Jan.26 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger says Valentino Rossi came close to switching to the German touring car series DTM for 2022. After a long and glistening career, MotoGP legend and multiple champion Rossi, 42, finally retired from two wheels after finishing 18th overall and failing to win a race in 2021. The Italian wants […]
Italian Air Force gets F1 green-light for 2022
Jan.26 (GMM) Fans of the Frecce Tricolori can breathe a sigh of relief after Formula 1 banned military aircraft flyovers at grands prix in 2022. Not long after the military ban was announced, Silverstone boss Stuart Pringle clarified that F1 will continue to allow the popular Red Arrows aerobatic team to perform ahead of the […]
Alonso back to ‘normal’ after surgery
Jan.26 (GMM) It is full speed ahead for Fernando Alonso as he recovers well from his recent facial surgery. Throughout 2021, the 40-year-old carried the titanium remnants of his surgery with him following a pre-season cycling crash ahead of his return to Formula 1. After the season ended, he returned to hospital to have those […]
Contender plays down Hamilton quit rumours
Jan.26 (GMM) A clause in Lewis Hamilton’s contract could mean in theory that rumours he is contemplating retirement are on the money. However, most insiders suspect the seven time world champion is staying silent for now simply to fully process his devastating title loss to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Britain’s Telegraph newspaper, however, reports that […]
Ferrari changes plans to avoid rule breach
Jan.26 (GMM) Ferrari had to quickly change direction this week for fear of kicking off the 2022 campaign with a rule breach. The Italian team had announced that it was getting an early start to the test season with a private session at its own Fiorano circuit – with the 2021 car. Reportedly, Ferrari understood […]
F1’s ‘wounds will heal’ after 2021 title finale
Jan.25 (GMM) Zak Brown thinks Formula 1’s “wounds will heal” early this season as the sport moves on from the title-ending controversy in Abu Dhabi. According to well-placed sources, the early leaks from the FIA’s current investigation into the matter reveal that race director Michael Masi has lost the support of many drivers and teams. […]
Bottas ‘knew’ 2022 Mercedes deal was unlikely
Jan.25 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he headed into the 2021 season a year ago knowing that his chance of staying at Mercedes beyond one more single-season contract was unlikely. Indeed, Mercedes has promoted its newer long-time young prodigy George Russell to Bottas’ seat for 2022, ending a five-year run of one-year contracts for the 32-year-old […]
‘Luck’ helped Hamilton win seven titles – Verstappen
Jan.25 (GMM) Max Verstappen is “very deserving” of his status as reigning world champion – while his 2021 foe Lewis Hamilton benefitted from “luck” to match Michael Schumacher’s record tally of seven titles. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner responded to suggestions that the way last year’s intense championship fight ended in Abu Dhabi had […]
Italy, Britain hit back at F1 flyover ban
Jan.24 (GMM) Italian and British Formula 1 hosts are hitting back after the sport vowed to ban the traditional flyovers of military aircraft before races in 2022. Billed as a sustainability measure, but amid suspicions the real motive is to limit the flexing of military muscle in unstable times, the news prompted Silverstone to clarify […]
Most loved F1 tracks looking ‘shabby’
Jan.24 (GMM) Some of Formula 1’s most historic and traditional grand prix circuits are “shabby”, according to Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. This year, Miami is joining a younger and younger tally among the 23 race hosts for 2022 – and that’s not good news for some of the most loved and respected older venues. “The […]
No radical car development in 2022 – Ferrari
Jan.24 (GMM) The days of ultra-intense car development in Formula 1 are over. That is the view of Ferrari’s sporting boss Laurent Mekies, who does however admit that the dawning of the 2022 rules this year will result in more upgrades than was seen during the covid-marred 2020 and 2021 seasons. “It will not be […]
Colombia eyes Formula 1 race
Jan.24 (GMM) Colombia, the country that produced Juan Pablo Montoya, could be making a bid to host a Formula 1 race. El Tiempo newspaper reports that Ivan Duque Marquez, the country’s president, is open-minded about Barranquilla mayor Jaime Pumarejo’s proposal to aim for a spot on the bustling annual F1 calendar. “As a team, we […]
Ferrari driver partnership still alive – Vasseur
Jan.24 (GMM) Alfa Romeo’s cooperation with Ferrari remains alive and well. That is the word from the Swiss-based team’s boss Frederic Vasseur, who bats away claims that replacing Antonio Giovinazzi with Alpine academy member Guanyu Zhou for 2022 indicates flagging relations with Ferrari. “The fact that we have gone for another option does not mean […]
Alpine may poach Aston Martin technical boss
Jan.24 (GMM) Along with Otmar Szafnauer and sponsor BWT, Aston Martin is reportedly preparing to lose yet another major player to the Renault-owned Alpine team for 2022. The Spanish sports daily Marca reports that Szafnauer, expected to shortly be unveiled as Alpine’s new boss, may be taking Aston Martin’s technical boss Andy Green with him. […]
Australia says F1 on board with mandatory vaccines
Jan.24 (GMM) Formula 1 and the Australian GP are on the same page regarding mandatory vaccination against Covid-19. That is the insistence of Andrew Westacott, the Melbourne race boss who is confident the April event will go ahead smoothly despite the recent saga surrounding the deportation of unvaccinated tennis number 1 Novak Djokovic. “The rules […]
Hamilton’s post-2021 silence ‘is not ok’ – report
Jan.24 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s almost total silence since losing the 2021 title showdown against Max Verstappen is “not ok”. That is the view of Bild newspaper correspondent Helmut Uhl, who also criticises world number 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic’s silence since he was deported by the Australian government. “It’s not ok,” Uhl told the major […]
2022 cars not slower than last year’s – Isola
Jan.21 (GMM) This year’s Formula 1 cars will not be significantly slower than the unprecedentedly-fast field of 2021. While some welcome news that the new ‘ground-effect’ generation of 2022 and beyond should usher in better racing, others worry about earlier predictions of up to 5-6 seconds of comparative laptime loss. But Mario Isola, boss of […]
Performance disparity possible in 2022 – Brawn
Jan.21 (GMM) Ross Brawn has moved to allay fears about the new generation of Formula 1 cars. “As soon as we presented the new regulations, they said we had been too restrictive,” the sport’s managing director is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint. F1’s main goal for the next generation of cars, which will be revealed by […]
Austin eases bumps with partial resurfacing
Jan.21 (GMM) The US GP venue in Austin has moved to eradicate serious problems with the track surface ahead of the 2022 season. Extreme bumps due to a subsiding sub-surface have been a problem for Formula 1 at the Circuit of the Americas for some years, but the world of MotoGP is even more concerned. […]
Red Bull would also feel ‘robbed’ – Albers
Jan.21 (GMM) Red Bull would have behaved “exactly the same” as Mercedes had the situation been reversed at the explosively contentious 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Lewis Hamilton and the German team were roundly criticised as ‘bad losers’ for so openly questioning and condemning race director Michael Masi’s actions surrounding the late-race safety car. […]