Feb.24 (GMM) Ferrari’s 2020 rivals are “faster”, according to team boss Mattia Binotto. It is a vastly different story compared to a year ago, when Ferrari dominated the winter tests. Then in Australia, it emerged that the Maranello team was not setting the pace. Now, Binotto said after Ferrari’s inauspicious first week of testing last […]
Kubica return left Rosberg ‘surprised’
Feb.24 (GMM) Robert Kubica says he is “positive” even though he has dropped off the F1 grid for 2020. 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, who assisted Kubica as he bid to resurrect his career in the last few years, admits he was “surprised” with the Polish driver’s disappointing return to Formula 1 last year. “I’m […]
No big updates for engine in 2020 – Taffin
Feb.24 (GMM) Renault looks set to introduce only one development step on its engine in 2020. The French team has made no secret of its intention to focus most intently on preparations for the sweeping new 2021 regulations this year. That will also apply to the engine. “This (2020) engine is an evolution of all […]
Racing Point denies team is ‘new Haas’
Feb.24 (GMM) Otmar Szafnauer has hit back at claims that Racing Point has become the ‘new Haas’ of Formula 1. “Maybe in future they should think before they speak,” Haas boss Gunther Steiner said last week, referring to the way Racing Point had reacted when the first Haas car was derided as a ‘Ferrari copy’. […]
Claire Williams says team targeting Q2 in 2020
Feb.24 (GMM) George Russell says there is “no chance” that in 2020 Williams will be lagging the field by as much as last year. Having faced a barrage of criticism for the once-great British team’s decline in recent years, team boss Claire Williams said last week: “The smile has not left my face since these […]
Bottas must ‘destabilise’ Hamilton – Rosberg
Feb.24 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has urged Valtteri Bottas to work hard to “destabilise” Lewis Hamilton in 2020. The 2016 world champion is famous for having beaten his former teammate Hamilton to the title and then quitting both Mercedes and Formula 1. He said the “only possible way” his successor Bottas can also beat Hamilton is […]
2021 rules turning F1 into ‘GP1’ – Newey
Feb.24 (GMM) Adrian Newey says the 2021 regulations risk turning Formula 1 into a sort of “GP1”. The Red Bull technical boss, who is one of the sport’s most famous designers in history, told the British source Inews that he usually “looks forward” to regulation changes. “What was very nice about the last major change […]
Mercedes ‘DAS’ does not damage tyres – Pirelli
Feb.24 (GMM) Mercedes looks set to race its controversial new ‘push-pull’ steering wheel system called DAS in 2020. When images of the drivers adjusting the ‘toe’ of the front wheels by pushing and pulling on the steering wheel emerged last week in Barcelona, it caused a major stir. But ‘DAS’ – standing for duel-axis steering […]
Miami GP could happen in ‘ten years’ – Carey
Feb.24 (GMM) Chase Carey appears to be putting the idea of a Miami GP on the back burner. F1 owner Liberty Media, which is headed by CEO Carey, has been championing the idea of a second US grand prix at Miami’s Hard Rock stadium. But local opposition groups are fighting hard against the idea, with […]
Mugello also wants to replace 2020 China GP
Feb.24 (GMM) Italy’s automobile club Aci says it will support Imola and Mugello as the circuits bid to replace the postponed 2020 Chinese GP. It was already known that Imola had put its hand up to replace Shanghai amid the coronavirus crisis, but now it emerges that Ferrari-owned Mugello is also keen. “To hold a […]
Contract talks involve ‘ten year plan’ – Hamilton
Feb.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is working on a “five to ten year plan” in relation to his next contract in Formula 1. It is believed the six-time world champion and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff are arguing over the value of the next deal, amid reports of up to $70m per year retainers. But […]
Leclerc reverts to low-tech pen and notebook
Feb.21 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has reverted to a pen and paper to give Ferrari feedback about its 2020 car. At Sauber and again with Ferrari last year, the 22-year-old used a tablet computer to make notes in the garage to give to his engineers. But in Barcelona this week, Leclerc was spotted using a notebook […]
Grosjean admits he could leave F1 after 2020
Feb.21 (GMM) Romain Grosjean admits that 2020 could be his last season on the Formula 1 grid. Now 33, the Frenchman made his debut in 2009 and has picked up a reputation for erratic driving. A reporter told him in Barcelona that many were not surprised when he spun and damaged his 2020 Haas on […]
Horner not worried about ‘pink Mercedes’
Feb.21 (GMM) Christian Horner is not among those who are concerned about the ‘pink Mercedes’ that will be on the 2020 grid. Racing Point’s new car is visually almost identical to Mercedes’ 2019 contender, with an intensified collaboration over the winter involving the transfer of more component designs. Racing Point technical boss Andy Green insists […]
Ferrari ‘not looking for laptimes’ – Vettel
Feb.21 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has played down early fears about Ferrari’s start to the 2020 pre-season. The Italian team’s new car is yet to trouble the top of the timesheets in Barcelona, but after recovering from a cold Vettel said the SF1000 “does what we expect”. Asked if the car has more downforce than its […]
F1 pushing ahead with Vietnam GP – Horner
Feb.21 (GMM) Formula 1 is pressing ahead with preparations for the Vietnam GP, according to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. The country is just across the border from China, which is in the grip of the coronavirus crisis. The situation is even affecting the F1 test paddock in Barcelona, where McLaren banned Chinese journalist […]
New lawsuit holds brakes on Miami GP
Feb.21 (GMM) The engines of Miami’s grand prix hopes continue to sputter. Formula 1’s push to add a second US race to the calendar looked to have strengthened this week, when the Miami-Dade County Commission voted down a proposal. The proposed legislation, put forward by Commissioner Barbara Jordan, would have made racing even inside the […]
Ocon handshake ends feud with Verstappen
Feb.21 (GMM) Esteban Ocon has made a public gesture in a bid to end the tension with Max Verstappen. He did not race in 2019, but after a collision with Max Verstappen at Brazil the season earlier, Frenchman Ocon was violently and repeatedly shoved by the Dutchman. So as Ocon returns to the grid in […]
F1 takes step closer to Africa
Feb.21 (GMM) Formula 1 is taking a step closer to Africa. Last year, the sport’s former commercial boss Sean Bratches observed: “We are now racing on five continents. “Africa is the last habitable continent that we don’t race on. We want to change that.” So it is interesting that F1 has announced that the sport […]
Marko thinks Mercedes steering trick illegal
Feb.21 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Mercedes’ innovative steering wheel system, described by Sebastian Vettel as like a “joystick”, is illegal. Germany’s Bild newspaper said Red Bull is not ruling out a protest if it is used in Australia. James Allison, Mercedes’ technical boss, admitted the team calls it “DAS” – meaning dual-axis steering. On […]