Jul.22 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has revealed that Alpine never actually made him an offer to stay with the Renault-owned team last year. Alpine is in the Formula 1 headlines at the moment, but mainly because of lagging progress and sweeping management shakeups. “It shouldn’t have an impact whatsoever,” said team boss Otmar Szafnauer in Hungary, […]
Jury out on Red Bull upgrade, qualifying tweak
Jul.22 (GMM) The jury is out as to how successful Red Bull’s rare-in-2023 car upgrade is in Hungary. Sergio Perez crashed one version of the package in FP1, with Dr Helmut Marko revealing the Mexican is now out of spare parts. As for Max Verstappen, he was out of the top ten in the later […]
Perez ‘will lose his place’ at Red Bull
Jul.22 (GMM) Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull became even more clouded on Friday when he crashed during his opening practice laps at the Hungaroring. With Daniel Ricciardo back in racing action in the Red Bull family this weekend and Yuki Tsunoda also still shining in the sister Alpha Tauri, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher […]
First F1 ‘mudguard’ test ‘a failure’ – report
Jul.22 (GMM) The first test of anti-rain ‘mudguards’ to improve drivers’ visibility did not go well. Following the death of a junior category driver at the treacherous Spa-Francorchamps circuit recently, Formula 1 vowed to trial an innovation designed to minimise spray that has only worsened in the ground-effect era. Mercedes and McLaren took part in […]
Mercedes open to reuniting with sacked de Vries
Jul.22 (GMM) Mercedes could be open to welcoming out-of-work Nyck de Vries back to Formula 1. Prior to impressing in his one-off Williams ride last year, the rookie Dutchman – fresh from victory in the Formula E championship – was Mercedes’ official reserve driver. But as de Vries was subsequently snapped up by Red Bull […]
FIA plays down budget cap breach rumours
Jul.21 (GMM) F1’s governing body has played down rumours up to three teams may be set to be punished for breaching the sport’s budget cap. Last year, Red Bull and Aston Martin were found to have overspent in 2021 – but Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali wants future breaches to be “sporting” rather than merely […]
Drivers cautious on mid-season qualifying tweak
Jul.21 (GMM) Two top Formula 1 drivers aren’t too sure how keen they are on the latest mid-season rule changes in 2023. Fernando Alonso says he isn’t sure if Pirelli’s fundamentally different tyre construction introduced at Silverstone contributed to Aston Martin’s more difficult weekend. “Obviously it is still one factor that we still need to […]
Haas not ready to extend Magnussen’s contract
Jul.21 (GMM) As Nico Hulkenberg cruises towards a new contract with Haas, the American team is not quite ready to decide if Kevin Magnussen will also stay in 2024. Team owner Gene Haas is making a rare paddock visit this weekend in Hungary, with team boss Gunther Steiner admitting a new deal for new arrival […]
F1 plays down Horner’s concerns about 2026 cars
Jul.21 (GMM) F1’s authorities say they remain determined to push on with the current plans for the all-new cars for 2026 and beyond. Red Bull’s Christian Horner has warned that the ramped-up electrical side of the 2026 engines could negatively steal the show, with key competitors including Mercedes and Ferrari rejecting his push for fundamental […]
Huge changes at struggling Alpine keep on coming
Jul.21 (GMM) The sweeping changes underway at Alpine are continuing apace. Former FIA official Bruno Famin recently became the new vice president of the Renault-owned French marque’s racing programs – denying that he will replace F1 team boss Otmar Szafnauer. Szafnauer had been directly named by Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi amid the team’s current Formula […]
Albon happy to hear Ferrari switch rumours
Jul.21 (GMM) Alex Albon is happy to find himself the subject of rumours this weekend at the Hungaroring. Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur, having delayed talks with his current drivers, has been moved to deny his interest in signing the impressive Williams driver. Carlos Sainz, currently without a deal for 2025, insists he’s not worried about […]
Marko making ‘no promises’ to Ricciardo
Jul.21 (GMM) Red Bull has made “no promises” to Daniel Ricciardo about the future, Dr Helmut Marko has warned. This weekend, the 33-year-old is making a popular return to the grid after half a season on the reserve bench, having lost his McLaren seat due to poor performance. But Ricciardo is making no secret of […]
Red Bull used Haas model in de Vries ousting – Steiner
Jul.20 (GMM) Alpha Tauri may be taking a leaf out of Haas’ Formula 1 playbook by ousting struggling rookie Nyck de Vries. That is the view of Haas team boss Gunther Steiner, as he commented on the big recent news in F1 – the mid-season replacement of de Vries by out-of-work experienced driver Daniel Ricciardo. […]
Latifi quitting racing to study in London
Jul.19 (GMM) Ousted Williams driver Nicholas Latifi says he is quitting motor racing for now. The Canadian lost his Formula 1 race seat as his sponsor Sofina Foods, founded by Latifi’s own father Michael Latifi, also left Williams at the end of 2022. But rather than try to move into another category, 28-year-old Latifi has […]
Magny-Cours could host France GP revival
Jul.19 (GMM) Magny-Cours has emerged as a potential venue to host France’s return to the Formula 1 calendar. Paul Ricard, also known as Le Castellet, dropped off the sport’s schedule after last season – but prior to that, the French GP was hosted until 2008 at Magny-Cours. And with French president Emmanuel Macron empowering talks […]
Gene Haas to approve new Hulkenberg contract
Jul.19 (GMM) A new contract for Formula 1 returnee Nico Hulkenberg is now just around the corner. Haas boss Gunther Steiner has told sport.de that a new deal for Germany’s sole f1 driver should be finalised before the sport takes its traditional August break. He said he will “certainly work on the new contract” in […]
Father trained Verstappen with ‘violence’
Jul.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen was turned into a “perfect driver” through “violence”. That is the sensational claim of ousted former Red Bull driver Jaime Alguersuari, who made an ultra-rare appearance at the British GP recently. The Spaniard has been scathing in his criticism of Red Bull’s driver program and Dr Helmut Marko since he was […]
Red Bull to unveil Aston Martin-style upgrade
Jul.19 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he’s not overly worried that Red Bull’s rivals appear to be closing the performance gap. Max Verstappen is positively cruising to his third consecutive drivers’ world championship – but at Silverstone recently, a vastly improved McLaren car led the charge to end that dominance. Marko says he isn’t worried. […]
De Vries’ manager slams ‘fake’ comments
Jul.19 (GMM) Nyck de Vries’ management has slammed what it is describing as “fake” comments attributed to the axed Alpha Tauri driver. Various German-language media, including newspapers Kronen Zeitung, Kurier and Kolner Express, and portals such as sport.de and Laola1, this week published quotes as having apparently been made by de Vries to the Italian […]
Ferrari plays down Alex Albon rumours
Jul.19 (GMM) Alex Albon looks set to remain at Williams, despite rumours linking him with a potential return to a top Formula 1 team. After losing his place in the Red Bull-owned teams, the British-born Thai moved to Williams – where he has once again caught the eye of top Red Bull official Dr Helmut […]