Mar.2 (GMM) Lance Stroll has travelled to Bahrain ahead of this weekend’s 2023 season opener. The Canadian, whose father Lawrence owns the team, sat out pre-season testing for Aston Martin last week after a reported mountain biking fall in Spain. But according to Sky Italia, he successfully underwent surgery for a wrist injury and late […]
Steiner denies ‘bullying’ axed Schumacher
Mar.2 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has denied “bullying” ousted Haas driver Mick Schumacher. Prior to their Formula 1 split, it was clear that relations between team boss Steiner and 23-year-old Schumacher were strained. But the extent of the difficulties only became clearer in the latest edition of Drive To Survive on Netflix, with phone calls between […]
Wolff denies Mercedes still ‘porpoising’
Mar.2 (GMM) Toto Wolff has hit back at claims from the Red Bull camp that Mercedes’ new car is affected by ‘porpoising’. Last year, the former championship-dominant team struggled throughout the season as Formula 1’s new ‘ground effect’ era began. The biggest problem was the phenomenon described as ‘porpoising’ or jumping, caused by a constant […]
Liberty Media turned off F1’s German market
Mar.2 (GMM) Formula 1’s new “Hollywood recipe” is a turn-off for German fans, according to the sport’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Just days before the 2023 season begins in Bahrain, not only is Nico Hulkenberg now the only German driver, there are no more German races – and Bahrain will not even be on free-to-air […]
Hamilton should only have six titles – Ecclestone
Mar.2 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton should only have six world championships, according to Bernie Ecclestone. Actually, many fans of the seven time drivers’ title winner think Hamilton, 38, actually deserves eight championships – due to the highly controversial outcome of the 2021 season. But as far as former F1 supremo Ecclestone is concerned, it is Michael […]
Journalist triggered Alpha Tauri sale rumours
Mar.2 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks rumours about Alpha Tauri’s potential sale were triggered by a single journalist. The Faenza based team, which like the premier outfit Red Bull Racing is also owned by the energy drink company, has now taken the step of issuing an official statement to deny the rumours. In the statement, […]
Hulkenberg defends Schumacher family’s silence
Mar.1 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has defended the ongoing decision of Michael Schumacher’s family to keep the details of his health condition secret. Eddie Jordan, who was the seven time world champion and F1 legend’s first boss in Formula 1, caused a stir this week by suggesting the 54-year-old is severely brain damaged. “It can’t be […]
De Vries learns lesson about F1 media
Mar.1 (GMM) Nyck de Vries says he is already learning lessons about Formula 1’s global media environment. For instance, he commented at the Bahrain test that one of his biggest problems was that – following a wash – his new Alpine suit had shrunk and no longer fit him. It is believed the suit manufacturer […]
Teams must be ‘careful’ with Netflix details
Mar.1 (GMM) Formula 1 teams may need to wise up about how Netflix puts together the sport’s official series Drive To Survive. With Max Verstappen returning to the newly-released season 5 following his boycott, it was hoped the new season would please some of F1’s more critical ‘purist’ fans. Esteban Ocon, however, broke that illusion […]
Hulkenberg not ‘nervous’ before F1 comeback
Mar.1 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg is feeling relaxed ahead of his return to Formula 1 racing this weekend in Bahrain. The 35-year-old, who is the same age as the newly-retired fellow German Sebastian Vettel, has been brought back into F1 as Mick Schumacher’s replacement at Haas. “It’s like riding a bike,” Hulkenberg smiled after his three-year […]
Vettel ‘done’ with Formula 1 – Ecclestone
Mar.1 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has shot down rumours already linking the newly-retired Sebastian Vettel with a return to Formula 1. Aston Martin has already ruled the quadruple world champion out of contention to replace the injured Lance Stroll in Bahrain, but boss Mike Krack admitted that there were talks. When asked if those talks would […]
Vasseur tipped to succeed as Ferrari boss
Mar.1 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone expects Frederic Vasseur to succeed as Ferrari’s new team boss. Vasseur moved from Sauber to the fabled Maranello team over the winter to replace Mattia Binotto after Ferrari’s sequence of errors in 2022. Ecclestone, the 92-year-old former F1 supremo, told Sport1: “At Ferrari, you need someone who works without emotion, who […]
Red Bull ‘solution’ should help Perez
Mar.1 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits that Sergio Perez requires a “more docile” Formula 1 car compared to back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen. It comes as Alex Albon, who lost his seat alongside Verstappen to Mexican Perez, alleged that Red Bull tunes its car in a “unique way” especially for the Dutchman. “If you play […]
Steiner expects Binotto to return to F1
Mar.1 (GMM) Gunther Steiner thinks his friend Mattia Binotto will return to Formula 1. The pair, who worked closely together amid Ferrari and Haas’ technical alliance, were depicted driving through Italian wine country at the opening of Netflix’s latest F1 series. So when asked about Binotto’s next move in the wake of his ousting at […]
F1 trio ponders retirement for Hamilton
Mar.1 (GMM) Three former Formula 1 drivers are wondering if Lewis Hamilton may be edging towards retirement. Recently, Toto Wolff said contract talks with the 38-year-old are imminent. But 2009 world champion Jenson Button, who was the seven time world champion’s teammate at McLaren, wonders whether the delayed talks are because Hamilton is waiting to […]
Alpha Tauri sale makes ‘no sense’ – Schumacher
Feb.28 (GMM) Simply getting an official Formula 1 team entry could cost Andretti a staggering $600 million – and even well in excess of $740 million. The sport’s existing teams are believed to be pushing the FIA to increase the current $200 million entry fee for new teams up to $600 million. It comes as […]
Iconic Barcelona corners return in 2023
Feb.28 (GMM) The Spanish GP this year will be more spectacular this year with the return of the iconic final two fast right-hand corners. The current slow chicane was introduced in 2007 for safety reasons, with the Circuit de Catalunya saying it was “due to the proximity of the barriers and because the run-off was […]
F1 champion Verstappen lost 10kg over winter
Feb.28 (GMM) Max Verstappen put on, and then lost again, an astonishing 10 kilograms over the winter break. Observers at the Bahrain test noticed the back-to-back title winner looking particularly slim. The 25-year-old Dutchman admitted he put on weight over Christmas, with De Telegraaf newspaper reporting that he then lost the entire 10 kilos in […]
Stroll boards flight for simulator return
Feb.28 (GMM) Lance Stroll boarded a flight to Britain on Monday. It comes after Aston Martin boss Mike Krack said the next step in his recovery from unspecified wrist and hand injuries would be a session on the simulator at the team’s Silverstone factory. Krack has decided that if the 24-year-old Canadian is unable to […]
Ferrari could ‘annoy Red Bull’ in 2023 – Wurz
Feb.28 (GMM) In the few days between pre-season testing and the season opening race at the same Bahrain circuit, experts and pundits are busily predicting the likely pecking order. Alex Wurz, chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and a former Formula 1 driver himself, thinks Ferrari is looking “similar to last year”. “They can […]