Jul.28 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has grinned at rumours that Nico Hulkenberg could be a surprise contender to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Racing. The 35-year-old German has been impressive on his return to Formula 1 with Haas this year, and appears to be cruising towards a contract extension. But former F1 driver Timo […]
Marko admits ‘three teams’ risk budget cap breach
Jul.28 (GMM) Two top rival teams acknowledge that complex loopholes in the budget cap rules need to be closed by Formula 1’s authorities. The FIA last week played down rumours that, after Red Bull and Aston Martin were found in breach last year, two or three teams are once again at risk of penalties due […]
Aston Martin can’t blame Pirelli for slump – boss
Jul.28 (GMM) Team boss Mike Krack has swerved away from Fernando Alonso’s suspicion that the mid-season tyre construction change explains Aston Martin’s recent slump. Alonso, who turns 42 on Saturday, repeated his theory in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock on Thursday. “The rules changed in the middle of the year and we haven’t properly adapted to the […]
Ricciardo aims blame for career slump at McLaren
Jul.28 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo on Thursday appeared to point the finger of blame for his nightmare two seasons at McLaren squarely at the Woking based team. Dr Helmut Marko, a top Red Bull boss, says his decision to axe Nyck de Vries at the junior team Alpha Tauri and replace him with Ricciardo ultimately turned […]
Spa could be ‘easiest win’ of 2023 for Verstappen
Jul.28 (GMM) Red Bull and Max Verstappen are not ruling out an easy romp to victory this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. At the tight, twisty Hungaroring a week ago – theoretically not the best circuit for the dominant 2023 car – the Dutchman won by a whopping 33 seconds. And Red Bull top official Dr Helmut […]
Spectre of cancellation hangs over Spa GP
Jul.28 (GMM) The big buzzwords in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock as the Belgian GP weekend kicked off were rain and cancellation. The rain as already heavy on Thursday, when Pierre Gasly led a jog around the circuit in tribute to recent race driver deaths at the exit of the treacherous Eau Rouge. Contrary to speculation after […]
F1 champions split over Ricciardo comeback
Jul.27 (GMM) Two former world champions are divided over Daniel Ricciardo’s handling of his return to the Formula 1 grid. For his part, 1997 title winner Jacques Villeneuve thinks the 33-year-old Australian played a masterstroke prior to Hungary by filling the suddenly-ousted Nyck de Vries’ place at Alpha Tauri. “Daniel rested for a few months […]
Marko not worried about Spa weather forecast
Jul.27 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is not worried that forecast rain could put a halt to Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s dominance this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. Verstappen equalled the record for seven consecutive wins last time out in Hungary, while Red Bull broke an all-time record with its 12th consecutive victory. When asked about the […]
McLaren not worried about losing Norris
Jul.27 (GMM) McLaren CEO Zak Brown says he isn’t too worried about potentially losing Lando Norris after 2025. Last year, 23-year-old Norris signed a reported $100 million contract to stay with the Woking based team through 2025 – and it is believed the deal has no exit clause. But it’s paying off for now, as […]
Ferrari to add 40 new staff to F1 team
Jul.27 (GMM) Ferrari is making plans to bring a whopping 40 new team members to Maranello. The news comes hot on the heels of Corriere della Sera newspaper in Italy reporting that prominent Mercedes performance engineer Loic Serra has already been signed up – and is now commencing a lengthy ‘gardening leave’. But Corriere dello […]
No room for Mick Schumacher at Red Bull – Tost
Jul.27 (GMM) Mick Schumacher still has a future in Formula 1, according to Alpha Tauri team boss Franz Tost. Tost, who is retiring at the end of the year, actually pushed team owner Red Bull hard to sign the axed Haas driver for 2023 – but was overruled. “I stood up for Mick,” the Austrian […]
F1 CEO still not keen on Andretti green light
Jul.27 (GMM) F1’s CEO is still hinting that he may not be supportive of a push to add up to two new teams to the grid from 2025. In contrast, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is pushing hard for the grid to be expanded – especially to accommodate Michael Andretti’s Cadillac-backed bid. “We’ll wait until […]
F1 has hit rev-limiter with 24 races – CEO
Jul.27 (GMM) Formula 1 has hit its rev-limiter with the scheduled 24 races for 2024. That is the claim of the sport’s CEO Stefano Domenicali, responding to concerns from the teams that the rising number of grands prix per year is putting severe strain on staff. “There are still countries that are interested,” he told […]
Pirelli hits back at Hamilton’s tyre claims
Jul.27 (GMM) Mario Isola has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s claim that Pirelli is wasting excessive amounts of wet-weather Formula 1 tyres after every race. Hamilton was among the critics of the new and more sustainable tyre allocation system that was trialled last weekend in Hungary, as he argued that it only led to less […]
Red Ferrari in 2023 like ‘a shrimp in retreat’
Jul.26 (GMM) Ferrari’s struggles in 2023 are now becoming the subject of ridicule, as even the partisan Italian media fires shots at the fabled Maranello marque. The latest festival of poor car performance and team and driver mistakes was in Hungary, leaving the cars just seventh and eighth at the chequered flag. Corriere della Sera […]
Aston Martin admits studying latest Red Bull photos
Jul.26 (GMM) Aston Martin does not deny taking another “good look” at detailed photos of the underside of Red Bull’s dominant 2023 car. After a strong start to 2023, the Silverstone based team has now clearly lost its place as Red Bull’s closest challenger. The Spanish sports daily Marca claims that Aston Martin is reacting […]
Szafnauer denies risk of losing F1 job
Jul.26 (GMM) After horror outings at Silverstone and in Hungary, Alpine should make a two-tenth step forward this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. It was a crash that took the pair out in Hungary, but that was hot on the heels of another double DNF for Frenchmen Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly at Silverstone. The Renault-owned team […]
Hamilton poised to sign two-year Mercedes contract
Jul.26 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton appears to be on track to sign a two-year contract extension with Mercedes. In Hungary, team boss Toto Wolff revealed that while a signature is still lacking, the pair have “emotionally” completed their contract negotiations. “Can someone tell me what it means when a contract is emotionally done?” Hamilton’s former teammate […]
Green light for 11th team within ‘weeks’ – FIA boss
Jul.25 (GMM) It will still take “four to six weeks” for clarity to emerge over whether Formula 1 will be getting up to two new teams. After several groups responded to the official FIA tender, it was reported recently that two prospective new teams – Andretti-Cadillac and Hitech – may already have been green-lighted by […]
F1 return for de Vries not ruled out by manager
Jul.25 (GMM) Nyck de Vries’ Formula 1 career is not necessarily over, his manager Guillaume Le Goff insists. The 28-year-old Dutch rookie, who was dumped by Alpha Tauri team owner Red Bull after his ten races into his first full season this year, has been linked with a return to a test role at Mercedes. […]