Jun.18 (GMM) Not every driver was complaining as F1 action kicked off at Baku’s spectacular and unique new street track. Senior drivers including Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button had suggested the wall-lined, high-speed layout may not be safe, but world champion Lewis Hamilton said it was just a typical “moan”-fest. “These drivers moan so much […]
Month: June 2016
Pirelli relieved to finally ink FIA deal
Jun.18 (GMM) Pirelli has admitted to relief that, after a long delay, its presence in F1 beyond 2016 has finally been confirmed. The Italian marque actually secured a new deal with Bernie Ecclestone for 2017 until 2019 late last year, but it could not be made official until a separate contract with the governing FIA […]
Red Bull recommends Buemi for Renault seat
Jun.18 (GMM) Sebastien Buemi would make an ideal new race driver for the works Renault team. That is the view of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, just as the Swiss newspaper Blick claims that Swiss Buemi has been re-signed by Red Bull as a test driver. Buemi, now 27, raced over 50 times for […]
Verstappen confirms ‘bored’ father not in Baku
Jun.18 (GMM) Max Verstappen has admitted his father is taking a back seat now that he has secured a future at a top F1 team. The 18-year-old stepped up from Toro Rosso earlier this year, won in Barcelona and has now secured at least two further years at Red Bull Racing. So for the first […]
European Grand Prix – 2nd Free Practice
Hamilton quickest with a 1:44.223 from Rosberg (+0.690), Perez (+1.113), Bottas (+1.541), Hulkenberg (+1.697), Sainz (+1.804), Verstappen (+1.845), Vettel (+1.996), Button (+2.011) & Ricciardo (+2.070) Alonso, Grosjean, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Gutierrez, Massa, Magnussen, Haryanto, Ericsson, Palmer, Wehrlein and Nasr make the rest of the field. The pace of the Mercedes looks very impressive on this track […]
Kerb problem puts Baku under cloud
Jun.17 (GMM) Baku’s inaugural grand prix is under a cloud due to a worrying problem with kerbs at the brand new street circuit. GP2 qualifying was postponed on Friday, with Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reporting that 90 per cent of the F1 cars in opening practice suffered damage to their tyres. With the subsequent […]
Red Bull puts ‘aeroscreen’ on back burner
Jun.17 (GMM) Progress with Red Bull’s ‘aeroscreen’ concept has stalled. The FIA is pushing ahead with the rival ‘halo’ cockpit protection for next year, but remained open-minded about further developing Red Bull’s windshield-like concept for the future. That is because in the FIA’s crash testing of aeroscreen, the dummy’s head made contact with the screen […]
European Grand Prix – 1st Free Practice
Hamilton quickest with a 1:46.435 from Rosberg (+0.377), Bottas (+0.661), Alonso (+1.554), Vettel (+2.192), Perez (+2.487), Button (+2.584), Massa (+2.690), Sainz (+2.832) & Hulkenberg (+2.866). Grosjean, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Guttierez, Ericsson, Verstappen, Kvyat, Palmer, Magnussen, Wehrlein, Nasr and Haryanto make the rest of the field. Verstappen only completed 7 laps due to an oil leak […]
Sainz admits Red Bull door ‘a bit closed’
Jun.17 (GMM) Carlos Sainz is not ruling out staying with Toro Rosso in 2017. The impressive Spaniard has always targeted a move up to the senior team Red Bull, but last month he watched his teammate Max Verstappen get the call. And now, reports are doing the rounds that Red Bull Racing has locked in […]
Verstappen’s father Jos not in Azerbaijan
Jun.17 (GMM) For the first time in his 27-race formula one race career, Max Verstappen will be without his famous father Jos this weekend in Baku. De Telegraaf, a Dutch newspaper, reports that although the former Benetton and Minardi driver is usually at the side of his 18-year-old son, Jos decided to skip Azerbaijan. The […]
Heineken to do Red Bull F1 deal – report
Jun.17 (GMM) Heineken could be set to expand its new F1 sponsorship deal to involve one or more of the teams. That is the claim of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, even though the Dutch beer brand explained in Montreal that the Heineken logo would in fact “not be visible on any F1 cars”. But […]
Brazil GP axe ‘quite possible’ – Massa
Jun.17 (GMM) Felipe Massa has warned that Bernie Ecclestone may be serious in his threat to axe the Brazilian grand prix. Given that Interlagos has a contract until 2020, some Brazilian reporters had played down the F1 supremo’s warning that November’s race could be the last. “We know how Bernie works with his negotiations,” Williams […]
Imola poised to snatch Italy GP from Monza
Jun.17 (GMM) Imola chief Uberto Selvatico Estense says the former San Marino GP venue is “ready” and poised to replace Monza as Italy’s sole F1 race. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is still warning that intense and typical Italian politics could mean historic Monza loses the grand prix after 2016. “The most humiliating moment was not […]
Senior F1 drivers question Baku safety
Jun.17 (GMM) Senior F1 drivers have questioned the safety credentials of the sport’s newest venue. What became clear on Thursday as the teams, drivers and engineers checked out Baku’s street circuit on foot and by bike is that it is totally unique — lined with walls and barriers but incredibly high speed. Bernie Ecclestone said […]
No spare chassis for Renault at Baku
Jun.16 (GMM) F1’s leap across the world in the space of mere days has left a couple of teams struggling for spare parts. In perhaps the sport’s oddest ever pair of ‘back-to-back’ grand prix weekends, the travelling circus has somehow assembled for the inaugural race in Baku within short memory of last Sunday’s Montreal event. […]
Journalists play down Brazil GP axe threat
Jun.16 (GMM) Brazilian journalists have played down Bernie Ecclestone’s warning that the Interlagos race in November could be the last. F1 supremo Ecclestone triggered alarm this week when he said: “It could be that the grand prix in Brazil this year is the last.” But experienced Brazilian journalist Victor Martins told UOL’s Grande Premio programme […]
Hulkenberg says no Le Mans ‘in foreseeable future’
Jun.16 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg does not think he will be returning to Le Mans in “the foreseeable future”. Despite racing full-time in F1, the German is actually the fabled 24 hour endurance race’s reigning winner, having won for Porsche this time last year. But Hulkenberg cannot rejoin his Porsche teammates this weekend because Le Mans […]
Tilke denies Baku too dangerous for F1
Jun.16 (GMM) Hermann Tilke has played down fears F1’s newest venue in Baku might not be safe enough. As the sport’s travelling circus set up in the historic Azerbaijan capital this week, two respected journalists wondered whether F1 had compromised safety by green-lighting the fastest ever street circuit. Roger Benoit, writing for Blick, said the […]
Marchionne made F1 ‘rookie error’ – Berger
Jun.16 (GMM) Sergio Marchionne made a “typical rookie error” in predicting immediate wins in 2016 and the world championship title, according to former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger. So far, the Maranello team has failed to deliver on the bold promises made by its new president, causing some to wonder if that means team boss Maurizio […]
Ricciardo happy with Verstappen until 2018
Jun.16 (GMM) As news emerges that Red Bull’s driver lineup is now set in stone for the next two years, Daniel Ricciardo says he is happy alongside F1 teen sensation Max Verstappen. Although the Australian had been linked with a move to Ferrari, reports suggest Red Bull has definitely secured the 26-year-old until the end […]