Mar.25 (GMM) Ferrari thinks it has a winning car for 2018. That is despite the clear qualifying defeat to Mercedes in Melbourne. But Ferrari official Piero Ferrari, the son of founder Enzo, told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I expect a victorious Ferrari. “Our engineers assert that we have a good car and have made good […]
Month: March 2018
McLaren will challenge top 3 in 2018 – Alonso
Mar.25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he is confident McLaren will eventually challenge the top three teams in 2018. However, as the British team began its new Renault-powered era in Melbourne, the Spaniard did not even make it into Q3. “We must start looking at the three top teams,” Alonso told the Movistar broadcaster after qualifying. […]
Wolff eases ‘pressure’ after Bottas crash
Mar.25 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he will try to ease the psychological blow suffered by Valterri Bottas following his qualifying crash in Melbourne. Bottas’ season got off to the worst possible start with a heavy qualifying crash, with his Mercedes predecessor Nico Rosberg saying it will also be a mental blow. When asked about that, […]
Mercedes can’t be beaten until 2021 – Marko
Mar.25 (GMM) All the talk in the Melbourne paddock is about a button on the Mercedes steering wheel that triggers ‘Party mode’. Lewis Hamilton coined the phrase earlier in the weekend, but after going seven tenths quicker than the nearest Ferrari in qualifying, he played it down. “I can assure you we don’t have a […]
2018 ‘could be Raikkonen’s year’ – Villeneuve
Mar.25 (GMM) 2018 could be Kimi Raikkonen’s year in formula one. That is the claim of former world champion Jacques Villeneuve, speaking in Melbourne over a decade after Raikkonen’s only title in 2007. He said he has noticed an increasingly strong Raikkonen at Ferrari in recent years. “He has become a great personality,” Villeneuve told […]
Webber ‘not happy’ with Williams drivers
Mar.24 (GMM) Mark Webber has hit out at Williams’ 2018 driver lineup. Many have criticised the once-great British team’s decision to overlook Robert Kubica in favour of the well-sponsored Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin. Sirotkin pairs with Lance Stroll, making it among the youngest, least experienced but also the most lucrative ‘pay driver’ F1 lineups of […]
Force India now aiming for 2019 name change
Mar.24 (GMM) Otmar Szafnauer has confirmed that Force India will keep its name throughout the 2018 season. Earlier, it was expected the team would drop the word ‘India’ from its name, perhaps amid negotiations with a buyer or investor. Force India then arrived with the same name in Melbourne, amid reports a mid-season name change […]
Boss happy Renault upsetting ‘establishment’
Mar.24 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul says it is good that Renault is stirring up some controversies in formula one. The Frenchman is the works team’s boss, and he was asked by RMC about the rumblings concerning the 2018 car’s ‘exhaust blown’ rear wing and the recent hiring of FIA boss Marcin Budkowski. Abiteboul answered: “There is […]
Fingers point at Haas’ Ferrari car ‘clone’
Mar.24 (GMM) Fingers are being pointed at Haas’ surprisingly fast 2018 car in Melbourne. Others are less surprised that the small American team looks set to be ‘best of the rest’ behind the top three outfits this year. “Not particularly (surprised),” Fernando Alonso said in Melbourne. “Their car is a clone of last year’s Ferrari.” […]
Red Bull ‘three, four tenths behind’ – Marko
Mar.24 (GMM) Heads are scratching as to the true pecking order in 2018. Mercedes went into the Melbourne season opener as the favourite, with most thinking Red Bull and then Ferrari trailed closely behind. Once running got underway, some teams estimated Mercedes’ true advantage to be a whopping eight tenths per lap — which would […]
Haas admits it could be ‘best of the rest’
Mar.23 (GMM) Haas is hoping to make the big leap and become ‘best of the rest’ in 2018. For the past two years, it was Force India who led the battle behind the top three teams. But this year, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen admits his car could be in that position. “I still think it […]
Mercedes cool as Ferrari poaches FIA man
Mar.23 (GMM) Toto Wolff is reacting calmly to the latest controversial personnel switch in formula one. Last year, the move of Marcin Budkowski from the FIA to Renault caused a major stir, triggering a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between teams about poaching staff from the governing body. But now Laurent Mekies, another prominent FIA figure, has been […]
Gasly admits eyeing Ricciardo’s seat
Mar.23 (GMM) Pierre Gasly has admitted he has a keen eye on Daniel Ricciardo’s seat for 2019. With Ricciardo exploring his options beyond the end of his current contract, Red Bull juniors including Carlos Sainz and Frenchman Gasly are first in line to replace him. Asked if he might be keen and able to take […]
Kubica may sabotage Williams car – Villeneuve
Mar.23 (GMM) Robert Kubica may deliberately sabotage Williams’ progress in order to boost his chances of returning to the grid. That is the sensational claim made by outspoken former world champion Jacques Villeneuve. He was referring to his old team Williams, where the experienced Kubica is now the reserve driver in support of young race […]
Red Bull says Mercedes still favourites
Mar.23 (GMM) Max Verstappen has hit back at the claim that Red Bull is the favourite in Melbourne. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton put the favourite tag on the energy drink-owned team, but Dutchman Verstappen thinks his biggest obstacle remains the Renault engine. Asked what progress Renault has made over the winter, he answered: “Not too much.” […]
F1 cars ‘too safe’ – Ecclestone
Mar.23 (GMM) F1 has become too safe, according to the sport’s ousted supremo Bernie Ecclestone. The 87-year-old told the Belgian newspaper Le Soir that top drivers Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel don’t mind taking risks. “I spoke with them and I don’t think the concept of risk is alien to them, as Sebastian has children,” […]
Alonso cannot win in 2018 – Rosberg
Mar.23 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is looking elsewhere in the world of motor racing because he has no chance of winning in F1. That is the view of Nico Rosberg, the retired 2016 world champion. He is referring to the fact that Alonso last year contested the Indy 500, and this year will tackle the full […]
Vandoorne admits ‘pressure’ on McLaren
Mar.23 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne thinks it’s good that the “pressure” is on at McLaren this year. After three bad years with Honda, the British team has moved to Renault power for 2018 but McLaren had another troubled winter. “The integration of the Renault engine will take some time,” Fernando Alonso said in Melbourne. “But we […]
Ecclestone backs Marchionne’s F1 quit threat
Mar.22 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he is supportive of Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne’s F1 quit threat. Ecclestone, 87, was ousted as the sport’s long time ‘supremo’ following the arrival of new owners Liberty Media. So now with Marchionne at loggerheads with Liberty and Ferrari threatening to quit, Ecclestone met with the Italian-Canadian at the recent […]
Williams’ ‘daring’ car needs more time – Stroll
Mar.22 (GMM) Lance Stroll has admitted Williams needs “time” to get the most from its 2018 car. Once a stronger force behind the top three teams, the British outfit had a less competitive winter with its new car and young driver lineup of Stroll and rookie Sergey Sirotkin. “The design of the new car is […]