Mar.12 (GMM) The managing director of Spa-Francorchamps has admitted that losing its annual Formula 1 slot is bad news for the Belgian circuit and the wider region, as the Ardennes track prepares to share its grand prix berth with Barcelona from 2028. Formula 1 confirmed last month that Spa will host grands prix in 2026, […]
Ferrari bringing ‘Macarena’ wing to Shanghai
Mar.12 (GMM) Ferrari are carrying their spectacular folding rear wing to Shanghai as cabin luggage, according to Italian journalist Paolo Filisetti, as the Scuderia launch an immediate technical offensive against dominant Mercedes following the Australian GP. The wing, which caused a sensation during Bahrain testing before being withdrawn after half a day, features a mechanism […]
BYD examining F1 entry as Chinese giant eyes motorsport
Mar.11 (GMM) Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is examining options to enter Formula 1 or endurance racing, Bloomberg has reported, in a development that would add further momentum to the sport’s expansion just as its 11th team, Cadillac, begins its debut season. BYD is “looking at several options following its rapid growth outside its home […]
F1 increasingly braced for Middle East cancellations
Mar.11 (GMM) Formula 1 is increasingly braced for the likely cancellation of its April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia amid the escalating conflict involving Iran and several Gulf states. The Bahrain GP at Sakhir is scheduled for April 12, followed by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah a week later, but growing indications within the paddock […]
Newey’s days as Aston boss numbered – Schumacher
Mar.11 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher, who knows Adrian Newey personally and spends time with him even away from the paddock, believes the Briton’s tenure as Aston Martin team principal will be short-lived – and that the Honda crisis has only accelerated the inevitable. The Sky Deutschland pundit and former F1 driver said that combining the roles […]
Ecclestone predicts crash as fears over new regs grow
Mar.11 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has warned that Formula 1’s new regulations will eventually cause a serious accident, joining a growing chorus of voices – from drivers to team principals to former champions – expressing alarm about the safety and sporting character of the 2026 cars. The 95-year-old former F1 supremo told Swiss newspaper Blick he […]
Mercedes joins Horner in race for Alpine stake
Mar.10 (GMM) Mercedes has emerged as a surprise contender for a stake in Alpine, potentially putting Toto Wolff on a collision course with arch rival Christian Horner in a race to acquire the 24 percent shareholding being offloaded by Otro Capital. Horner and a group of investors have been linked with the Otro stake for […]
Wolff defends Mercedes as customers question gap
Mar.10 (GMM) Williams team principal James Vowles has become the latest to question how Mercedes’ customer teams can close the gap to the works squad, adding his voice to McLaren’s Andrea Stella a day after the Australian GP exposed a significant performance gulf. “What Mercedes is doing with this power unit has really surprised us,” […]
Honda puzzled by Newey’s nerve damage claims
Mar.10 (GMM) Honda Racing president Koji Watanabe has questioned why Adrian Newey publicly claimed that Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll risked permanent nerve damage from driving the Aston Martin, saying the Japanese manufacturer has no numerical data to support the assertion. “It would be one thing if the driver himself said something intuitive that only […]
F1 to review energy rules after China – Tombazis
Mar.10 (GMM) Formula 1’s governing body will hold formal discussions with teams after the Chinese GP on possible changes to the 2026 energy management regulations, FIA single-seater racing director Nikolas Tombazis has confirmed. Several options are understood to be on the table, including increasing the power of the ‘superclipping’ function – which allows cars to […]
Verstappen confirms Nurburgring as F1 frustration grows
Mar.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen has confirmed he will race in the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May, as the four-time Formula 1 world champion’s frustration with the sport’s new regulations continues to fuel speculation about his long-term future in F1. Verstappen will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT3 – an irony not lost on observers given that it […]
Frustrated Ocon questions F1 legacy after Melbourne
Mar.10 (GMM) Esteban Ocon endured a difficult Australian GP with Haas, finishing P11 while younger teammate Oliver Bearman scored points – before delivering a candid and emotional assessment of his entire Formula 1 career. Ocon, who was warned by Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu before the season that he needed to raise his game in […]
Audi, Ferrari push back against new rules backlash
Mar.10 (GMM) Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna have pushed back against the chorus of criticism aimed at Formula 1’s new regulations – a notable contrast given that Audi entered the sport specifically because of the 2026 rules overhaul. Wheatley was ebullient after his team scored points on debut through Gabriel […]
Russell wins, ‘Mario Kart’ row divides paddock
Mar.9 (GMM) George Russell led home a Mercedes one-two in a chaotic Australian GP on Sunday, but the race that handed him the championship lead for the first time in his career also intensified the growing debate over whether Formula 1’s new regulations are producing racing or a video game. Russell’s victory from pole, with […]
Mekies dismisses Verstappen quit talk
Mar.9 (GMM) Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has moved to quash speculation that Max Verstappen could walk away from Formula 1 over his hatred of the new regulations, insisting the four-time world champion remains as focused and precise as ever. Verstappen did little to help Mekies’ case when asked after the Australian GP whether […]
McLaren felt engine info disadvantage – Stella
Mar.9 (GMM) McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has admitted his team were left struggling to predict and develop their car in Melbourne because of insufficient information from Mercedes about their shared power unit – a rare public acknowledgement of the pitfalls of being a customer team in Formula 1’s most complex regulatory era. “Discussions about […]
Honda denies split talk as Alonso hits back
Mar.9 (GMM) Honda Racing’s senior managing director Ikuo Takeishi has denied any knowledge of moves by Aston Martin to terminate their works partnership, as the Japanese manufacturer faces mounting pressure following a Melbourne race weekend that exposed the full depth of their crisis. “At least, I haven’t heard anything about that directly,” Takeishi said when […]
Sainz calls for change as Williams crawls to finish
Mar.9 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has added his voice to calls for urgent changes to the 2026 regulations after enduring one of the most miserable race weekends of his career with a Williams team that arrived in Melbourne overweight, unreliable and woefully short of downforce. The Spaniard, who joined Williams in 2025 with progress as his […]
Drivers savage new cars as rule change calls grow
Mar.8 (GMM) Formula 1 arrived at race day in Melbourne facing a growing chorus of criticism over its new cars, with drivers, team bosses and even the sport’s own polesitter calling for rule changes after qualifying exposed the full extent of the 2026 regulations’ shortcomings. The defining image came from George Russell’s pole lap, in […]
Mercedes ‘on another planet’ as rivals scramble
Mar.8 (GMM) Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur summed up the Melbourne paddock’s mood on Sunday morning with three words: Mercedes were “on another planet” in qualifying, and almost nobody believes Toto Wolff’s insistence that there was no sandbagging involved in the winter. The numbers were stark. Polesitter George Russell led a Mercedes one-two, with the […]