Jun.22 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has earned a place at a top team. That is the view of F1 legend Niki Lauda, referring to the Force India driver who recently made international headlines by winning Le Mans on debut. Back in F1, however, German Hulkenberg drives only for Force India, where in Austria he qualified an […]
Month: June 2015
Ecclestone ‘negotiated’ with Mateschitz – report
Jun.22 (GMM) His quit threats still echoing around the paddock, Dietrich Mateschitz met quietly with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone on Sunday. “No photographers, no journalists — even their staff kept a safe distance,” reported Osterreich newspaper. The report speculated that the main topic of conversation was not Mateschitz’s quit threats, but the Austrian billionaire’s interest […]
Alonso says McLaren-Honda ‘crisis is over’
Jun.22 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says “the crisis is over” at McLaren-Honda. That is despite the team’s Austrian grand prix appearing to be an unmitigated disaster, and right in front of the Honda Motor Co.’s new president, Takahiro Hachigo. The draconian extent of the engine grid penalties incurred by Alonso and Jenson Button was ridiculed in […]
Austrian F1 fans killed in horror incident
Jun.21 (GMM) Three were killed and dozens injured on Saturday at a F1-themed event coinciding with the Austrian grand prix. In Graz, an hour’s drive from the Red Bull Ring, a car ploughed at high speed into a huge crowd of formula one fans, killing three people including a toddler and injuring at least 34, […]
Le Mans bow for big F1 names unlikely – Hulkenberg
Jun.21 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg does not think a flood of F1 rivals will now follow him to Le Mans. Perhaps powered by his Porsche triumph last weekend, the German on Saturday defied all expectations by qualifying fifth — one race before Force India debuts its long-awaited ‘B’ car. Hulkenberg, eleven places ahead of his teammate […]
Honda not ready for second F1 team
Jun.21 (GMM) Honda has backed away from speculation it is ready to supply a second team with engines in 2016. The Japanese carmaker has said consistently since returning to the sport that while this year will be spent focused on works partner McLaren, it is open to selling the same turbo V6 to paying customers […]
French power for Red Bull in 2016 too – Renault
Jun.21 (GMM) Renault says it is sure it will continue to power Red Bull’s cars next year. The news comes amid swirling rumours about the future in F1 of the energy drink company, with owner Dietrich Mateschitz threatening to quit and reports Red Bull received an offer to become a Ferrari ‘customer’ next year. F1 […]
Ecclestone denies saying F1 ‘crap’
Jun.21 (GMM) As the hybrid power units whirred, Bernie Ecclestone’s “crap” comment echoed around the paddock of the Red Bull Ring. “That’s a good sales strategy,” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said ironically, when told that the sport’s supremo had used the four-letter word to denounce formula one. But even Ecclestone was surprised when told […]
Wolff admits Mercedes domination not good for F1
Jun.21 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted Mercedes’ continuing dominance of formula one is not good for “the show”. As the silver team cruised to yet another peerless victory in Austria, the ever-dwindling global audience suggested it had been yet another boring race. Red Bull, struggling with Renault power, had mischievously predicted long before the chequered […]
Wolff expects fast Ferrari on Sunday
Jun.21 (GMM) “Very good, but strange,” said Niki Lauda, after Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid for Sunday’s Austrian grand prix. He was referring to the way Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both skidded off the track on their decisive qualifying laps, despite nonetheless powering to first and second at the Red […]
Horner says no to Ferrari ‘customer’ engine
Jun.21 (GMM) Red Bull Racing has ruled out switching to customer Ferrari power. As the former champions’ troubled relationship with Renault continues to crumble, the speculation has been swirling around the paddock of the Red Bull Ring. But team owner Dietrich Mateschitz played it down, arguing that being a mere ‘customer’ of a F1 rival […]
No Red Bull test for Verstappen
Jun.21 (GMM) Max Verstappen has denied rumours he is on the cusp of stepping up a notch in his already meteoric formula one career. Already the youngest racer and points scorer in the sport’s entire history, the 17-year-old Toro Rosso rookie was being linked with a potential move into the lineup of the senior team, […]
Sauber waiting until Spa for new Ferrari
Jun.21 (GMM) Sauber has denied claims it cannot afford to run the latest version of Ferrari’s power unit. When Ferrari’s token-upgraded new specification made its bow in Canada, Felipe Nasr said the Swiss team was “not happy” it had not been made available to customer Sauber. But Sauber chief Monisha Kaltenborn said her engineers are […]
McLaren almost shelved new ‘short nose’
Jun.20 (GMM) McLaren’s all-new ‘short nose’ was almost shelved at the scene of the Austrian grand prix. The British team reportedly tried and failed to pass the FIA’s mandatory crash testing with the new concept in the weeks leading up to its debut on Friday. But even with the crash tests finally passed, the nose […]
Michelin wants F1 to be ‘extreme sport’
Jun.20 (GMM) Michelin has hit back at Bernie Ecclestone’s claim it would not be good for F1 if the French marque won the sport’s 2017 tyre contract. F1’s current supplier Pirelli confirmed on Friday that it is going head-to-head with Michelin for the new deal. “There are definitely only two bidders,” said Pirelli’s Paul Hembery […]
Austria set for ‘silver versus red’ battle
Jun.20 (GMM) Those with a ticket for Sunday’s Austrian grand prix could be in for a ‘silver versus red’ treat. Last year, 90,000 race-day spectators watched on as Red Bull organised the first F1 race in picturesque Spielberg for over a decade. But it is believed only 50,000 will be trackside in 2015. “I suppose […]
Mateschitz will not ‘give up’ – Lauda
Jun.20 (GMM) Dietrich Mateschitz is not poised to quit formula one. That is the claim of fellow Austrian and F1 legend Niki Lauda, as speculation about Red Bull’s future on the grid swirls in the ‘Red Bull Ring’ paddock. Lauda himself is featured in the latest, provocative edition of Red Bull’s ‘Red Bulletin’ magazine entitled […]
Leimer turns hopes to Silverstone
Jun.20 (GMM) Fabio Leimer has his fingers crossed for a Friday practice debut at Silverstone in two weeks. The 2013 GP2 champion had hoped to make his bow in Austria, having signed up as Manor’s new reserve and Friday driver just ahead of the recent Canadian grand prix. Swiss Leimer, 26, did travel to the […]
Ecclestone struggling to sell ‘crap product’
Jun.20 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he is struggling to sell a “crap product” to the public in the new era of formula one. The F1 supremo has said consistently that the ‘power unit’ regulations are a major reason for the decline in popularity of the sport he has ruled for decades. “I was talking to […]
Perez hits back at ‘unprofessional’ jibe
Jun.20 (GMM) Sergio Perez has hit back at claims he was “totally unprofessional” and “a slob”. A month ago, the Mexican’s former Formula BMW chief Peter Mucke, who also worked with Sebastian Vettel, Robert Kubica and many others, looked back on Perez’s days as a teenager. “His apartment in Berlin looked like a battlefield. He […]