Apr.23 (GMM) Carlos Sainz is still not being relegated into an official ‘number 2’ role alongside Ferrari’s dominant championship leader Charles Leclerc. Between Melbourne – a horror weekend for Sainz – and the Spaniard’s Q2 crash in Friday qualifying at Imola, a new two-year Ferrari deal for the 27-year-old was announced. And there is no […]
Drivers ‘can’t drive’ woeful Mercedes – Wolff
Apr.23 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton played down a tense conversation with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after qualifying a woeful 13th for Saturday’s first sprint race of 2022 at Imola. “Internal stuff,” the seven time world champion said when asked about the obviously tense exchange with his boss. “I’d rather not share that.” In truth, it was […]
Judge says first Miami GP can go ahead
Apr.22 (GMM) A judge has given the green light for next month’s inaugural grand prix in Miami to go ahead. We reported this week that a group of residents filed a last-minute lawsuit to stop the event from going ahead on the grounds of “intolerable” noise levels. Miami-Dad Circuit Court judge Alan Fine ruled on […]
Future depends on Aston Martin ‘progress’ – Vettel
Apr.22 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has not denied swirling speculation about his future in Formula 1. Some, including his old boss and mentor at Red Bull, Dr Helmut Marko, are even wondering if the quadruple world champion may quit the struggling Aston Martin team before the 2022 season is even out. Vettel, 34, stopped short of […]
‘Too early’ to say Perez in front – Verstappen
Apr.22 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen says it’s “too early” to say his teammate Sergio Perez may be getting the upper hand in Red Bull’s 2022 car. This week, Dr Helmut Marko said Mexican Perez is finding life at the wheel of the 2022 Red Bull easier, as Verstappen’s “aggressive” style is not as effective […]
Mick Schumacher denies Haas ‘copied’ Ferrari
Apr.22 (GMM) Gunther Steiner is defiant in the face of a group of rival teams who are pushing the FIA to take action against Haas’ ‘white Ferrari’ car for 2022. The small American team’s boss this week said FIA inspectors were welcome to visit the team at any time to probe accusations of the way […]
New Ferrari deal for Sainz ‘obvious’ – Schumacher
Apr.22 (GMM) As Ferrari locks its doors for the next two years at least, Mick Schumacher says it’s “obvious” that Carlos Sainz would get a new contract until 2024. “For me it doesn’t change much,” the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, who is already Ferrari’s reserve whilst racing for Haas, said at Imola when […]
Leclerc’s stolen watch ‘worth EUR 2 million’
Apr.21 (GMM) Charles Leclerc’s stolen watch was worth much more than the reported EUR 300,000. In between the Melbourne and Imola races, championship leader Leclerc was in the Italian coastal city of Viareggio when fans asked him to sign autographs on a dimly-lit street. Ferrari confirmed to DPA news agency that, during that moment with […]
Perez may quit if F1 calendar keeps growing
Apr.21 (GMM) Formula 1’s annual race calendar is at tipping point, according to Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. The current schedule is at an unprecedented 23 races, with Formula 1 looking to potentially replace the axed Russian GP with a second outing this year in Singapore. But for the future, even more races are on […]
Mid-year retirement for Vettel possible – Marko
Apr.21 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko wouldn’t be surprised if former Red Bull champion Sebastian Vettel decides to hang up his helmet mid-season. The Austrian thinks a generational change has already occurred in Formula 1, with “Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris and Russell” now forming a quartet “that will shape the coming years”. “Hamilton still has a wealth […]
Ferrari to be ‘even faster’ at next races – Massa
Apr.21 (GMM) Felipe Massa has warned Ferrari to stay focused in the 2022 world championship fight. According to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, the Maranello based team is clearly the current favourite with its impressive new car for the 2022 regulations. “Ferrari is strong in any temperature, on any track, with any type of tyre,” […]
Steiner open to FIA checks on Haas legality
Apr.21 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says the FIA is more than welcome to probe the legality of Haas’ 2022 car. Several teams are reportedly questioning the closeness of the small American team’s relationship with Ferrari, with some even describing Haas’ more competitive 2022 car as a ‘white Ferrari’. “Everything we do is according to the regulations,” […]
‘Aggressive’ Verstappen struggling with 2022 car
Apr.21 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen’s “aggressive driving style” is a challenge with the new-generation cars of 2022. That is the view of Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, who thinks the “opposite” situation is occurring at Ferrari where Charles Leclerc is clearly much more confident in the car than Carlos Sainz. “It’s the opposite to […]
Red Bull takes ‘risk’ with Imola upgrade
Apr.21 (GMM) Red Bull is taking a “risk” by introducing car upgrades this weekend at Imola. Dominant-in-2022 team Ferrari has ruled out serious upgrades because of the limited track time this weekend prior to the first ‘sprint’ of the season. “It is very clear,” Dr Helmut Marko told RTL. “Ferrari has such a complex package […]
Carmaker CEO proud to have kept Renault in F1
Apr.20 (GMM) Alpine is still on target to win races in Formula 1, according to Renault CEO Luca de Meo. When the Italian left the Volkswagen group in 2020 to join Renault, he was met by a senior management team that had effectively decided to pull the French giant out of Formula 1. “Yes, I […]
Audi and Sauber ‘a good fit’ for F1 – Seidl
Apr.20 (GMM) Audi and Sauber in collaboration would be a “very good fit” in Formula 1. That is the view of Andreas Seidl, who is very familiar with the Volkswagen group of carmakers after leading Porsche’s Le Mans program. Today, he is team boss at McLaren, who reportedly rejected a EUR 650 million buyout bid […]
F1 ‘not over’ for Fittipaldi after Haas snub
Apr.20 (GMM) Pietro Fittipaldi’s attention moved from Formula 1 to Le Mans-style sports cars last weekend after he was overlooked for the full Haas race seat for 2022. The grandson of F1 legend Emerson Fittipaldi is Haas’ fully-fledged reserve driver, but the small American team instead opted for Kevin Magnussen’s experience following the ousting of […]
Schumacher needs ‘three more years’ before Ferrari
Apr.20 (GMM) Mick Schumacher is not ready to step up to a top team like Ferrari. That is the claim of Franz Tost, a figure who was close to the inner circle of Mick’s father Michael and especially the F1 legend’s brother Ralf. Now, team boss Austrian Tost – who may be looking for a […]
2022 F1 cars ‘harder to control’ – Schumacher
Apr.20 (GMM) Some Formula 1 drivers are struggling with the handling of the all-new ‘ground-effect’ cars of 2022. Former driver Marc Surer says that while Carlos Sainz was “a little better” than his teammate last year, the 2021 car was “easy to drive compared to this year’s car”. “The (2022) Ferrari is harder to control […]
Mercedes likely working on ‘B-spec’ 2022 car
Apr.20 (GMM) Car upgrades may be thin on the ground this weekend at Imola. Ferrari is the least likely to see the need for major developments at present, as its car is reliable and Charles Leclerc is dominating the drivers’ standings. Mattia Binotto agrees that with Saturday’s first sprint race of 2022 looming, the first […]