the fabled Italian company, admits the 2023 season has not started well for the Scuderia. “Of course not,” he told Italy’s Autosprint. “But […]
‘Looks like’ F1 heading to Madrid – Agag
May 17 (GMM) Reports that Madrid is gearing up to host Formula 1 in the future are more than unsubstantiated rumours. That is the view of Alejandro Agag, boss of the all-electric series Formula E. There is no doubt that plans are afoot for street circuit in the Spanish capital that hopes to secure a […]
Flooding threatens running of Imola GP
May 17 (GMM) A giant rain cloud has moved above this weekend’s running of the grand prix at Imola. Multiple international journalists report that they were asked to evacuate the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit on Tuesday due to the risk of the nearby Santerna river breaking its banks. “Sky (Deutschland) employees report […]
Axed Russian GP still seeking F1 fee refund
May 16 (GMM) Promoters of the axed Russian GP are still asking Formula 1 to return the race fee for 2022. The race at Sochi, and the remainder of the Russian GP contract, was terminated unilaterally by F1 at the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. “They owe us money,” promoter Alexey Titov told the […]
F1 should allow spending outside budget cap – Alpine
May 16 (GMM) Otmar Szafnauer says Renault-owned Alpine is pushing hard to up its game in Formula 1. Recently, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi pointed the finger directly at Szafnauer for a lacklustre start to the season for the Enstone and Viry-based team. The comments coincided with rumours that Rossi was in Miami for the most […]
Italian govt wants both Imola and Monza on F1 calendar
May 16 (GMM) Italy’s deputy prime minister says the government is determined to keep both Imola and Monza on the Formula 1 calendar. This weekend, the sport is gathering at Imola – ahead of F1’s return to the country in September for the fabled Italian GP at Monza. Imola and Monza have separate contracts to […]