Sep.4 (GMM) F1 teams have won an argument with Pirelli over tyre pressures at Monza. After the blowout saga of Spa-Francorchamps, F1’s official supplier informed teams on Thursday that they wanted an increase of 5 PSI in pressure for the similarly high-speed Monza. Lewis Hamilton predicted that would be a “disaster”. “I hope they don’t […]
Month: September 2015
2016 grid shaping up as silly season nears end
Sep.4 (GMM) As the ‘silly season’ nears its end, the 2016 grid is now shaping up. With Kimi Raikkonen all signed up again, Ferrari will field an unchanged lineup next year, as will Mercedes, Sauber and probably the two Red Bull teams. Fernando Alonso is contractually locked in at McLaren-Honda, and sources report that the […]
Grosjean not treating Monza as last Lotus race
Sep.4 (GMM) Romain Grosjean has not denied paddock speculation that, if the Renault deal now falls through, Monza could be Lotus’ final appearance at a grand prix. On the one hand, the Enstone team appears tantalisingly close to being bought and therefore rescued by the French carmaker, whose divorce from the Red Bull teams also […]
Williams keeps Bottas, Massa for 2016
Sep.3 (GMM) Williams will race into another season with Valtteri Bottas alongside Felipe Massa. The British team had options on both drivers for 2016, but it had been rumoured Finn Bottas was a candidate to switch to Ferrari, who ultimately re-signed Kimi Raikkonen. Brazilian Massa’s seat, meanwhile, had been linked with a paying driver like […]
Alonso ‘unhappy’ but ‘motivated’ – Sainz
Sep.3 (GMM) Carlos Sainz, the Spanish rookie who claims Fernando Alonso as a mentor, says the McLaren driver and double world champion is “unhappy” in 2016. Officially, Alonso has been putting a brave and optimistic face on 2015, despite McLaren-Honda’s dire performance. Sainz, who drives for Toro Rosso, paints a slightly different picture. “It’s a […]
Marchionne set for Red Bull engine talks – report
Sep.3 (GMM) Ferrari wants to re-enter the running to be Red Bull’s new engine supplier from 2016. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport claims president Sergio Marchionne intends to visit the Monza paddock this weekend not only to support Ferrari, but to try to convince Red Bull to sign up for a supply of the Maranello-made […]
Vettel expecting no more boos from Tifosi
Sep.3 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel is expecting a very different Italian grand prix. On the podium in 2013, when he wore Red Bull colours as F1’s dominant and reigning world champion, the German was booed with a ferocity rarely seen in the sport. It was a far cry from 2008, when the fresh-eyed rookie won against […]
FIA happy with safety of Pirelli’s tyres
Sep.3 (GMM) F1’s governing body on Thursday said it is satisfied Pirelli’s tyres are structurally safe. After Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel suffered high-speed blowouts at Spa-Francorchamps, the latter German lashed out at the quality and safety of Pirelli’s tyres. In the wake of Vettel’s outburst, Pirelli said it conducted a detailed investigation into the […]
Renault poised to sign Lotus purchase ‘option’
Sep.3 (GMM) Renault is now poised to sign an option to buy a majority stake of the ailing F1 team Lotus, the German publication Auto Motor und Sport reports. The fate of the beleaguered Enstone team, and Renault and partner Red Bull’s next steps in F1, are the subject of intense speculation in the Monza […]
No Pirelli directives issued yet – team boss
Sep.3 (GMM) How Pirelli will handle the aftermath of the Belgian tyre blowout saga remains unclear. The Italian supplier is poised to reveal the fruits of its investigation into Sebastian Vettel’s failure at Spa-Francorchamps. And Pirelli could also force teams to follow strict new guidelines on maximum engine set life, as well as camber settings […]
No engine talks with Honda yet – Booth
Sep.3 (GMM) Manor is not yet turning its attention to the matter of its driver lineup for 2016. The former Marussia team has fielded Briton Will Stevens alongside Roberto Merhi this season, although the security of the latter Spaniard’s seat has often been in question due to his lack of sponsorship backing. “Normally, we try […]
Pirelli set to announce tyre usage clampdown
Sep.3 (GMM) Pirelli on Thursday is poised to announce stricter guidelines regarding the use of its tyres by formula one teams ahead of the Italian grand prix. It follows the high-speed blowouts suffered by Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel at Spa-Francorchamps, even though Rosberg’s was said to have been a puncture. And it is believed […]
Montezemolo says Ecclestone Monza threats not new
Sep.3 (GMM) Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has weighed into the uncertainty surrounding Monza’s future on the F1 calendar. The issue will be front and centre this weekend, as Bernie Ecclestone pushes defiantly for more money from Italian grand prix chiefs, who are backed in their mission by the prime minister Matteo Renzi. 2015 […]
Lotus facing new hurdles in Monza paddock
Sep.3 (GMM) Monza looks set to be another challenging weekend for Lotus. After the court bailiff saga of Spa-Francorchamps, reports on Wednesday suggested smoother times are ahead now for the Enstone team, as its transporters had arrived at the Autodromo Nazionale for the Italian grand prix. But until the black trucks rolled into Monza’s gates, […]
Allison has signed new Ferrari deal – insider
Sep.3 (GMM) James Allison is staying put at Ferrari. In July, as the Italian team’s 2015 resurgence hit an apparent dip, speculation suggested Ferrari might not renew the contract of its new British technical boss. But then the team surprised the F1 world by re-signing Kimi Raikkonen, amid speculation a new deal for Allison might […]
Turkey could still return to F1 – operator
Sep.2 (GMM) The new operator of Turkey’s former F1 track says the sport could return to Istanbul in the future. The Turkish daily Sozcu this week reported that a company called Intercity has signed a 10-year lease, and plans to turn the circuit that hosted seven grands prix until 2011 into a used car or […]
PM tells Ecclestone ‘Hands off Monza!’
Sep.2 (GMM) The big guns are now firing over the question of historic Monza’s future on the F1 calendar. With a contract beyond 2016 still not agreed between organisers of the fabled race at the Autodromo Nazionale and Bernie Ecclestone, Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi weighed into the story on Wednesday. “Formula one thrives not […]
Raikkonen backs new ‘Iceman’ alcoholic drink
Sep.2 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is the face of a new alcoholic drink in his native Finland. Famous also for his partying and drinking, it emerges that the Ferrari driver is backing the tinned gin and dry ‘Iceman Long Drink’. The marketing says the drink is “Served as cool as the Iceman himself”. Former McLaren boss […]
Lotus clinging to survival at Monza
Sep.2 (GMM) Lotus is clinging to survival ahead of the Italian grand prix. Bernie Ecclestone paid the latest $2.3 million wage bill for the embattled team’s 400 staff, which has ensured the black trucks are en route to Monza. But beyond that, fingers and toes are being crossed that the Renault buyout deal will be […]
More mixed messages as Honda tackles Monza
Sep.2 (GMM) Honda is going into yet another race weekend with mixed messages. As McLaren’s struggling Japanese supplier debuted an upgraded engine in Belgium recently, boss Yasuhisa Arai said it would be a match for Ferrari’s power unit. But Spa-Francorchamps turned out to be one of McLaren-Honda’s worst performances of the season. And now, at […]