Dec.9 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has lost his de-facto status as Mercedes’ ‘number 1’ driver in Formula 1. That is the view of Sascha Roos, the long-time commentator for Sky Deutschland’s coverage of the sport. For 2022, Mercedes replaced Hamilton’s teammate of the previous five years – Valtteri Bottas – with the younger charger George Russell. […]
Haas wrong to oust Schumacher – Grosjean
Dec.9 (GMM) Former Haas driver Romain Grosjean thinks the small American team should have kept Mick Schumacher for 2023. At the end of 2020, just after his near-fatal fiery crash in Bahrain, Frenchman Grosjean – now in Indycar – was ousted by Haas as the team replaced the existing lineup with rookies Schumacher and Nikita […]
Red Bull says ‘no’ to Verstappen MotoGP test
Dec.9 (GMM) Red Bull has blocked Max Verstappen from trying his hand at the controls of a MotoGP bike. At the recent end-of-year Honda ‘thanks day’ at Motegi in Japan, the reigning back-to-back Formula 1 champion met up with MotoGP star Marc Marquez and sat on his Honda two-wheeler. “I love watching MotoGP and I […]
New 2025 Dutch GP deal ‘not an easy decision’
Dec.9 (GMM) Extending the contract with Formula 1 to keep the Dutch GP on the calendar until 2025 was in fact “not an easy decision”. That is the revelation of Zandvoort circuit director Robert van Overdijk, even though F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is delighted with the news that one of the most popular grands prix […]
Abiteboul inches closer to F1 return
Dec.8 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul may be inching closer to his return to Formula 1. The 45-year-old Frenchman was team boss not only at Caterham until 2014 but more recently at Renault – although his tenure ended with the team’s switch to Alpine branding. Last year, Abiteboul re-emerged as motorsport advisor at Formula 2 engine supplier […]
Max Verstappen eyes Le Mans after F1 retirement
Dec.8 (GMM) Max Verstappen has dropped another hint that he may retire from Formula 1 at the youthful age of just 31. The reigning and back-to-back drivers’ world champion admits that – like former Le Mans winner Fernando Alonso – he is also eyeing the biggest prize in endurance sports car racing in the future. […]
Alonso ‘the same’ as in Minardi days – de la Rosa
Dec.8 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is “exactly the same” as he was at McLaren in 2007, according to fellow Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa. The pair worked together at both McLaren and Ferrari, but they are now reuniting yet again as de la Rosa takes on a non-driving role at Aston Martin. “He is ten years […]
McLaren happy with team’s budget cap management
Dec.8 (GMM) Andreas Seidl is proud of the way McLaren handled the Formula 1 budget cap so far. While Red Bull copped penalties for a minor overspend, and Aston Martin was chided for a procedural breach, McLaren boss Seidl says it was smooth sailing for the Woking based team. “We were in a position where […]
Axed Binotto not heading to Mercedes – Wolff
Dec.8 (GMM) Toto Wolff has ruled out speculation that axed Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto could be snapped up by Mercedes. It is believed one of Binotto’s final duties in his decades-long Ferrari career was Wednesday’s meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Bologna. FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem acknowledged that it was Binotto’s […]
No more F1 ban for unvaccinated people
Dec.8 (GMM) Unvaccinated members of the Formula 1 community will be able to return to the paddock in 2023. For 2022, the FIA and Formula 1 made getting fully vaccinated against covid-19 a requirement of attending grands prix. Medical car driver Alan van de Merwe and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, a pundit for the […]
Turkey also ‘in the running’ to replace China GP
Dec.7 (GMM) The president of Portugal’s automobile federation admits Portimao is not the only contender to replace the axed 2023 Chinese GP. “Portugal is not the only interested country,” Fernando Machado Ni Armorim confirmed to Lusa news agency. “Turkey is also in the running,” he added. McLaren supremo Zak Brown, meanwhile, confirmed speculation that another […]
Rookie Piastri a ‘risk’ for McLaren – Steiner
Dec.7 (GMM) McLaren is taking a “risk” by putting rookie Oscar Piastri at the wheel in 2023. It has now emerged that the 21-year-old Australian has secured his Formula 1 super license, meaning he will definitely be on the Bahrain grid. It’s the opposite of the situation at Haas, where the inexperienced Mick Schumacher was […]
Ferrari to reveal Binotto successor by Christmas
Dec.7 (GMM) Ferrari reportedly intends to reveal the identity of Mattia Binotto’s replacement as team boss by Christmas. Italian specialist publications report that the Maranello based outfit has now made a decision, with current Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur believed to be the frontrunner. Also linked with the role was McLaren boss Andreas Seidl. […]
Shwartzman has ‘several options’ for 2023
Dec.7 (GMM) Robert Shwartzman says he will stay in touch with the Formula 1 paddock next year – but also wants to get back to racing. The Russian, who switched his racing license to Israel to avoid sanction for the Ukraine conflict, served as Ferrari’s full-time reserve in 2022 in the hope of landing on […]
Horner shoots down Ferrari team boss rumours
Dec.6 (GMM) Christian Horner has shot down any lingering rumours that he may be a candidate to replace ousted Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto. The identity of Binotto’s replacement is still unclear, with one of the 53-year-old Italian’s final appointments set to be the forthcoming meeting of the World Motorsport Council in Bologna. However, Corriere […]
Verstappen has weight to lose over winter – boss
Dec.6 (GMM) Red Bull’s team boss says back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen has a few kilos to shed over the winter break. The energy drink company’s premier team, however, couldn’t be happier with the Dutchman, who dominated the 2022 season. And even with the 10 percent reduction in wind tunnel time over the next year, […]
Schumacher never considered for 2023 role – Marko
Dec.5 (GMM) Mick Schumacher was never considered for a reserve driver role at Red Bull in 2023, Dr Helmut Marko insists. Having lost his Haas race seat after two mixed seasons, 23-year-old Schumacher is now strongly linked with a test seat at Mercedes next year. “Imagine the chance he gets if one of the two […]
Alpine drivers must be ‘mature’ in 2023 – CEO
Dec.5 (GMM) Alpine’s two drivers will need to be “mature” in 2023, CEO Laurent Rossi insists. Pierre Gasly is moving from Alpha Tauri and the Red Bull family to the Renault-owned team for next year and beyond. But he is being paired with French countryman Esteban Ocon, amid reports the pair do not get along […]
F1 legend Berger linked with top Ferrari job
Dec.5 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger is being linked with the vacant top job at Ferrari’s iconic team. The 63-year-old, who had two separate stints at the wheel of the Italian team’s Formula 1 cars in the 80s and 90s, has most recently been boss of the German touring car series DTM. However, the Austrian […]
Tost admits to budget cap worries in 2022
Dec.5 (GMM) Alpha Tauri hit a development brick-wall in 2022 over fears of a budget cap breach, team boss Franz Tost has admitted. Sister team Red Bull Racing was embroiled in a budget cap scandal this year and penalised for the ‘minor’ overspend. At the same time, the junior outfit Alpha Tauri was struggling with […]