Dec.15 (GMM) Formula 1’s long-term future was formally secured in Tashkent last Friday as the FIA, Formula 1 Group and all 11 teams signed the ninth Concorde Agreement, locking in governance and participation through the end of the decade. The deal, signed on the sidelines of the FIA General Assembly and prize-giving week in Uzbekistan, […]
Williams aims to be first with 2026 car – Vowles
Dec.15 (GMM) Williams is pushing to have its 2026 Formula 1 car completed significantly earlier than its rivals, as the race against time intensifies ahead of the new rules era. While the first group test is scheduled for late January in Barcelona, team principal James Vowles says Williams intends to have its entire car ready […]
Marko rules out Vettel return, blames Horner for title
Dec.15 (GMM) The newly-departed Dr Helmut Marko has firmly played down speculation that Sebastian Vettel could replace him at Red Bull, before launching his strongest attack yet on former team boss Christian Horner in a series of post-exit interviews. Asked by Osterreich whether Vettel could take on a role at the team where he won […]
Doohan joins Antonelli in blacking out social media
Dec.15 (GMM) Jack Doohan has become the latest Formula 1-linked driver to blank his social media profiles, following a wave of online abuse after a difficult Super Formula test at Suzuka. The move mirrors recent action taken by Kimi Antonelli and comes amid heightened scrutiny of online harassment in the sport, after the FIA reinforced […]
Hamilton Sr registers company as retirement talk grows
Dec.15 (GMM) Speculation about Lewis Hamilton’s long-term future has intensified after it emerged that his father and former manager, Anthony Hamilton, has quietly registered a new company in the UK. According to UK corporate records, Hamilton Sr has set up a business called HybridV10, alongside associated trademarks including Hybrid World Series, Hybrid World Commission, Hybrid […]
Audi, Alpine to test 2026 cars first – report
Dec.12 (GMM) The first running of Formula 1’s new-era 2026 machines is set to come earlier than anyone expected. Grada3 is reporting that Audi and Alpine have secured FIA permission to begin shakedown testing at Barcelona in the second week of January – well ahead of the official late-January closed-door group test. According to the […]
Vettel praises Marko as succession rumours swirl
Dec.12 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has re-emerged in the conversation just as Dr Helmut Marko’s abrupt Red Bull exit continues to dominate headlines. Although Red Bull has reportedly briefed through Sky Deutschland that it does not plan to replace Marko’s advisory role, the 82-year-old himself left the door ajar when departing. “My suggestion is irrelevant,” he […]
Ben Sulayem defends FIA election process
Dec.12 (GMM) Mohammed Ben Sulayem has brushed off criticism and legal challenges as FIA member clubs prepared to vote in Tashkent on Friday to confirm him for a second four-year term as president. Multiple candidates attempted to stand against him, but were blocked under the FIA’s heavily disputed eligibility procedures – prompting accusations of a […]
Rovanpera dizziness setback expected to be brief
Dec.12 (GMM) Kalle Rovanpera’s switch from rally to single-seaters is not believed to be under threat despite the dizziness episode that ended his Super Formula test early, according to Ilta Sanomat. Manager Timo Jouhki said the diagnosis of benign positional vertigo means the Suzuka running is “very likely over”, but stressed the 25-year-old faces no […]
Lance Stroll ‘shouldn’t be in Formula 1 anymore’
Dec.12 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher has sharpened his criticism of Lance Stroll after another season in which the Canadian was comprehensively outperformed by Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso. Speaking to Sky Deutschland, Schumacher said Stroll’s 2025 level was “no longer acceptable” for a driver occupying a top seat. “What he’s doing is no longer acceptable to […]
Leclerc free to assess options early in 2026 – report
Dec.12 (GMM) Despite being under contract at Ferrari until 2029, fresh rumours suggest Charles Leclerc could be in play on the driver market as early as next season. According to Austria’s Osterreich, well-connected Italian insider Giuliano Duchessa claims Leclerc will be allowed to “assess his options” after the opening phase of the 2026 championship. McLaren […]
Mercedes to cut customer teams after 2026 – Wolff
Dec.12 (GMM) Mercedes looks set to end its era of supplying almost half the Formula 1 grid with power units. The works outfit was beaten in 2024 and 2025 by customer team and back to back constructors’ champions McLaren. And with Alpine joining the Mercedes camp in 2026, the German marque will supply four teams […]
Alonso opens up about post-comeback rust
Dec.11 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has offered one of his most candid reflections on the mental battles behind staying motivated in years without victories – and the surprising “slowness” he felt when he returned to Formula 1 after a sabbatical. Speaking to DAZN, nearly a decade after his second and last title win, the 44-year-old veteran […]
German GP hopes fade as AvD warns costs ‘impossible’
Dec.11 (GMM) Germany’s brief burst of optimism about a Formula 1 return has been dampened again, with TZ newspaper reporting that the financial realities make a comeback highly unlikely – despite F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali recently declaring he wants Germany back on the calendar. AvD president Lutz Leif Linden laid out the scale of the […]
Rovanpera halted by vertigo, Doohan linked to Haas
Dec.11 (GMM) Kalle Rovanpera’s much-anticipated Super Formula debut test at Suzuka was cut short after the Finn was diagnosed with benign positional vertigo. The 25-year-old former world rally star completed 32 laps in the morning session before withdrawing. “During my midday break, I developed symptoms of benign positional vertigo, which affects my sense of balance,” […]
Marko denies Red Bull forced exit as further details emerge
Dec.11 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko insists his departure from Red Bull was voluntary, rejecting reports he was pushed out after 20 years with the company. Speaking to RTL, the 82-year-old said: “No, I was by no means pressured to leave.” He explained that the Abu Dhabi finale was the moment he decided to step away: […]
FIA boosts F1 Super Licence points for Indycar
Dec.11 (GMM) The FIA has confirmed an increase in Formula 1 Super Licence points for IndyCar – a long-awaited adjustment that comes as Colton Herta needs an F2 campaign this year to qualify for a 2027 Cadillac seat. The decision was signed off at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Tashkent. In its […]
Verstappen still best driver of 2025 – Prost
Dec.11 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher and Alain Prost both say Max Verstappen was the outstanding driver of 2025 despite losing the title to Lando Norris – as doubt continues to swirl around the future of Max’s race engineer. Referring to Gianpiero Lambiase, Ralf told Sky Deutschland there are “rumours in the paddock that it is not […]
Willi Weber tied up and robbed in Stuttgart villa
Dec.11 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s former manager Willi Weber has been tied up and robbed in a violent break-in at his Stuttgart home. Stuttgarter Zeitung reports that three masked intruders entered the 83-year-old’s villa on Tuesday night while Weber, his wife and his housekeeper were inside. All three were overpowered and bound while the burglars broke […]
Wolff cools 2026 hype as Mercedes tests wing
Dec.10 (GMM) Mercedes has given the clearest glimpse yet of Formula 1’s 2026 future – running a crude prototype active front wing during the post-season Abu Dhabi test. The move comes as team boss Toto Wolff refuses to accept that the Brackley based team should be seen as the early favourite for the new rules […]