Mar.8 (GMM) Toto Wolff agrees with Red Bull’s assessment that Dan Fallows is making all the difference at Aston Martin this year. After Bahrain, where the two Red Bull drivers were accompanied on the podium by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Dr Helmut Marko pointed at the recent defection of its aerodynamics chief. “It’s true – […]
Budget cap penalty will hurt Red Bull – Domenicali
Mar.8 (GMM) Red Bull’s penalty for breaching the budget cap could hurt the team later this season. That is the view of F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who urged Ferrari’s fans not to get too downbeat about Red Bull’s utter dominance seen in Bahrain. “Red Bull demonstrated their strength,” the Italian told Sportmediaset, “but we must […]
2023 not destined to be ‘boring’
Mar.8 (GMM) Although Red Bull looked utterly unbeatable in Bahrain, the next race in Jeddah could be a different story. “I believe they will win every race this year,” a pessimistic Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told Osterreich newspaper. But not everybody thinks that. “The race was very boring because of course we want to […]
Tsunoda ‘must’ prove himself in 2023 – Marko
Mar.8 (GMM) Alpha Tauri’s current drivers are on notice to perform or risk their place in Formula 1. 2023 is 22-year-old Japanese Tsunoda’s third successive season in F1 with Red Bull’s junior team. When asked if he has to prove himself this year, Red Bull top official Dr Helmut Marko answered: “Yes, he must. “But […]
Horner should be F1 supremo – Ecclestone
Mar.8 (GMM) If Bernie Ecclestone was still running Formula 1, Christian Horner would be next in line for the sport’s top job. Ecclestone, now 92, was ousted amid the Liberty Media takeover in 2017. Former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali took over as Chase Carey’s successor in 2021, but he would not have been Ecclestone’s pick. […]
Unlike Mercedes, Ferrari sticking with ‘concept’
Mar.7 (GMM) Ferrari is sticking with its car concept despite a thorough beating at Red Bull’s hands in Bahrain. However, both the Maranello team and Mercedes appear to have fallen behind even Aston Martin at the start of the 2023 season. Mercedes has reacted by vowing to scrap the current car concept, with Auto Motor […]
Andretti admits Alpha Tauri not for sale
Mar.6 (GMM) Michael Andretti admits buying Alpha Tauri will not be the ticket to revving up his own Formula 1 team. Amid Andretti-Cadillac’s push to enter F1, it is believed the existing teams have voted essentially unanimously to see the current new-team entry fee raised from $200m to $600 million. But there are also reports […]
Wins, not title, possible for Alonso in 2023
Mar.6 (GMM) Aston Martin has taken “just the first step” on the road to ultimate victory in Formula 1, team owner Lawrence Stroll said on Sunday. Since the new green car was launched, tested and now raced, the hype has been building about what many now regard as the second fastest team behind dominant Red […]
Red Bull accuses Aston Martin of ‘copying’
Mar.6 (GMM) Red Bull thinks Aston Martin made a meteoric leap up the grid over the winter by clearing copying clear aspects of last year’s dominant car. “It’s nice to see three Red Bull cars on the podium,” Sergio Perez joked after Sunday’s season-opening Bahrain GP. The Mexican, second, was beaten by his Red Bull […]
No Audi contract talks for Schumacher yet
Mar.5 (GMM) Audi has denied that early contract talks with Mick Schumacher might already be taking place. In recent days, it was suggested that Volkswagen-owned Audi intends to put a German driver at the wheel once its takeover of Sauber is complete ahead of 2026. The only active German driver at present is 35-year-old Hulkenberg, […]
F1 drivers reject qualifying format shake-up
Mar.5 (GMM) Formula 1’s top drivers seem unimpressed with plans to spice up the qualifying format later this year. In Bahrain for the 2023 season opener, it emerged that the sport intends to debut an experimental qualifying format at Imola in late May. The format, which will be repeated at another grand prix later this […]
Stroll also broke toe in bike crash
Mar.5 (GMM) Lance Stroll has admitted that he also broke a toe in his recent mountain bike crash. The Canadian sat out pre-season testing but was back in the newly-competitive Aston Martin for the Bahrain season opener. Stroll, 24, had his wrists bandaged following surgery for a fracture and recovery from a sprain – and […]
Magnussen says Haas a ‘better fit’ for Hulkenberg
Mar.5 (GMM) Gunther Steiner is having zero regrets about controversially ousting Mick Schumacher from the Haas team. “Finally we have a standard. Nico will pull Kevin with him,” he said in Bahrain. When asked if he has no regrets about ousting Schumacher, Steiner added: “Absolutely. “I’ve just said to my chief engineer ‘It’s so nice […]
Verstappen could ‘stop’ F1 after 2028 – Marko
Mar.5 (GMM) Max Verstappen is clearly “the most important part” of Red Bull Racing. That is the frank admission of Dr Helmut Marko, who insists that while the energy drink owned team is starting 2023 as the clear favourite, the season will also be “a challenge for us”. “The main part is still to come,” […]
Pirelli to bid for next F1 contract
Mar.5 (GMM) Pirelli wants to stay in Formula 1 for several more years. In Bahrain, it emerged that the sport’s governing FIA will launch its mandatory tender process to identity a sole tyre supplier for the next period. Pirelli already has the deal until 2024, with the next tender to cover 2025, 2026, 2027 and […]
Marko tips Mercedes to change direction ‘soon’
Mar.5 (GMM) Mercedes is at risk of falling out of Formula 1’s top three teams, Dr Helmut Marko has warned. “(Fernando) Alonso will annoy Mercedes if they don’t do something soon,” said Red Bull’s mercurial sporting boss after qualifying in Bahrain. Indeed, Alonso’s Aston Martin outpaced both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on Saturday – […]
Alonso predicts ‘very fun championship’ in 2023
Mar.5 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen says he’s not surprised that the pecking order in Formula 1 has started to converge. In Bahrain qualifying, the entire field – from Red Bull’s Verstappen to Pierre Gasly’s Alpine in dead last – was within not much more than a single second. “Not really,” the Dutchman said when […]
Mercedes admits car ‘concept’ may be scrapped
Mar.4 (GMM) Mercedes may finally be on the cusp of admitting its ‘no sidepods’ concept for the new-in-2022 ground effect regulations is a failure. Lewis Hamilton headed into the Bahrain season opener admitting that Mercedes may once again be trailing behind Red Bull and Ferrari. Now, even the Mercedes engine customer Aston Martin appears to […]
Red Bull confirms engine talks with McLaren
Mar.4 (GMM) McLaren and Red Bull officials have admitted they got together recently to discuss Formula 1 engines. Last year, McLaren supremo Zak Brown caused uproar when he wrote a letter openly accusing Red Bull of “cheating” by breaching the budget cap. But suddenly, in a new open letter, the American is backtracking. “While it […]
Massa considered suing F1 over ‘crashgate’
Mar.4 (GMM) Felipe Massa admits he thought about privately suing Formula 1 authorities for the right to be declared world champion of 2008. This week, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone stunned the sport by admitting that he knew about the 2008 ‘crashgate’ scandal long before it became public a year later. “Back then, there was […]