Jan.22 (GMM) Red Bull has reached an agreement with Honda that will allow the two energy drink-owned teams to continue to use the departing Japanese manufacturer’s F1 engines after 2021. The only thing missing now, according to Dr Helmut Marko, is for the other teams and the FIA to agree to freezing engine development. As […]
Monaco wants spectators at 2021 race – Marko
Jan.22 (GMM) The fate of Monaco’s fabled grand prix this year is about more than just a press release. That is the news from Red Bull’s highly-influential Dr Helmut Marko, who was speaking with the German media after the Automobile Club de Monaco earlier this week scotched rumours the street race may once again be […]
Vettel spends first day at Aston Martin
Jan.22 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel visited the headquarters of his new Formula 1 team for the first time this week, according to multiple media sources. The sources report that the former Ferrari driver was at Aston Martin’s Silverstone factory where he had a seat fitting and spent several hours in the simulator. He then returned to […]
Magnussen wins court battle against former manager
Jan.22 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen can now “move on” after winning a court battle against his former manager, the Danish ex-Haas driver’s father says. On Thursday, in a Copenhagen court, a judge ruled in favour of Magnussen after his ex-manager Dorte Riis Madsen alleged the 28-year-old owed her 20 percent of his career earnings. Madsen was […]
Vesti had Mercedes deal for ‘over a year’
Jan.22 (GMM) Frederik Vesti actually worked with Mercedes for over a year prior to his signing as the German marque’s newest F1 driver program member. We reported last week that the 19-year-old Dane, who races in the FIA Formula 3 championship, was on the cusp of becoming the latest Mercedes junior. Mercedes has now confirmed […]
Grosjean admits F1 career is ‘over’
Jan.22 (GMM) Romain Grosjean says his Formula 1 career is “over”. “From a driving point of view, I think it’s over,” revealed the Frenchman, who has now shed the bandages that hid the burns on his hands from his horror Bahrain crash late last year. At the time of the crash, Grosjean, 34, already knew […]
Ocon smiles at claims he will beat Alonso
Jan.22 (GMM) Esteban Ocon has smiled at claims he will give F1 legend Fernando Alonso a run for his money at Alpine this year. Team test driver Sergey Sirotkin this week predicted that incumbent Ocon, 24, “will better understand the team and the car” once Alonso ends his two-year Formula 1 sabbatical in March. “We […]
‘Sad’ to see Abiteboul lose top job – Ocon
Jan.22 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says it is “sad” to see his French countryman Cyril Abiteboul lose his top job as Renault rebrands as Alpine for 2021. Under new Renault CEO Luca de Meo, Abiteboul has been ousted while Marcin Budkowski is promoted – while Davide Brivio has been head-hunted from MotoGP. Frenchman Ocon says he […]
Russell proved Verstappen better than Hamilton – boss
Jan.22 (GMM) Max Verstappen is already better than seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton. That is the sensational claim of Christian Horner, the Red Bull team boss who thinks the image of Hamilton’s dominance took a major hit late in 2020. “I think he is the best, yes,” Horner told the Dutch publication RacingNews365 when […]
Saudi Arabia building full circuit for GP
Jan.22 (GMM) Saudi Arabia’s new Formula 1 race will only temporarily take place on a Jeddah street circuit. The controversial Arab kingdom is joining the F1 calendar this December, with Prince Khalid telling the Telegram page Cross Country Rally that Saudi Arabia is “working with (Hermann Tilke) and Formula 1 to design the fastest city […]
Hamilton ‘at crossroads’ as contract saga rolls on
Jan.22 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is “at a crossroads” in his Formula 1 career, according to a well known F1 commentator. Alexey Popov, the voice of Russian broadcaster Match TV’s coverage, said the seven time world champion is now the focus of media attention as his long-delayed contract negotiations with Mercedes reportedly stall. “The British press […]
Renault wanted Alfa Romeo to be customer team
Jan.21 (GMM) Alfa Romeo looks set to stick with Ferrari power for 2022. That is despite the fact that, in the pages of Corriere della Sera, correspondent Daniele Sparisci claims the Swiss team was approached by Renault. Ferrari’s engines struggled markedly in 2020, and team boss Frederic Vasseur recently sounded puzzled as to why the […]
Less critical Villeneuve ‘must be right’ – Stroll
Jan.21 (GMM) Lance Stroll says he is happy to keep responding to his critics by impressing them on the track. The Canadian’s countryman Jacques Villeneuve has been a fierce and vocal critic of Stroll, whose father is the Aston Martin team owner and billionaire Lawrence Stroll. But in Istanbul last year, 22-year-old Stroll secured his […]
Domenicali not sure Hamilton will race in 2021
Jan.21 (GMM) It is not clear if Lewis Hamilton will be on the Formula 1 grid in 2021. That is the sensational claim of Stefano Domenicali, who recently took over from Chase Carey to serve as the sport’s new CEO. Amid raging speculation about Hamilton’s long-delayed contract negotiations with Mercedes, Domenicali said he spoke to […]
Step forward ‘not easy’ for Ferrari in 2021 – Domenicali
Jan.21 (GMM) Taking a big step forward in 2021 “will not be easy” for Ferrari, according to the Maranello team’s former boss Stefano Domenicali. Domenicali has now taken over from Chase Carey as Formula 1’s CEO, but he was asked by Italy’s Sky Sport 24 to comment on his former employer’s notably poor performance in […]
F1 must be ‘flexible’ with 2021 calendar – Domenicali
Jan.21 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali says he has “cautious optimism” that Formula 1 will get through a full and unprecedentedly-long 23-race calendar in 2021. That is despite the fact that Shanghai has already been replaced by Imola, the season opener in Melbourne has been postponed, and the continuing corona crisis also hangs over several other scheduled […]
Ocon-Alonso battle ‘will be very close’ – Sirotkin
Jan.20 (GMM) Esteban Ocon will give new teammate Fernando Alonso a run for his money early in 2021, according to team reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin. As Renault becomes Alpine for the new season, F1 legend Alonso is returning to the Enstone based team and Formula 1 to replace Daniel Ricciardo. Sirotkin told Russia’s Championat that […]
Giovinazzi didn’t take Ferrari seat news ‘well’
Jan.20 (GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi has admitted he didn’t take news of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari seat for 2021 “all that well”. The 27-year-old has been retained by Alfa Romeo and remains a part of Ferrari’s driver academy, but he admits the Maranello team opting to replace Sebastian Vettel with former McLaren driver Sainz was disappointing. “Of […]
Hockenheim joins list of potential 2021 circuits
Jan.20 (GMM) Hockenheim has joined the list of circuits that could step in if Formula 1 is forced to make more changes to its 2021 schedule. A spokesman for the other former German GP venue at the Nurburgring confirmed this week that it is open to discussions with Liberty Media as uncertainty continues to hang […]
Tennis in Melbourne ‘a template’ for F1 – Ricciardo
Jan.20 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is watching current events in Melbourne with great interest. At present, the world of international tennis is holed up in the city ahead of the Australian Open, observing a strict 14-day hotel quarantine. It was Australia’s quarantine rules that forced the postponement of Formula 1’s 2021 season opener in Melbourne. “I’m […]