Jul.13 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has defended Sebastian Vettel for storming out of the official drivers’ briefing in Austria. The quadruple world champion had a EUR 25,000 fine suspended by the FIA but Schumacher, 23, said his friend and countryman was not alone in his frustrations. “I had the impression that we were going in circles […]
Mercedes has solved ‘porpoising’ problem
Jul.13 (GMM) Mercedes seems to have solved its problems with ‘porpoising’. As recently as Baku one month ago, Lewis Hamilton suffered extreme back pain as a result of the reigning champion’s 2022 struggles with the ground-effect phenomenon. Many believe it was a trigger for the FIA’s subsequent clampdown, which has now been delayed until Spa-Francorchamps […]
Former F1 team owner sentenced to jail
Jul.13 (GMM) Former Force India team owner and boss Vijay Mallya has been sentenced to four months in jail. It is the outcome of the Indian billionaire’s long-running dispute with his country’s authorities, with the Supreme Court handing down the jail term in connection with the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines. The next step for India […]
Number 1 driver not Ferrari’s ‘top priority’ – Massa
Jul.13 (GMM) Reliability is Ferrari’s “top priority” rather than the nomination of a clear number 1 driver for the 2022 drivers’ title battle. That is the view of Felipe Massa, who admits he was clearly the Maranello team’s number 2 at the tail end of the ultra-successful Michael Schumacher era. “The roles were clear in […]
F1 still ‘too boring’ under new rules – Alonso
Jul.13 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says Formula 1 is still “too boring” under the all-new technical rules that debuted in 2022. The Spaniard says he only decided to return to the sport after a sabbatical last year because of the looming ground effect rules, which debuted this season with the intention of closing up the field […]
Ralf Schumacher faster than F1’s 2022 grid
Jul.12 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher stunned spectators at the Austrian GP by lapping faster than the current-generation Formula 1 cars. The former F1 driver, whose 23-year-old nephew Mick races for Haas, was reunited with his 2003 Williams car, whose V10 engine had been detuned from the original 950 to 850 horsepower. Laptimes were not officially recorded […]
No police reports filed over Austria GP incidents
Jul.12 (GMM) Police are in the dark over an apparent series of incidents that occurred trackside at the Austrian GP on Sunday. Drivers, teams, the FIA and Formula 1 slammed the “completely unacceptable” conduct of mainly Dutch supporters of world champion Max Verstappen. One female ‘victim’, Nienke, told the German newspaper Bild: “Several men groped […]
Steiner won’t be pressured over Schumacher talks
Jul.12 (GMM) Gunther Steiner insists he will not be pressured to talk about Mick Schumacher’s future at Haas. The boss of the small American team triggered speculation about Schumacher’s future as he struggled with both performance and crashes earlier in 2022. But he was voted ‘driver of the day’ in Austria after two consecutive points […]
Ferrari ‘hierarchies clearer’ after Austria – media
Jul.12 (GMM) Pressure is building on Ferrari to make Charles Leclerc the clear number 1 driver to challenge Max Verstappen for the 2022 world championship. Team boss Mattia Binotto insisted in Austria that because Leclerc and Silverstone winner are so close on points, there will be no standing team orders for now. The Italian media, […]
Ricciardo safe but McLaren rumours rumble on
Jul.12 (GMM) McLaren CEO Zak Brown says Daniel Ricciardo will still be with the team in 2023 – but even so, the rumours continue to rumble. The latest official news is that Indycar driver and Brown’s fellow American Colton Herta, who drives for the Andretti team, will test a McLaren in Portugal this week. “We […]
Schumacher has made ‘big step’ forward – Magnussen
Jul.11 (GMM) Mick Schumacher took another step away from losing his Formula 1 seat with a strong performance in Austria. Mere weeks and even days ago, speculation was rife that Haas was not happy with the prospect of another Ferrari-backed contract for the struggling son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher. Austria, though, was the 23-year-old’s […]
Defeat to Leclerc ‘a surprise’ in Austria – Marko
Jul.11 (GMM) Red Bull admits Charles Leclerc’s victory for championship contender Charles Leclerc in Austria came as a “surprise”. “I expected them to be strong,” said championship leader Max Verstappen. “I just didn’t expect them to be this good.” Carlos Sainz’s fiery engine failure, however, was a nasty surprise for Ferrari, indicating that reliability remains […]
Haas denies Ferrari will decide Schumacher fate
Jul.10 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has pushed back at the notion that Ferrari will decide whether Mick Schumacher stays at Haas beyond 2023. Schumacher, 23, has struggled for performance and consistency so far this season, triggering speculation he may be dropped by the American team. Amid improving form and after his maiden Formula 1 points at […]
Binotto defends drivers after Ferrari duel
Jul.10 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has defended Ferrari’s current policy of allowing Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz battle it out on the circuit. In Saturday’s sprint race at the Red Bull Ring, championship leader Max Verstappen cruised to victory while the red-clad duo scrapped for second place. Spaniard Sainz, who is just 12 points behind Leclerc […]
Vettel ‘not a saint’ amid FIA briefing saga
Jul.10 (GMM) Despite insisting he tries to “set a good example” in Formula 1, Sebastian Vettel has been penalised for storming out of a meeting in Austria. The quadruple world champion, who is increasingly involved in social, cultural and environmental activism, had a EUR 25,000 fine suspended for the rest of 2022. According to stewards, […]
Steiner slams Andretti for ‘snobbish’ jibe
Jul.10 (GMM) Even the doubling of the entry fee to an eye-watering $400 million may not be enough to secure Andretti a place on the Formula 1 grid. Michael Andretti was a McLaren driver in 1993 and now at the head of one of the best-known motor racing empires in the United States. And yet, […]
Verstappen criticises own fans in Austria
Jul.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen has criticised his own fans at the Red Bull Ring. A week ago at Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton’s fans spent the weekend booing Dutchman Verstappen, who a year earlier had been locked in an ultra-intense battle for the world championship. Now, as 50,000 Dutch fans calling themselves the ‘orange army’ descended on […]
No talks yet for new two-year F1 deal – Alonso
Jul.9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he won’t “put a gun” to the heads of Alpine’s F1 team bosses as he pushes for a new two-year contract with the Renault owned team. Having returned to Formula 1 last year, the 40-year-old says he is now back at 100 percent and not struggling at all physically to […]
Schumacher needs ‘pressure and criticism’ – Marko
Jul.9 (GMM) Red Bull is keeping an eye on Mick Schumacher’s progress, Dr Helmut Marko has admitted. Until very recently, speculation the 23-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher could lose his seat at Haas was rife due to poor performance and a spate of crashes. However, his maiden points at Silverstone, coinciding with a […]
Vettel ‘could retire’ because of ‘slow’ car – Marko
Jul.9 (GMM) Retirement could be just around the corner for quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel. That is the view of Dr Helmut Marko, the head of Red Bull’s notorious junior driver program who powered the now 35-year-old’s Formula 1 success. After Red Bull, Vettel struggled to match that success at Ferrari and especially now at […]