May 25 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has fallen short of McLaren’s “expectations”, team supremo Zak Brown admits. The 32-year-old Australian driver’s Formula 1 career has been on the decline since he left Red Bull for Renault at the end of 2018. He switched to McLaren where he has been paired with the decade-younger Briton Lando Norris. […]
F1 row threatens existence of budget cap – Vasseur
May 24 (GMM) Smaller teams are continuing to resist efforts to ramp up the budget cap as a response to inflation. The $140 million budget cap has also become an issue in recent weeks as Ferrari’s Mattia Binotto expressed concerns about Red Bull’s rate of car development. “It is no longer possible to bring new […]
Alpine will solve Alonso-Piastri dilemma – CEO
May 24 (GMM) Alpine will “find a solution” to its three-driver dilemma ahead of the 2023 season. That is the news from Luca de Meo, who is CEO of Renault – the owner of the works Alpine team in Formula 1. It is now an open secret that two-time world champion Alonso, 40, may not […]
Barcelona apologises for F1 spectator chaos
May 24 (GMM) Circuit boss Jose Luis Santamaria has apologised to spectators for the chaos that unfolded during last weekend’s 2022 Spanish GP. One Twitter user summed up the chaos by stating: “I have never seen such poor organisation at a Formula 1 race. “People were shaking and fainting, waiting an hour for a bottle […]
Sainz ‘not on Leclerc’s level – Villeneuve
May 24 (GMM) Carlos Sainz is “not on Leclerc’s level”, according to outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve. Indeed, while former 2022 championship leader Charles Leclerc looked dominant in Barcelona until his turbo failure, Spanish teammate Sainz had another difficult weekend. “I was disappointed when Leclerc retired because I wanted to see what Ferrari’s pace […]
Top teams deny Mercedes has caught up
May 24 (GMM) Red Bull and Ferrari have denied that Mercedes is now nipping at their heels in 2022. After struggling badly at the start of the all-new ‘ground effect’ era, George Russell was on the podium in Barcelona and Toto Wolff thinks Lewis Hamilton was the fastest driver on track. “I’m not euphoric, but […]
Alonso not apologising for FIA criticism
May 23 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has refused to apologise for comments that reportedly could have left him with a disrepute charge courtesy of the governing FIA. In Barcelona, but also in the days prior, the two-time world champion launched a stinging criticism of Formula 1’s latest race officials, calling them the “most worrying thing” about […]
Red Bull to re-think super-light DRS for Monaco
May 23 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen has overcome a hefty early points deficit to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to take the lead of the 2022 drivers’ world championship. “After his second retirement, you all said it was over for us,” Red Bull’s Helmut Marko told reporters in Barcelona. “But I said back then that we […]
Perez team orders anger ‘understandable’ – Marko
May 23 (GMM) Sergio Perez is “negotiating” for a new Red Bull deal, according to former Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde. Mexican Perez was vocally upset about the team’s “unfair” decision to order him to let new championship leader and teammate Max Verstappen past for the lead of the Spanish GP. But he […]
Glock doesn’t believe ‘green Red Bull’ explanation
May 22 (GMM) Former F1 driver Timo Glock does not believe that Aston Martin designed its ‘B spec’ car without directly copying Red Bull. After Red Bull lost Dan Fallows and other team members to its Lawrence Stroll-owned rival, officials are now exploring their options as they suspect intellectual property has been stolen. Aston Martin’s […]
Formula 1 is ‘political’ now – Wurz
May 22 (GMM) While Formula 1 drivers once shied away from overt politics, that era is well and truly over now. That is the view of Alex Wurz, a former driver who is now president of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. “I think we’ve seen a decisive change,” he told Kurier newspaper. The Austrian said […]
Mercedes finally ‘understands’ bouncing car
May 22 (GMM) Mercedes is well on the road to recovery after a dire start to the new ‘ground effect’ era. Although George Russell is still leading the way to seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton, the overall gap to Ferrari and Red Bull is down to about 6 tenths. “We understand the bouncing now,” […]
Alpine will ‘consider’ re-signing Alonso – boss
May 22 (GMM) Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer says the Renault-owned team will “consider” re-signing Fernando Alonso for 2023. As the two-time world champion’s contract nears its end, rumours suggest Alpine might turn instead to reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri – with 40-year-old Alonso reportedly eyeing Aston Martin. “I can imagine many things,” team boss […]
FIA considering disrepute penalty for Alonso
May 21 (GMM) The FIA is reportedly looking into whether Fernando Alonso has brought Formula 1 into disrepute with his stinging criticism of the sport’s officials. A few days ago, the two-time champion said at a personal sponsor event that the “most worrying thing” about F1’s new era was “the race direction and the stewards”. […]
Bosses drink ‘green Red Bull’ as F1 row erupts
May 21 (GMM) Red Bull is preparing to go to war with Aston Martin over what Dr Helmut Marko describes as an “incredible copy” of the energy drink company’s 2022 car. “We will look into the matter in detail,” Marko told Sky Deutschland, after free practice in Barcelona where Red Bull officials drank from green […]
Marko predicts Mercedes return in Spain
May 21 (GMM) “Us, Mercedes and then Ferrari,” said Dr Helmut Marko in Barcelona as he predicted a surprise hierarchy for this weekend’s Spanish GP. On Friday, it was championship leader Charles Leclerc in his newly updated Ferrari that led the way in practice, with Mercedes a surprise second and third in the afternoon. Seven […]
Promising juniors in short supply – pundits
May 21 (GMM) There is a shortage of really promising talents coming up the ranks towards Formula 1. That is the view of Jack Plooij, the well-known presenter for Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport, who noted that Red Bull junior Juri Vips failed to shine on Friday. Vips, 21, is the cream of Red Bull’s notorious […]
‘No idea’ about Latifi axe rumours – de Vries
May 21 (GMM) Both Nicholas Latifi and Nyck de Vries have brushed off rumours that they are currently fighting for the Williams race seat. In Barcelona, reigning Formula E driver de Vries made his F1 race weekend debut – going head-to-head and beating Canadian Latifi. Last week, a well-known Canadian journalist claimed a deal for […]
Sainz ‘still on equal terms’ with Leclerc
May 20 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has denied that he is effectively already Ferrari’s number 2 driver. The Spaniard has struggled more than teammate Charles Leclerc with the highly competitive 2022 car, and as a result is already 51 points behind the championship leader heading into his home race in Barcelona. “In the past I have […]
Alonso questions Alpine’s ‘new rear wing’ claim
May 20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has questioned the accuracy of his boss’ recent claim that a “new rear wing” this weekend in Barcelona will give Alpine “a bit more performance”. According to El Mundo Deportivo newspaper, new Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer said in Miami that the Renault-owned team was planning to “introduce a new rear […]