Mar.4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he is not sure where he will line up on the Melbourne grid. McLaren insists it has improved since its diabolical 2015, while Jenson Button described the latest engine step as the biggest Honda has made in 14 months. But Alonso, who just last week was linked with early retirement, […]
Month: March 2016
Williams to race shorter nose in early 2016
Mar.4 (GMM) Williams looks set to unveil a new nose for its 2016 car within the first two or three races of 2016. The Grove team was a pioneer of the short-nose concept that is now widespread up and down pitlane. Many were therefore surprised when Williams’ 2016 car did not feature an even shorter […]
‘Cheap engine’ plan for 2018 could be revived
Mar.4 (GMM) The earlier-touted ‘cheap engines’ solution might soon be back on the table. That is the claim of Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, revealing that reforms agreed by the manufacturers to avoid the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone’s plan for parallel engine regulations may now collapse. Just days ago, the power unit suppliers – Mercedes, […]
Senior F1 drivers slam ‘broken’ sport
Mar.4 (GMM) World champion drivers on Thursday slammed the current direction of formula one. Ferrari surprised the F1 world at the Barcelona test when Kimi Raikkonen emerged from the pits with a carbon mock-up of the ‘halo’ cockpit protection solution. When asked about the visibility, the 2007 world champion answered: “It was a little bit […]
Schumacher, Alesi race towards F1 careers
Mar.4 (GMM) Two young drivers with famous fathers will charge towards a future career on the F1 grid with strong support in their wake. The most high-profile is Mick Schumacher, the 16-year-old son of F1 legend Michael who for 2016 has been signed up by the Ferrari-linked Prema team in Formula 4. FIA president Jean […]
‘Hard to say’ if Hamilton’s mojo is back
Mar.4 (GMM) One big question heading into the new F1 season is whether Lewis Hamilton has his ‘mojo’ back. After dominating his teammate last year and wrapping up the title with three races to spare, the Mercedes driver was then clearly outclassed by the sister Mercedes of Nico Rosberg in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. […]
Alonso ‘happy’ at improving McLaren – Boullier
Mar.3 (GMM) Things are finally looking up at McLaren. While some analysts believe the Honda power unit is still easily the least powerful in the field, it seems the Japanese carmaker may finally have turned a corner for 2016. Gone – reportedly to the relief of bosses Eric Boullier and Ron Dennis – is the […]
Red Bull to test F1 cockpit canopy in April
Mar.3 (GMM) Red Bull will test its own proposed solution to the issue of cockpit protection later this month. On Thursday, Ferrari surprised the F1 world when Kimi Raikkonen emerged from the pits for his installation lap with a black ‘halo’ mounted on his cockpit. It was a carbon mock-up of the solution conceived by […]
Todt ‘still friends’ with stricken Schumacher
Mar.3 (GMM) Jean Todt says he is still friends with Michael Schumacher, even in the wake of the seven time world champion’s serious head injuries. Little is known about the highly-confidential condition of Schumacher today, more than two years after he fell whilst skiing in the French alps. But Todt, once the boss at Ferrari […]
Magnussen happier at Renault than at McLaren
Mar.3 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen appears a happier man in 2016, in the wake of his ill-fated McLaren adventure. “I can feel that he fits in really well in this team,” his mother Britt said in the Renault motor home in Barcelona. “It’s as if the good old Kevin is back,” she added. Indeed, Magnussen admits […]
Todt tells Ecclestone to stop criticising F1
Mar.3 (GMM) Jean Todt has urged Bernie Ecclestone to stop criticising formula one. F1 supremo Ecclestone has rung in another new season with a familiar round of criticism, after last year crudely describing the sport he runs as “crap”. Todt, the FIA president, told Auto Bild Motorsport: “Can you imagine someone going to see a […]
Bank asks court for Mallya’s arrest
Mar.3 (GMM) Vijay Mallya on Thursday rejected calls for his arrest. Amid the ongoing fallout from the collapse of his airline Kingfisher, the State Bank of India on Wednesday had also asked an Indian court for the seizure of the Force India chief’s passport over unpaid loans. Local reports also said the court was asked […]
Wolff plays down Alonso driver swap claims
Mar.3 (GMM) Toto Wolff has played down reports Fernando Alonso almost replaced reigning champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes last year. Alonso had made the claims on Spanish radio, revealing talks took place when he was still a Ferrari driver about trading places with Mercedes’ British star. “It was tried. Yes, yes, there was this offer,” […]
Heat on Pirelli as tyre pressures rise
Mar.3 (GMM) The heat is back on Pirelli as a new F1 season looms. For the sake of the racing, the official supplier has added a new layer to its compounds for 2016 to limit the tyres’ effective lives and force pitstops. The rules have also been tweaked so that three compounds instead of two […]
Qualifying format still unknown for Melbourne
Mar.3 (GMM) The ‘will it, won’t it’ saga of the ever-changing qualifying format for 2016 continued in Barcelona on Wednesday. The F1 Commission recently agreed a tweaked ‘musical chairs’ format for the new season, but Bernie Ecclestone said it would be delayed until May so his software writers could catch up. However, team bosses met […]
Ferrari plays down rumoured engine problems
Mar.3 (GMM) Rumours are swirling in the Barcelona test paddock about problems with Ferrari’s 2016 power unit. Within sight of the end of the pre-season period, cooling holes have appeared in the side of the works team’s red car, Haas was grounded all day with a turbo issue on Wednesday, and Sauber has also had […]
Bottas not among dieting F1 drivers
Mar.2 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has counted himself as not among those drivers who are dieting hard ahead of the 2016 season. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo admits he was told to lose 5 kilograms before Melbourne, while Toro Rosso rookie Carlos Sainz slammed the pressure put on drivers by the regulations to be lighter than is […]
Mercedes denies cracking 1000hp barrier
Mar.2 (GMM) With every passing test day, the feeling in the Barcelona paddock is growing ever stronger that Mercedes will decimate all comers early in 2016. On Tuesday, as the last four days of pre-season running began, Nico Rosberg topped the field after finally running a set of soft tyres — beating Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, […]
F1 under fire for ‘unprofessional’ qualifying farce
Mar.2 (GMM) F1 officials have come under fire for what major newspapers including the Independent and Telegraph are calling the 2016 qualifying “farce”. Mere weeks before the new season, the decision-making F1 Commission agreed to implement a new ‘musical chairs’ elimination format for qualifying this year. But F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, reportedly the architect of […]
One-year deals for Magnussen, Palmer – boss
Mar.2 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur, the new team boss at Renault, has admitted neither team driver has a guaranteed future with the French marque beyond 2016. “Both drivers have a contract for one season,” he is quoted by the Danish broadcaster TV2, referring to Dane Kevin Magnussen and Briton Jolyon Palmer. “Formula one is moving all […]