Aug.27 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has played down fears about the future of the highly popular Dutch GP – even though he admits it may cease to be run every year. Zandvoort’s contract with Formula 1 runs only until 2025, with circuit director Robert van Overdijk admitting this weekend that negotiations about the future may be […]
F1 CEO defends utter Verstappen dominance
Aug.27 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has defended Max Verstappen’s utter dominance of the sport this year. The Red Bull driver’s closest challenger in Zandvoort qualifying was Lando Norris, whose McLaren was half a second adrift. When asked if he was surprised at the big gap, Norris said: “No, no. It’s never a surprise anymore. […]
Zhou, Sargeant struggling to keep F1 seats
Aug.26 (GMM) Two current Formula 1 drivers are struggling to hang onto their race cockpits for 2024. One of them is Guanyu Zhou, despite the Alfa Romeo driver declaring at Zandvoort that he was “a lot more nervous” about his contractual situation a year ago. “We’ve been talking together before the summer shutdown and we […]
‘Crashgate’ legal action not against Hamilton – Massa
Aug.26 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he has “nothing against” Lewis Hamilton even though he wants the 2008 world championship to be taken away from his former F1 rival. At Zandvoort, Hamilton was asked about the news that former Ferrari driver Massa’s lawyers have written to Formula 1 authorities warning of legal action over the ‘crashgate’ […]
Bottas ‘of course’ eyeing Audi deal for 2026
Aug.26 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is not hiding his desire to remain at Sauber as the Swiss team transitions to its works Audi future. Some observers have been wondering if the experienced Finn, a former race winner at Mercedes, has been impressive enough at Sauber – currently known as Alfa Romeo – this year to secure […]
New Mercedes deal ‘just taking time’ – Hamilton
Aug.26 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that speculation during the summer break that his Mercedes contract has finally been signed for 2024 was wide of the mark. “No,” the seven time world champion said clearly when asked about the rumours by Italian reporters at Zandvoort. Hamilton has even been linked with Carlos Sainz’s seat at […]
Marko hits back at Verstappen speeding controversy
Aug.26 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hit back at the controversy surrounding a video of Max Verstappen speeding on a motorway at the wheel of the Adrian Newey-penned Valkyrie supercar. Some reports suggest that French police have not ruled out prosecuting Red Bull’s dominant world championship leader. “Max always has stories like this going on,” […]
Dutch GP every two years a possibility – boss
Aug.26 (GMM) It is possible Zandvoort will have to settle for hosting a Dutch GP once every two years. The highly popular event has an annual contract only until 2025 – and circuit director Robert van Overdijk admits that talks with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali may not be straightforward. “Whether we still prefer to […]
No Red Bull return for de Vries – Horner
Aug.26 (GMM) Nyck de Vries will not re-fire his Formula 1 career with Red Bull. That is the clear message from Christian Horner, who admits he was never supportive of Dr Helmut Marko’s decision to sign de Vries to Alpha Tauri for 2023. The 28-year-old Dutchman has now been ousted for poor performance and replaced […]
Ricciardo pledges rest of career to Red Bull
Aug.26 (GMM) Just before breaking his hand at Zandvoort, Daniel Ricciardo pledged the rest of his Formula 1 career to Red Bull. The Australian, 33, met with Dr Helmut Marko in Graz during the summer break – just a few days before Marko suddenly started to indicate that Sergio Perez’s place at Red Bull Racing […]
Ricciardo may need surgery after crash – Tost
Aug.26 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo may need to undergo surgery for a broken bone in his left hand. The Australian, who was only a few races into his return to Formula 1 and linked with a sensational promotion back to Red Bull Racing in 2024, crashed during practice at Zandvoort. “There was little he could do […]
Father may ‘worry’ about Stroll’s F1 future
Aug.25 (GMM) Eyebrows were raised in the Zandvoort paddock on Thursday when Lance Stroll bowed out of his media duties. A Le Journal de Montreal correspondent spotted the Canadian with a bandage beneath his ear, as Aston Martin explained that Stroll skipped speaking to the press because he is “recovering from an infection”. “He is […]
Leclerc scoffs at $200m Ferrari deal rumours
Aug.25 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has scoffed at wild rumours that emerged during Formula 1’s August break that he had signed an enormous new $200 million Ferrari contract. “It sounds like a good contract,” the Monegasque laughed when asked about the rumours at Zandvoort. “But no, there were no new deals and no discussions at all,” […]
Palou hits $30 million roadblock on road to F1
Aug.25 (GMM) Dominant Indycar driver Alex Palou’s road to Formula 1 has hit a $30 million roadblock. The Indianapolis Star reports that McLaren, who signed to switch to the marque’s Indycar team only to renege and stay at Chip Ganassi, is now being sued by McLaren to the tune of a rumoured $20-30 million. McLaren […]
‘No reason’ for Haas to dump Magnussen – Steiner
Aug.25 (GMM) Gunther Steiner admits he never even contemplated parting with current Haas team lineup Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen for 2024. F1 pundit Marc Surer recently said Hulkenberg’s strong return to Formula 1 this year was “ruining” team incumbent Magnussen’s career. However, the pair have both been re-signed for next season. “I think we […]
Perez not ‘100pc certain’ for 2024 – Marko
Aug.25 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits it is not “100 percent certain” that Sergio Perez will still be in a Red Bull car in 2024. Kleine Zeitung newspaper in Austria is reporting that, during Formula 1’s August break, Daniel Ricciardo travelled to Graz to catch up with Marko. That is despite the fact that Mexican […]
Vasseur ‘knows nothing’ about Hamilton contract
Aug.24 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur says he wants to negotiate with both of Ferrari’s current drivers before the end of the current season. Both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are under contract until the end of 2024, but it is Spaniard Sainz who is pushing hardest for talks. “That’s why we’re going to sit down with […]
Ferrari not supporting Massa’s 2008 title push
Aug.24 (GMM) Ferrari’s boss says he is not supportive of a push by Felipe Massa to be declared world champion. Massa, now retired, was racing a Ferrari in 2008 when Renault’s Nelson Piquet deliberately crashed during the Singapore GP. Ex-F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone admitted recently that the sport’s authorities knew about the deliberate act of […]
Max, not car, key to Red Bull dominance – Marko
Aug.24 (GMM) Max Verstappen is the component of Red Bull’s Formula 1 package that really makes the difference. That is the view of the team’s Dr Helmut Marko, who at the age of 80 is declaring that he sees no reason to step down any time soon. “As long as I am in good mental […]
Teams unclear over rookie rule approach in 2023
Aug.24 (GMM) How Formula 1 teams will handle a rule about using rookie drivers in practice sessions this season is unclear. It is now known that, to comply with the regulations requiring every race driver on the grid to give up his car on an official Friday, Robert Shwartzman will take the wheel of Carlos […]