Jun.17 (GMM) It could be Ferrari, not Mercedes, presenting the biggest challenge in Canada to Red Bull’s 2023 victory clean-sweep. Fresh off the double-podium in Spain, the two Mercedes cars were first and second in free practice on Friday ahead of the Canadian GP. But Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko isn’t too worried about them. […]
Simple solution to make F1 cars light – Allison
Jun.17 (GMM) One F1 technical guru has a simple solution to get the hefty weight of Formula 1 cars down – just announce it. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali agree that today’s 800kg cars – some couple of hundred kilos heavier than a couple of decades ago – are far […]
Sirotkin F1 backer says Williams ‘deceived’ them
Jun.16 (GMM) Williams is in dire need of major team upgrades. That is the message not only of the former title-winning team’s new boss James Vowles, but also of a Russian billionaire by the name of Boris Rotenberg. Via his SMP Racing program, Rotenberg bankrolled Sergey Sirotkin’s single season in Formula 1 in 2018. “We […]
All-female ‘W Series’ collapses
Jun.16 (GMM) The all-female single seater category called W Series has now collapsed. Earlier in June, we reported that the series’ drivers – including Finn Emma Kimilainen – were waiting to see if the financial problems that halted the engines last year would be resolved. Kimilainen said organisers were busily looking for “millions (of dollars) […]
Don’t blame drivers for Ferrari crisis – Berger
Jun.16 (GMM) Ferrari cannot blame its current problems on the drivers, according to F1 legend and former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger. The 63-year-old Austrian had two different stints at Maranello in the 80s and again in the 90s, and he says the reason the team is lagging behind is because it lacks top personnel. “You […]
Sainz worried Alpine could overtake Ferrari
Jun.16 (GMM) Ferrari is at risk of falling behind yet another rival Formula 1 team in 2023. The fabled Maranello marque entered the season with a new team boss in Frederic Vasseur and high hopes of a title challenge. But even with a major car upgrade in Barcelona two weeks ago, Charles Leclerc qualified a […]
Verstappen banned from Nordschleife F1 laps
Jun.16 (GMM) Max Verstappen has been banned from joining fellow Red Bull world champion Sebastian Vettel in enjoying rare high-speed laps of Nurburgring’s fabled Nordschleife layout in September. The newly-retired Vettel’s laps will be in his title-winning 2011 Formula 1 car – and the decade-younger Verstappen, the world championship leader, signalled his interest in joining […]
‘100pc’ healed Stroll eyes home Canada GP podium
Jun.16 (GMM) Lance Stroll may finally be ready to go head-to-head with his on-form Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso. Heading into the Canadian GP weekend, team owner Lawrence Stroll – 24-year-old Lance’s father – suggested he would like to see both drivers on the podium in Montreal. “You never know,” Alonso smiled on Thursday. “It […]
New contract could take another ‘month’ – Hamilton
Jun.16 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has hit back at boss Toto Wolff’s claims that signatures on a 2024 contract extension may be just “days” away. Mercedes chief Wolff had even hinted that the long-delayed deal could be signed and sealed prior to the Canadian GP on Sunday. “I don’t really have a huge amount to say […]
Vettel could race at Le Mans in 2024 – reports
Jun.15 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel appears ready to re-fire his motor racing engine. The quadruple world champion retired from Formula 1 at the end of last year, but he left the door more than open to a comeback. “It’s possible that in six months I’ll go crazy, not be able to stand it on the couch […]
F1 should ‘stabilise’ exponential growth – Steiner
Jun.15 (GMM) Gunther Steiner thinks Formula 1 can ease off the pedal in terms of continuing to aggressively grow the sport. On the one hand, he is a big supporter of Liberty Media’s push into a glitzier and more American-style spectacle including new races like Las Vegas this year. But on the other, the Haas […]
Three F1 bosses play down TV ratings slump
Jun.15 (GMM) Three Formula 1 bosses think Red Bull’s utter dominance can be stopped. Amid the sport’s generally soaring popularity, the TV ratings have taken a big hit recently as Max Verstappen cruises almost unchallenged to his third consecutive drivers’ title. “People need unpredictability,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told the American broadcaster CNBC this week. […]
Steiner hits back at F1 ‘bad guy’ image
Jun.15 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has hit back at the notion that he has become a “bad guy” of Formula 1. The Haas team boss admits his personal profile and popularity has soared since his often foul-mouthed, bad-tempered antics were shown in the Netflix series Drive to Survive. He has since published a book and it […]
Toyota cries foul after Ferrari’s Le Mans win
Jun.15 (GMM) Toyota is crying foul after Ferrari won the fabled 24 hour Le Mans race last weekend after a decades-long absence. El Mundo Deportivo newspaper reports that the Japanese manufacturer is upset about a late change that was made in the world endurance championship’s ‘balance of performance’ system. The change occurred just 10 days […]
Tost weighing up new two-year F1 offer
Jun.15 (GMM) Franz Tost may not be heading into full retirement from Formula 1 just yet. Red Bull-owned Alpha Tauri announced recently that the long-time team boss is stepping down at the end of the season to be replaced by Ferrari’s Laurent Mekies. “It’s time to go. I’m 67,” the Austrian said. “I think this […]
FIA’s stance against Russian drivers ‘illegal’
Jun.15 (GMM) One of Russia’s most influential motorsport officials thinks the FIA’s stance about Russian drivers could be “illegal”. Nikita Mazepin is the highest profile example of a Formula 1 driver whose career was halted by the Ukraine crisis because of his Russian nationality – and he is still locked out of the UK and […]
Canada GP resisting F1’s date change push
Jun.14 (GMM) Organisers of the Canadian GP are resisting Formula 1’s efforts to change the time of year in which the annual race in Montreal takes place. The event at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has a contract with F1 until 2031, but that hasn’t stopped the sport’s boss Stefano Domenicali from kicking off talks about […]
‘Big risk’ of more F1 dominance beyond 2026 – Newey
Jun.14 (GMM) There is a “big risk” Formula 1 will enter another period of one team dominating all the others once the big regulation changes for 2026 take effect. World champion Max Verstappen is easily on course for a third consecutive drivers’ crown this year – but he thinks Red Bull’s dominance will ease over […]
Ferrari now ‘understands’ upgraded 2023 car
Jun.14 (GMM) An investigation into Charles Leclerc’s uncompetitive Ferrari found no significant problems with the upgraded car, according to Italian media sources. Although the Monegasque driver qualified second to last with the ‘B’ Ferrari in Barcelona and suspected a fundamental flaw, senior Ferrari engineer Jock Clear says Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s car is actually an […]
McLaren hints at new Mercedes engine deal for 2026
Jun.14 (GMM) McLaren looks set to continue its push for the front of the grid with customer Mercedes power. Recently, it was rumoured that the Woking based team flirted with teaming up with Audi for 2026 – or that top engineer Rob Marshall’s amicable move from Red Bull to McLaren was part of a future […]