Sep.6 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he is hoping to secure Ferrari’s support in his push to overturn the result of the 2008 world championship. The Brazilian’s lawyers have given Formula 1 and the FIA only days to properly respond to their legal threats over the famous ‘crashgate’ scandal. Massa, now 42, was racing for Ferrari […]
Marko hits back at Wolff’s ‘Wikipedia’ jibe
Sep.6 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he will start taking Toto Wolff seriously again once Mercedes returns to being a “serious rival”. As well as being showered with boos by the Monza crowd last weekend, Verstappen’s new all-time record for ten race wins in succession was played down by Wolff. Wolff said it was a […]
Verstappen, Hamilton did not ‘build’ F1 teams – Alonso
Sep.6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has hit back at Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s claims that Red Bull ‘built’ a winning team especially around Max Verstappen. Rather, the former two-time champion says F1’s last two dominant drivers – Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton – simply lucked into their winning cars just as the regulations changed. “Hamilton and […]
Has flexi-wing clampdown hurt Aston Martin? – report
Sep.6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he is determined to get Aston Martin back ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ world championship. The Silverstone based team had a poor outing at Monza, triggering new rumours the problem could be the FIA’s new clampdown on flexible wings. “It’s not something that affects us,” said Red Bull’s Christian […]
Sainz’s father hints at unequal Ferrari treatment
Sep.6 (GMM) Carlos Sainz’s father has suggested Ferrari treats his son differently compared to teammate Charles Leclerc. At Monza last weekend, boss Frederic Vasseur told the drivers that they should not take risks as Leclerc, in fourth, chased Spaniard Sainz for the podium. However, Leclerc then battled the sister Ferrari wheel-to-wheel, with Sainz emerging with […]
No F1 budget cap cheats found – FIA
Sep.6 (GMM) All ten teams have been shown the green light by Formula 1’s budget cap police. Recently, with Red Bull and Aston Martin found in breach last year, it was rumoured that up to three teams were once again under close scrutiny by the FIA for potentially overspending. The governing body’s auditors even carried […]
Ricciardo likely to sit out two more F1 races
Sep.5 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo will definitely sit out a third consecutive grand prix next weekend – and probably another one after that. That is the claim of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, when asked about the status of Australian Ricciardo’s recovery from a broken hand sustained in practice at the recent Dutch GP. He […]
Norris’ long McLaren deal ‘unfortunate’ – Marko
Sep.5 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits it’s ‘unfortunate’ that Lando Norris’ McLaren contract has ruled him out of contention for a Red Bull seat for now. Marko, fellow Red Bull chief Christian Horner and Norris’ paddock friend Max Verstappen have mentioned 23-year-old Briton Norris’ name in connection with a race seat multiple times recently. The […]
Son sent Ferrari the right message at Monza – Sainz snr
Sep.5 (GMM) Carlos Sainz’s famous father says his Ferrari-racing son sent the Maranello team the best possible message at Monza last weekend. Amid uncertainty about whether Sainz, 29, will be offered a new Ferrari contract for 2025 and beyond, his father and rally legend Carlos Sainz snr told a specialist publication that Audi may be […]
Wolff to skip Japanese GP to have knee surgery
Sep.5 (GMM) Toto Wolff has announced that, a week after the forthcoming Singapore GP, he will not be joining Formula 1 as the sport makes the long haul to Japan. A couple of years ago, the Mercedes boss said that because of the ever-longer F1 calendars, he will “start to skip a few races”. He […]
Drivers concerned about long-term F1 injuries
Sep.4 (GMM) Some Formula 1 drivers are pushing for rule changes to reduce the risk of long-term back injuries. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz broke the news at Monza by telling reporters that he and some of his fellow drivers want to trigger a conversation about making the F1 cars much less stiff in future. “The cars […]
Governments must rescue Italian GP with ‘guarantee’
Sep.4 (GMM) Governments must intervene to rescue the embattled and historic Italian GP at Monza. Although he’s Italian, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali warned at the weekend that he is under pressure to make room on the bloated race calendar for new, non-European venues. “The level of supply is rising,” he said, “so the real issue […]
‘No hope’ of Michael Schumacher recovery – Benoit
Sep.4 (GMM) One of F1’s longest-serving and most respected journalists has a sad update about his friend Michael Schumacher. 74-year-old Roger Benoit, who has written for decades about Formula 1 for the Swiss newspaper Blick, has known the great German since his debut in 1991. He says Schumacher even gifted him the yellow Benetton overalls […]
Sainz battled watch thieves in Milan after Italian GP
Sep.4 (GMM) Carlos Sainz had an unwanted and exciting end to his strong performance at the Italian GP. After fighting hard against his teammate Charles Leclerc and even Max Verstappen’s ultra-dominant Red Bull at Monza, the Spaniard was attacked by muggers at his hotel in Milan, the Armani hotel, in the evening. Spanish and Italian-language […]
Perez admits he may need to seek Red Bull ‘alternatives’
Sep.4 (GMM) Sergio Perez has admitted that, even with a sealed 2024 contract in his pocket, there remains a possibility that he will have to look around for a new team. The Mexican has been warned by Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko that, given his recent performance slump, he has no firm “job guarantee” even […]
Hulkenberg steps up criticism of own Haas team
Sep.4 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has stepped up the critique of the team he races for in Formula 1. The 35-year-old German returned to F1 this year with Haas, and recently signed a new deal to stay with the small American team in 2024. But it is also clear that his patience with the current car […]
Verstappen can win every other race in 2023 – Marko
Sep.4 (GMM) Max Verstappen was “quite nervous” on Sunday before securing his tenth consecutive Formula 1 race win – an outright record in the sport’s history. That is the claim of Dr Helmut Marko, although Dutchman Verstappen smiled in response: “I wasn’t nervous”. But after the chequered flag, Red Bull’s Marko had claimed: “Max was […]
Wolff admits F1 return unlikely for Mick Schumacher
Sep.3 (GMM) Toto Wolff has confirmed that the doors to a Formula 1 return for Mick Schumacher appear to all be locked shut for now. Axed Haas driver Schumacher, 24, kept his F1 aspirations alive this year by signing up as the Wolff-managed reserve driver at Mercedes. But the young German admitted at Monza that […]
Teen backed by Alonso and Marko on road to F1
Sep.3 (GMM) A young Spanish driver is making all the right allies in his push for a career in Formula 1. Pepe Marti, a frontrunner in the F1 support series FIA Formula 3 this year, has just been signed up by Dr Helmut Marko for Red Bull’s renowned junior program. The 18-year-old Spaniard was already […]
Re-signing Magnussen not ‘sentimental’ – boss
Sep.3 (GMM) Haas still has faith in Kevin Magnussen despite the Danish driver’s current slump. The small American outfit surprised some observers by recently re-signing the 30-year-old team veteran even though he has been humbled by the older F1 returnee Nico Hulkenberg so far in 2023. But boss Gunther Steiner says Haas still believes in […]