Nov.12 (GMM) Theo Pourchaire appears to be in pole position for a future at Sauber, with the team set to be majority-controlled by Audi by 2026. Team boss Frederic Vasseur said recently that it’s too early to discuss who the first works Audi driver will be. “For sure we have Valtteri (Bottas) on board, we […]
Verstappen, Sky end F1 boycott spat
Nov.12 (GMM) Formula 1 broadcaster Sky and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen have declared that their spat and boycott are now over. In Mexico, the energy drink owned team back its driver and imposed a boycott of Sky’s British, Italian and German coverage of the sport, with world champion Verstappen hitting out at arguably biased recent […]
Magnussen pole is more bad news for Schumacher
Nov.12 (GMM) Mick Schumacher did his chances of a new Haas contract no help at Interlagos by qualifying by qualifying dead last for the sprint race. Even worse for the 23-year-old German, his Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen stunned the Formula 1 world by achieving his and the team’s first ever pole position – helped, of […]
Wolff reignites F1 driver salary cap talk
Nov.12 (GMM) Just as Lewis Hamilton pushes for a new Mercedes contract, his boss has re-fired the conversation about the need for a drivers’ salary cap. Seven time world champion Hamilton is still the highest earner in Formula 1 – although new back-to-back title winner Max Verstappen is now close with their approximate $40 million […]
Ecclestone misses the ‘old’ Sebastian Vettel
Nov.11 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he misses the ‘old’ version of Sebastian Vettel. Indeed, in the German driver’s formative years in Formula 1, he was famously close to the now-former F1 supremo. “He has changed,” the 92-year-old told RTL. “When I first met him, he was a little boy. Very shy and very polite,” Ecclestone […]
Two major sponsors set to leave F1
Nov.11 (GMM) Two major sponsors in Formula 1 look set to exit the sport. Mercedes has confirmed that, at least this weekend in Brazil, the logos of collapsing cryptocurrency exchange FTX will remain on the car. It is also reported that Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, is set to leave Formula 1 after failing to agree […]
Capito ‘fine’ with Red Bull’s budget cap penalty
Nov.11 (GMM) Jost Capito says he is ready to move on from this year’s budget cap saga. Red Bull was fined $7 million and docked 10 percent of its wind tunnel time for the next year after being found to have spent more than allowed last year. Key rivals blasted the team for the transgression […]
Schumacher hits back at Ecclestone’s F1 advice
Nov.11 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has rejected former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s advice that he “forget Formula 1” and move on to “other categories”. 92-year-old Ecclestone also told RTL that he thinks the 23-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher is about to lose his seat at Haas. The small American team had been tipped to […]
Alonso targets Aston Martin title in 2023
Nov.11 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he will be charging for his third Formula 1 drivers’ world championship next year – in an Aston Martin. Having bemoaned his poor car reliability record with Renault-owned Alpine this year, the 41-year-old Spaniard is switching to Aston Martin for 2023 to replace fellow former world champion Sebastian Vettel. “I […]
F1 considers sprint format tweak for 2023
Nov.11 (GMM) Formula 1’s ‘sprint race’ weekend format could be shaken up for 2023. This year and last, there were three sprint race weekends per season – with qualifying on Friday setting the order for a short race on Saturday. The results of the sprint then set the grid for Sunday’s main grand prix. And […]
Talks underway to tweak F1 license penalty system
Nov.11 (GMM) Talks are taking place about tweaking the ‘penalty points’ system in Formula 1. Pierre Gasly has been warned by his 2023 team, Alpine, to be “careful” over the next two races as he is dangerous close to a mandatory one-race ban on his F1 super license. “I’m not going to lie, it’s a […]
Alpha Tauri to ‘buy’ less Red Bull parts
Nov.10 (GMM) Alpha Tauri says it wants to make more of its own Formula 1 car components rather than simply taking as much as possible from Red Bull. The current rules allow teams to buy certain ‘customer’ parts from other teams, which Red Bull-owned Alpha Tauri has traditionally exploited to the full. But with the […]
Fittipaldi backs Alonso over Hamilton spat
Nov.10 (GMM) F1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi has sided with Fernando Alonso over a recent spat with Lewis Hamilton. Two-time champion Alonso recently suggested that Max Verstappen’s back-to-back titles were worth more than many of Hamilton’s seven world championships. “I have a lot of respect for Lewis, but still it is different when you win seven […]
Schumacher still in running for Williams seat
Nov.10 (GMM) Williams has emerged as a potential lifeline for the endangered Formula 1 career of Mick Schumacher. It is now widely believed that, after two seasons together, Haas will replace the 23-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher with another German, Nico Hulkenberg, for 2023. An announcement is now expected after the Brazilian GP. […]
Rivals back Hamilton staying in F1
Nov.9 (GMM) Two of Lewis Hamilton’s key rivals have backed his decision to keep racing in Formula 1 beyond 2023. In recent weeks and days, both Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and seven time world champion Hamilton, 37, have indicated a new contract will soon be negotiated. “The truth is, I find it exciting,” said George […]
Latifi admits ‘passion’ not high in 2022
Nov.9 (GMM) Nicholas Latifi admits to having mixed feelings about the looming end of his Formula 1 career. The Canadian has lost his seat after a third year with Williams, and says he is “still evaluating” what his next move will be. “Indycar is a category I am thinking about,” the 27-year-old told the Dutch […]
Renault CEO says Alpine wants F1 title shot by 2026
Nov.9 (GMM) Alpine aims to fight for the world championship by 2026, according to team owner Renault’s CEO Luca de Meo. It has been a mixed second season under Alpine branding for the Enstone based team, with Fernando Alonso leaving for Aston Martin and bemoaning his series of reliability problems. The team also lost its […]
Schumacher set to lose Haas seat – Ecclestone
Nov.9 (GMM) Mick Schumacher doubts Mick Schumacher will hang onto his Haas seat in 2023. The German broadcaster RTL now predicts that the small American team will not complete its lineup for next year until after this weekend’s Brazilian GP. But most pundits expect the news will be about 35-year-old Nico Hulkenberg’s full-time return to […]
FIA president says social media may ‘destroy’ F1
Nov.9 (GMM) Social media has the potential to “destroy” Formula 1, according to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Anyone who has been on social media in recent months will attest to the toxic atmosphere, which according to Ben Sulayem took the form of death threats against FIA steward Silvia Bellot recently. “Indeed a number of […]
F1 can cope with global recession – Domenicali
Nov.9 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali thinks Formula 1 can weather a forthcoming global recession. The sport’s revenues have recently dropped, but Liberty Media says that is due to factors like the axing of the Russian GP. “The attendance increase is just magnificent in terms of what Formula 1 is bringing mainly to new audiences,” […]