Mar.11 (GMM) Fans of world champion Max Verstappen will be disappointed to discover he plays no active role in the latest edition of the official Formula 1 series on Netflix. With the 2021 championship edition of Drive To Survive set to launch, the Dutchman’s absence from the series – despite his leading role in the […]
Teams say ‘no’ to extra test day for Haas
Mar.11 (GMM) Amid the saga about Mercedes’ ‘no-sidepods’ 2022 car innovation, teams were also squabbling over a request by the small American team Haas. Mired in the Ukraine conflict-triggered exit of race driver Nikita Mazepin and title sponsor Uralkali, Haas then got its Bahrain test started a half day late on Thursday following a cargo […]
New Magnussen contract is for ‘several years’
Mar.11 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen admits it is pure luck and good will that means he’ll be returning to the Formula 1 grid next weekend. The Dane lost his Haas seat at the end of 2019, when the small American team decided to pair rookie Mick Schumacher with well-funded Russian driver Nikita Mazepin. Mazepin had even […]
Nervous Spa waits for new multi-year F1 contract
Mar.11 (GMM) With Imola securing a new Formula 1 race deal through 2025, Belgium’s fabled Spa-Francorchamps is hoping for a similar breakthrough. 2022 is the popular circuit’s last year in the current contract, but key organiser Vanessa Maes – in Bahrain for a promoter’s meeting with F1 authorities – is hopeful of an extension. “It’s […]
Red Bull hits reverse on ‘illegal’ car claims
Mar.11 (GMM) Red Bull has hit reverse gear after boss Christian Horner suggested Mercedes’ no-sidepod innovation revealed in Bahrain on Thursday is illegal. Even F1 managing director Ross Brawn admits that the radical concept, also complete with controversial wing-like crash structure mounts for the side mirrors, came out of left field. “It’s a very extreme […]
No driver likes 2022 F1 cars – Alonso
Mar.10 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has blown the lid off Formula 1’s exciting new era by insisting that “none” of the drivers on the 2022 grid “like” the all-new cars. The sport’s authorities are excited about the close-competition and overtaking opportunities offered by the radical switch to ‘ground effect’ aerodynamics. But the weight limit has gone […]
Boss admits lightweight 2022 Alfa ‘extreme’
Mar.10 (GMM) Aspects of Alfa Romeo’s car design for 2022 are “extreme”, technical boss Jan Monchaux has admitted. The Sauber-run, Swiss based team was the only outfit initially resorting to radical camouflage measures to hide the details of its car for the all-new technical rules. Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko thinks the car is the […]
Furious Mazepin, sponsor, exploring legal action
Mar.10 (GMM) Former team driver Kevin Magnussen is returning to Formula 1 to replace the axed and furious Russian Nikita Mazepin, whose sponsor Uralkali is not ruling out legal action. Mazepin, who has just turned 23, told reporters on Wednesday that boss Gunther Steiner did not even give him any notice that the Ukraine crisis […]
Briatore set for Formula 1 return – report
Mar.9 (GMM) Recent tumours that Flavio Briatore could be returning to Formula 1 appear to have been accurate. It was claimed in January that the former Renault team boss might join his protege Fernando Alonso as a consultant to the works Alpine team. “A return for Briatore is very difficult, but in F1, these very […]
Mercedes set for ‘revolutionary’ 2022 car upgrade
Mar.9 (GMM) Mercedes could be preparing to unleash the most radical technical innovation seen so far on any of the ten all-new Formula 1 cars for 2022. After Barcelona, most insiders were stunned that such restrictive new aerodynamic rules resulted in such visibly and obviously different solutions. But Alpine’s Fernando Alonso thinks those differences will […]
Schumacher wants ‘strong teammate’ for nephew Mick
Mar.9 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher thinks it’s unlikely one popular former Formula 1 racer will be called up to replace axed Haas driver Nikita Mazepin in 2022. Reports have suggested Schumacher’s fellow German Nico Hulkenberg, who is currently Aston Martin’s reserve, might return to the grid – especially as Gene Haas says the team is looking […]
Wolff critiques Netflix for bending F1 truth
Mar.8 (GMM) Mere days before the fourth series hits Netflix, Toto Wolff has added one more unflattering endorsement for the official Formula 1 documentary Drive to Survive. The Mercedes boss admits that by emphasising the “entertainment” aspect of the series, Netflix has helped drive the sport’s rising popularity. But multiple members of the F1 paddock, […]
Alonso made ‘idiots’ of F1 engineers – Rivola
Mar.8 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has received a ringing endorsement from Ferrari’s former sporting director Massimo Rivola. Rivola now heads Aprilia’s MotoGP team, but in conversation with Italy’s Il Foglio magazine he named Spaniard Alonso as perhaps the most impressive athlete he has worked with. “I’ve never seen anyone read a race like he did,” he […]
Gasly not ruling out leaving Red Bull
Mar.8 (GMM) Pierre Gasly says 2023 could be his last chance to return to the front of the grid with Red Bull. Now 26, the Frenchman was promoted from the energy drink company’s second F1 team to the plum Red Bull seat some three years ago – but he was soon demoted once again as […]
Jerez could replace axed Russian GP
Mar.8 (GMM) Jerez has emerged as a leading candidate to replace the axed Russian GP in September. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Spanish circuit has been in touch with the FIA over the matter and is now waiting for an answer. “This is great news,” said Juan Marin, vice president of the Andalusia […]
Aston Martin will avoid BMW-like mistakes – boss
Mar.8 (GMM) New Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack admits he must work to avoid the mistakes made by his former Formula 1 employer – BMW-Sauber. On the surface, the situations at Aston Martin and BMW-Sauber appear similar, with large corporate structures and rapid expansion plans added to existing smaller racing teams. In BMW’s case, […]
Axed Russian GP not ruling out ‘legal steps’
Mar.8 (GMM) Russian GP organisers are not ruling out “legal steps” following Formula 1’s “unilateral” decision to axe country’s place on the annual grand prix calendar. Alexey Titov, head of the promoter Rosgonki, says the situation “rapidly” escalated from suspension of the 2022 race to full extirpation from the sport, as the private sector joined […]
Team’s ‘door open’ to Claire Williams – Capito
Mar.8 (GMM) Claire Williams has not been shut out by the Formula 1 team that bears her surname. That is the claim of Jost Capito, who took over at the helm after the sale of the Oxfordshire based team and the death of former boss Claire’s founding father Sir Frank Williams. It was believed the […]
Haas plays down crisis as test delay looms
Mar.8 (GMM) Haas’ pre-season problems continue to mount, as it emerges that a cargo plane breakdown means the American team is likely to miss the start of the final test in Bahrain. The 2022 cars, one of which is to be driven by Pietro Fittipaldi after the expulsion of title sponsor Uralkali and Nikita Mazepin […]
Alfa, McLaren asked to give up F1 weight advantage
Mar.7 (GMM) Formula 1 appears to be making an eleventh-hour move to increase the minimum weight of the all-new cars for 2022. Last week, we quoted Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko as declaring that only one 2022 car – believed to be Alfa Romeo’s – had successfully met the 795kg car-plus-driver weight limit. We also […]