Aug.11 (GMM) Ferrari looks set to introduce an upgraded power unit immediately after the current August break. The Italian team has arguably the quickest car of 2022 so far, but reliability and strategy errors mean Charles Leclerc is a full 80 points behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Team boss Mattia Binotto has now told the […]
Year on bench ‘fatal’ for Schumacher career – Stuck
Aug.11 (GMM) Sitting out even a year of Formula 1 would be “fatal” to Mick Schumacher’s career. That is the view of German racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck, responding to rumours the 23-year-old son of Michael Schumacher could be ousted by Haas. “He needs to stick with it now, show himself and set an example, as […]
Zandvoort owner says no chance of second Dutch GP
Aug.11 (GMM) Dutch promoters should give up on the idea of a second Formula 1 race in the Netherlands, according to Zandvoort circuit owner Prince Bernhard van Oranje. He admits the hype around world champion and championship leader Max Verstappen is “bizarre” – prompting speculation there could be space on the calendar for a second […]
‘New entrants’ set to race into F1
Aug.11 (GMM) FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is confident “new entrants” will enter Formula 1 after the 2026 engine rules come into force. Those regulations have faced conspicuous delays as they were debated over the past weeks and months, but the World Motor Sport Council is now “considering” the finalised rules. Referring to F1’s “stakeholders”, […]
Ferrari should consider axing strategy boss
Aug.10 (GMM) Ferrari should consider ousting its Spanish strategy chief, according to the Maranello team’s former boss Cesare Fiorio. Whilst acknowledging reliability and strategy mistakes that have put Charles Leclerc 80 points behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, current boss Mattia Binotto insists the current team needs no drastic changes. Fiorio, who was Ferrari boss in […]
Red Bull rules out Alpine switch for Gasly
Aug.10 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko and Franz Tost have blankly dismissed speculation linking Pierre Gasly with the vacant race cockpit at Alpine for 2023. With Alpine poised to lose Oscar Piastri to McLaren, some believe the perfect ‘plan B’ for the Renault-owned team would be an all-French lineup of Esteban Ocon alongside Gasly. Frenchman Gasly, […]
Briatore ‘handwriting’ all over Piastri saga
Aug.10 (GMM) Flavio Briatore’s “handwriting” is all over the Oscar Piastri affair. That is the sensational claim of former F1 driver Christian Danner, after Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer admitted some “sharing of information” could indeed have taken place. The rumour is that Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, Aston Martin defector Fernando Alonso and Briatore himself – […]
Hamilton admits lying amid jewellery saga
Aug.9 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton admits he lied about his piercings as Formula 1’s clampdown on the wearing of jewellery by drivers came into force this year. The seven time world champion admits he rebelled against the FIA over the issue, even though new president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said he was only acting in the interests […]
‘No evidence’ of Piastri deal collusion – Szafnauer
Aug.9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Flavio Briatore may have “shared information” that led to the Oscar Piastri saga which appears destined for court. Spaniard Alonso triggered the ‘silly season’ shenanigans by opting to reject Alpine’s offer of a one-year contract extension for 2023 and switch to Aston Martin on a multi-season deal. Renault-owned […]
Porpoising rules impact to be ‘interesting’ – Wolff
Aug.9 (GMM) The impact of Formula 1’s anti-‘porpoising’ guidelines, which are set to debut just after the August break at Spa-Francorchamps, will be “very interesting” to observe. That is the view of Toto Wolff, who has been accused of lobbying the hardest for the changes. Even more contentious changes are on the way for 2023, […]
‘Thank God’ Honda staying with Red Bull – Marko
Aug.8 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is relieved Honda is staying in Formula 1 until the end of 2025. Officially, it has always been known that Red Bull would keep using the basic Honda power unit architecture even after the Japanese manufacturer’s official withdrawal from F1. But Marko explains that the original plan was for the […]
Binotto denies Ferrari needs personnel shakeup
Aug.8 (GMM) Mattia Binotto could end up paying for Ferrari’s flagging championship hopes with his job. That is the view of former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who worked with the Italian team’s current team boss when he was still in charge of the engine program. “He’s a very good engineer – a very professional guy,” […]
Aston Martin expects rear wing copies in Singapore
Aug.8 (GMM) Aston Martin’s F1 team boss admits he will be “surprised” if copycat versions of a new rear wing concept do not appear after the August break. Alpine sporting boss Alan Permane thinks there will be “nine other teams” studying the idea after Hungary, where Aston Martin revealed an intriguing rear wing that appears […]
Money ‘likely’ reason for Alonso switch – Szafnauer
Aug.8 (GMM) It appears Aston Martin simply offered Fernando Alonso substantially more money than Alpine was willing to pay for 2023, according to Otmar Szafnauer. Szafnauer is uniquely qualified to comment on Alonso’s surprise 2023 team switch, as he was Aston Martin’s long-time team boss before he switched camps over the winter. It is believed […]
Alpine to claim ‘compensation’ for Piastri snub
Aug.8 (GMM) Alpine has a right to seek “compensation” if Oscar Piastri doesn’t make his Formula 1 debut for the Renault-owned team in 2023. That is the insistence of the Enstone based team’s new-in-2022 boss Otmar Szafnauer, whose former employer Aston Martin kicked off the latest ‘silly season’ shakeup by poaching Fernando Alonso for next […]
Prince involved in Monaco’s F1 contract talks
Aug.8 (GMM) The Prince of Monaco has intervened directly in the Principality’s troubled negotiations with Formula 1 over a new contract for 2023. That is the claim of long-time Monaco resident and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, as the sport prepares to unveil what is expected to be a 24-race schedule for next season. F1 […]
Perez ‘too young’ to consider F1 retirement
Aug.8 (GMM) Sergio Perez says he is “too young” to be considering following Formula 1 rival Sebastian Vettel into retirement. At the age of 35, quadruple world champion Vettel has called time on his own F1 career at the end of the 2022 season. Mexican Perez is currently 32, but he will be almost 35 […]
Haas calls off Schumacher contract talks
Aug.5 (GMM) Haas has called off all contract talks with Mick Schumacher for the duration of the August break, according to German broadcasters RTL and ntv. Boss Gunther Steiner had flagged F1’s calendar break as the right time to consider the small American team’s driver lineup for 2023, with Kevin Magnussen already under contract. But […]
Ferrari doing ‘everything wrong’ in 2022 – Marko
Aug.5 (GMM) Ferrari is doing “pretty much everything wrong” in the battle for the world championship, according to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko. Even though the Maranello-made car has arguably been quicker than Red Bull’s overall so far this year, Charles Leclerc is a whopping 80 points behind reigning champion Max Verstappen. When asked how […]
Mark Webber plays down Red Bull-Porsche link
Aug.5 (GMM) Charles Leclerc is “under a lot of pressure” because of Ferrari’s struggles with reliability and strategy blunders so far in 2022. That is the view of Mark Webber, who currently finds himself at the centre of Formula 1’s ‘silly season’ as manager of Alpine refugee Oscar Piastri. While his fellow Australian is linked […]