Mar.9 (GMM) Sauber will race in Melbourne next weekend, notwithstanding the financial cloud that hangs over the struggling Swiss team. Boss and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn confirmed earlier that “part of the February salaries” of the more than 300 staff at Hinwil are yet to be paid. “Two thirds of our employees have not received the […]
Month: March 2016
Hamilton ‘aggressive’ with Melbourne tyre choice
Mar.9 (GMM) It may be the teams, and not the drivers, who are in charge of the extra freedom on tyre selection in 2016. On Tuesday, Pirelli revealed the choices made for each driver’s car for the Australian grand prix, after the rules were changed to allow a custom selection from among three different compounds […]
Alonso plays down early podiums in 2016
Mar.8 (GMM) Fernando Alonso on Tuesday said the podium is too high a target for McLaren-Honda early in 2016. But as he spoke in Baku as an ambassador for the inaugural grand prix in Azerbaijan later this year, the Spaniard suggested he has high hopes for rapid improvement after the team’s disastrous 2015. “I will […]
Renault to make Ferrari-like engine step – Horner
Mar.8 (GMM) Renault is tipped to make considerable progress with its power unit in 2016, as the works team prepares to unveil its new race livery. After the Lotus buyout, the Enstone team has been running in familiar black during testing but is expected to switch to Renault’s traditional yellow – with a weight-saving matte […]
Maldonado linked with Indycar switch
Mar.8 (GMM) Pastor Maldonado could keep his motor racing career alive in America’s top open wheeler series. The Portuguese-language Diario Motorsport reports that the controversial Venezuelan, ousted by Renault amid sponsorship problems, is in talks with Ed Carpenter’s Indycar team about racing on the road and street tracks in 2016. Whether Maldonado’s departure from F1 […]
F1 board dossier puts Ecclestone under scrutiny
Mar.8 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone will come under scrutiny on Tuesday as a report is tabled at a meeting of F1’s board. The report has been authored by Jean-Marc Huet, a board member and former Uniliver financial chief, and comes hot on the heels of criticism of the 85-year-old F1 supremo. Amid a controversial last-minute qualifying […]
Haryanto may struggle to qualify – Doornbos
Mar.8 (GMM) F1 rookie Rio Haryanto might struggle even to qualify for races this year. That is the claim of former grand prix driver Robert Doornbos, who knows the back of the grid well after racing for backmarker Minardi a decade ago. However, he told the Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport Totaal that the Manor team […]
Drivers to ‘fend for ourselves’ in 2016 – Rosberg
Mar.8 (GMM) The further clampdown on pit-to-driver radio communications in 2016 will spice up the action. That is the view of a couple of 2016 drivers, after Mercedes chief Toto Wolff this week declared that the incoming rule changes should make the Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg battle more exciting this year. Some interpreted his […]
Coulthard sides with qualifying, ‘halo’ criticism
Mar.8 (GMM) David Coulthard says he sympathises with drivers who are openly questioning the latest changes within formula one. While most drivers are either publicly or privately calling for better tyres and faster cars, the next two changes in fact look set to be a controversially-revised qualifying format and the ‘halo’ cockpit safety collar. Coulthard, […]
Sainz says 2016 could be last chance at Toro Rosso
Mar.8 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says he knows 2016 could be a make-or-break season for him in F1. On the surface, Toro Rosso is fielding arguably its best-ever lineup in the form of Spaniard Sainz and Dutch sensation Max Verstappen, who were both impressive rookies last year. But Sainz, 21, says he knows that is no […]
Court may stop Mallya’s F1 travels
Mar.8 (GMM) Force India boss and co-owner Vijay Mallya may be unable to attend grands prix in 2016. Seventeen banks that are owed money by the Indian businessman relating to his collapsed airline Kingfisher on Tuesday asked a court to urgently stop Mallya from leaving India. “List it for hearing tomorrow,” the judges decreed on […]
Vettel yet to name 2016 title contender
Mar.7 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is yet to give a personal name to his 2016 car, which will carry the hopes of the entire Ferrari team and much of the wider F1 world. “No, not yet,” said the German when asked if he has decided what the successor to last year’s ‘Eva’ – the […]
F1 figures hit back at Ecclestone
Mar.7 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is taking flak amid F1’s tumultuous beginning to another world championship season. World champion Sebastian Vettel, a traditional ally of the F1 supremo, questioned the decision to shake up the qualifying format mere days before the circus heads for Australia, agreeing it demonstrates a lack of “leadership”. The Ferrari driver is […]
Massa wants new nose ‘as soon as possible’
Mar.7 (GMM) Felipe Massa has confirmed that Williams is hoping to get a new nose and front wing up and running as soon as possible. With the British camp’s current short nose strongly resembling the pioneering version of 2015, technical boss Pat Symonds hinted that the plan is to introduce an even more aggressive version […]
Palmer denies 2015 ‘caution’ will carry over
Mar.7 (GMM) Jolyon Palmer has dismissed claims he might take too “cautious” an approach to his job of being a formula one driver. Last year, the British rookie was Lotus’ reserve and Friday driver, and was signed up to race for 2016 before Renault took over the struggling Enstone team. But even Lotus admitted to […]
Alonso still not ruling out Mercedes move
Mar.7 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is still refusing to rule out a future move to Mercedes. Although fully committed to the remaining two seasons of his McLaren-Honda contract, the Spaniard began his 2016 campaign by revealing he almost switched from Ferrari to Mercedes last year in a swap deal involving Lewis Hamilton. “You always want to […]
Tost’s podium target ‘not possible’ – Sainz
Mar.7 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has questioned his boss’s target of a podium finish on merit in 2016. The Red Bull junior team’s chief Franz Tost declared recently: “Realistically, I expect that we can achieve a podium this year after getting so close to it last year”. Indeed, Toro Rosso has switched from Renault to the […]
Sauber falls behind in February staff salaries
Mar.7 (GMM) Sauber is entering yet another F1 season under a financial cloud. A year ago, it was the Giedo van der Garde saga that almost derailed the struggling Swiss team. Now, the Swiss newspaper Blick reports that Sauber has fallen behind in its wage payments to its more than 300 staff at the Hinwil […]
Ecclestone, FIA confirm ‘musical chairs’ qualifying
Mar.5 (GMM) F1’s governing body as well as Bernie Ecclestone on Friday confirmed that the ‘musical chairs’-style qualifying is going ahead in full in 2016. Throughout the week, amid Ecclestone’s claims the timing software could not be written in time and dissent from the drivers, it was thought the controversial new system would be either […]
Prost thinks qualifying may still falter
Mar.5 (GMM) Alain Prost has warned that the qualifying saga of recent days could drag on even longer. While the World Motor Sport Council rubber-stamped the controversial new ‘musical chairs’ format on Friday, a statement declared only that it “should” be introduced for Melbourne in two weeks. “I do not think that it will come,” […]