Oct.20 (GMM) Charles Leclerc will start Sunday’s US GP five places lower than he qualifies, as new double world champion Max Verstappen stands on the cusp of an all-time F1 record. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that with the world championships now lost, it is “time for experimentation” for Ferrari in the final races of […]
De Vries needs half a season to adjust to F1
Oct.20 (GMM) Nyck de Vries should be given half a season to get up to speed as a full-time Formula 1 driver. That is the view of Dutch GP boss Jan Lammers, who says it’s “fantastic” that the Netherlands is enjoying an impressive moment in world motorsport. “We now have a second Dutch driver in […]
Latifi not ready to announce Indycar move
Oct.20 (GMM) Nicholas Latifi looks set to keep his racing career alive in the top American open wheeler series Indycar. Williams is yet to announce the 27-year-old Canadian’s 2023 replacement, but insiders expect it is a head-to-head between Mick Schumacher and Logan Sargeant. American Sargeant, 21, is Williams’ most prominent development driver who will make […]
Father-son F1 duo take on endurance race
Oct.19 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen and his father will team up in December in a bid to win the Gulf 12 Hours endurance sports car race in Abu Dhabi. It will be the second time the father-son team, featuring former McLaren and Stewart driver Jan Magnussen (49), have shared a racing car after they took on […]
Gasly will not be Alpine ‘number 1’ – CEO
Oct.19 (GMM) Esteban Ocon will not be Alpine’s ‘number 1’ driver next year as fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly arrives from the Red Bull camp. Reportedly, the Renault-owned team paid a multi-million sum to extract Gasly from his 2023 Alpha Tauri deal – and also signed a whopping EUR 10 million per year deal with the […]
Steiner admits Haas ‘talking’ to Hulkenberg
Oct.19 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo looks to be heading for a “break” from racing in Formula 1 next year rather than take up an offer for talks with Haas. Haas boss Gunther Steiner said in September that he had sent a “text” to the struggling 33-year-old, whose final contract year at McLaren was bought out as […]
‘Plenty of time’ to sign F1 drivers – Audi
Oct.18 (GMM) Audi will reveal the name of its partner team for 2026 and beyond “later this year”. It is highly anticipated that a 75 percent buyout deal with Sauber, the Swiss-based team currently known as Alfa Romeo, has already been signed. Audi’s ‘Formula 1 project leader’ Adam Baker, however, is not yet ready to […]
Gasly ‘fastest available driver’ for Alpine – CEO
Oct.18 (GMM) Pierre Gasly was the “perfect” choice to replace two-time champion Fernando Alonso at Alpine next year. That is the view of the Renault-owned carmaker’s CEO Laurent Rossi, who had actually planned to pair Esteban Ocon with rookie Oscar Piastri from 2023. But Australian Piastri, 21, controversially rejected Alpine to drive for McLaren next […]
Newey at centre of Red Bull budget ‘cheating’
Oct.18 (GMM) Adrian Newey, one of the most successful and recognisable Formula 1 designers in history, is reportedly at the centre of the budget cap scandal. This week, McLaren supremo Zak Brown wrote a letter to FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem accusing Red Bull of “cheating” by spending above the budget cap limit en route […]
Russian driver asks FIA for Ukraine conflict reprieve
Oct.17 (GMM) Dakar rally winner Sergey Karyakin has called on F1’s governing body to scrap the hurdles preventing Russian drivers from participating in FIA-sanctioned events. The Russian, who won the fabled Dakar event in the quad category in 2017, told Tass news agency that he has written personally to new FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem. […]
Red Bull penalty ‘worse’ than mere fine – Ecclestone
Oct.17 (GMM) Red Bull’s penalty for breaching the 2021 budget cap will be “worse” than deducted points. That is the extraordinary claim of former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, as it was expected that the energy drink owned outfit might escape its so-called minor breach with a financial penalty. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, says […]
Saudi Arabia eyes second Formula 1 venue
Oct.17 (GMM) Saudi Arabia is keen to host a second annual Formula 1 race. The Arabian kingdom held its first night grand prix on the streets of Jeddah last year, with sports minister and former racing driver Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal admitting he “wouldn’t say no” to a second venue. “We really see the benefits […]
Hulkenberg trains as Schumacher warned about 2023
Oct.17 (GMM) Mick Schumacher must “score some more points” if he is to retain his Haas seat in 2023. That is the clear message ahead of the American team’s home race in Austin made by the normally low-profile owner Gene Haas. Some insiders believe Haas has actually already decided to replace 23-year-old Schumacher with his […]
Sainz hits out at 2022 ‘criticism’
Oct.14 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has revealed the most “frustrating” thing about his time at Ferrari so far. The Spaniard admits to struggling initially this year as his teammate Charles Leclerc impressed in the 2022 car. But once Sainz got up to speed, he says he was dismayed that even Ferrari supporters were calling for him […]
Father warns Verstappen could quit after 2028
Oct.14 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father thinks the Red Bull driver could dominate Formula 1 for several years – and then retire. After an early show of form from Ferrari, 25-year-old Dutchman Verstappen ended up totally dominating the 2022 season to wrap up his second consecutive drivers’ title with four races still to run. “I think […]
Steiner pushes for F1 ‘sprint’ format shakeup
Oct.14 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says he would support moves to shake up the ‘sprint race’ weekend format in Formula 1. Next year, the number of ‘sprint’ weekends will be doubted from three to six, but the Haas team boss thinks the format for those events can be improved. He would like there to be separate […]
Abandoned track shows Vietnam’s F1 dream is over
Oct.14 (GMM) Vietnam’s Formula 1 dream appears to be over. In 2020, a race in Hanoi was set to go ahead until the outbreak of the pandemic. Now, AFP news agency has published photos of the abandoned circuit which is now commonly used by local cyclists. After the race was cancelled, city mayor Nguyen Duc […]
‘Nonsense’ Verstappen will lose F1 title – Marko
Oct.14 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says it’s “nonsense” that Max Verstappen might lose his 2021 world championship over the budget cap scandal. Red Bull has been found by the FIA to have broken last year’s budget limit by less than 5 percent. “I don’t want to say too much,” Dr Helmut Marko told f1-insider. “Just […]
Haas closing on Uralkali replacement
Oct.14 (GMM) Haas looks to be closing in on a deal with a new title sponsor. Early this year, the small American team parted with Nikita Mazepin and his Russian sponsor Uralkali over the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict. Mazepin is now suing the team for unpaid monies, with Tass news agency reporting on Tuesday […]
Gasly also to blame for recovery vehicle saga
Oct.13 (GMM) Pierre Gasly has some of the blame for a highly dangerous situation that occurred during the Japanese GP. The Frenchman, and many of his fellow Formula 1 drivers, was livid with the FIA after a heavy vehicle entered the Suzuka circuit to recover Carlos Sainz’s crashed Ferrari even though cars were still circulating […]