Apr.23 (GMM) A Spanish official has played down rumours the future of the grand prix in Barcelona could be in doubt. Barcelona’s current contract is set to expire next year, and there are concerns that amid the political wrangling involving the Catalonia region, the F1 race could be left exposed. “As director of another circuit […]
Month: April 2018
Porsche to decide on F1 entry after May – Berger
Apr.23 (GMM) Porsche is considering entering formula one in 2021. That is the view of F1 legend Gerhard Berger, who is now the boss of the German touring car series DTM. Recently, footage emerged of Porsche’s successful attempt to unofficially break the F1 circuit record at Spa-Francorchamps with its modified Le Mans car. It is […]
Mercedes could help solve Williams problem – report
Apr.23 (GMM) Williams may be reaching out to Mercedes in a bid to end its 2018 car crisis. Under the technical leadership of former Mercedes chief Paddy Lowe, Williams’ 2018 car is among the very slowest on the grid. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that a major issue is the cooling system. “Paddy Lowe […]
Honda quiet about Red Bull negotiations
Apr.20 (GMM) Honda is giving nothing away about the possibility of teaming up with Red Bull in 2019. Red Bull is openly flirting with leaving the Renault camp after this year, and buoyed by the promising early progress of the new Toro Rosso-Honda pairing. “Toro Rosso is open to new ideas and listen to us […]
No racing for Kvyat in 2018 – Ferrari
Apr.20 (GMM) Ferrari is keeping Daniil Kvyat so busy he has no time to race elsewhere. That is despite the fact that, since he was snapped up by the Italian team following his Red Bull ousting, the Russian driver has had a very low profile. But he’s apparently been working hard in the Ferrari simulator, […]
Budget cap good for F1 – Grosjean
Apr.20 (GMM) Romain Grosjean thinks the proposed budget cap will be good for formula one. The Haas driver thinks that if the massive spending of the top teams is curbed, the entire grid will close up. “I love the idea of the budget cap,” the Frenchman is quoted by Brazil’s Globo. “I’m a fan of […]
Rosberg tips Hamilton to end 2018 slump
Apr.20 (GMM) Nico Rosberg thinks his former Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton will bounce back from his current performance slump. Although the reigning world champion, Hamilton looked out of form all weekend in China. “It’s a typical Lewis phase,” said Rosberg, who was paired with Hamilton at Mercedes between 2013 and 2016. “When things do not […]
Ferrari will fix smoking engine – Whiting
Apr.20 (GMM) Charlie Whiting says the FIA will not intervene over the issue of Ferrari’s smoking engines. While arguably now with the most powerful engine in F1, Ferrari’s 2018 power unit smokes excessively when it is fired up. “We suffocate in our garage every time they start it,” Mercedes’ team chairman Niki Lauda told Auto […]
Renault right to take Sainz ‘risk’ – Prost
Apr.20 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has been a positive addition to the Renault team. That is the view of team advisor and F1 legend Alain Prost, amid speculation the French team might try to retain Sainz for 2019. Renault signed the Spaniard for this year only, despite the fact that Red Bull could pull him back […]
Barrichello blocked from seeing Schumacher
Apr.20 (GMM) Rubens Barrichello says he was blocked from trying to see his old teammate Michael Schumacher. The pair were at Ferrari between 2000 and 2005, but in late 2013 Schumacher injured his brain in a skiing accident. “I tried to find a way to visit him, but they said to me ‘It will not […]
Haas ‘happy’ with current drivers – Steiner
Apr.19 (GMM) Haas boss Gunther Steiner has given a strong indication that Kevin Magnussen will stay in 2019. Many pundits believe the Dane has the upper hand over Romain Grosjean this year. Magnussen’s fixed contract runs out in 2018, but the American team Haas has an option to extend it for another season. “We do […]
Verstappen says he does not need psychologist
Apr.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he is putting the Chinese grand prix firmly in the past. The Dutchman has been slammed in the media ever since running into championship leader Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari in Shanghai last weekend. “It was not my best race, but I don’t have to think about it anymore,” he told Dutch […]
Hamilton ‘will stay at Mercedes’ – Lauda
Apr.19 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will eventually sign a new deal to stay at Mercedes. That is the claim of F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, even though extended talks between the two sides have so far not succeeded. But Lauda told Auto Motor und Sport: “It’s just about the details. “Lewis will continue […]
F1 must continue to work on overtaking – Whiting
Apr.18 (GMM) F1 is pushing ahead with efforts to improve overtaking. After Australia, the lack of passing in formula one again became a hot topic. But then the races in Bahrain and China were substantially better. At the same time, it emerges that the strategy group this week discussed potential aerodynamic changes to the 2019 […]
McLaren preparing ‘B’ car for Spain
Apr.18 (GMM) McLaren has confirmed that it will have a substantially different car in Spain. After a tough start to the 2018 season despite the Honda era having ended, Spain’s Marca newspaper said the team may be preparing a ‘new chassis’ for the race in Barcelona next month. Team boss Eric Boullier now confirms to […]
Barrichello reveals brush with death
Apr.18 (GMM) Former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello has revealed a scary brush with illness. In February, the 45-year-old was admitted to hospital after suffering from a severe headache. He has now appeared on Globo’s Conversa com Bial programme, where he showed a hefty scar on the side of his neck. The Brazilian said he had […]
Ferrari has most powerful engine – report
Apr.18 (GMM) Ferrari may now have the most powerful engine in formula one. For the whole of the ‘power unit’ era since 2014, Mercedes has clearly led the way and won every world championship. But Auto Motor und Sport claims that Ferrari has caught up in 2018. “GPS measurements show that in terms of engine […]
Raikkonen not treated fairly at Ferrari – press
Apr.18 (GMM) Leading Italian journalists have slammed Ferrari for continuing to run a blatant ‘number 2’ driver policy. Pino Allievi, the leading correspondent for La Gazzetta dello Sport, said it is obvious that so far in 2018, Ferrari is using Kimi Raikkonen as a mere pawn. “With the pitstop, Ferrari ‘used’ Raikkonen to slow down […]
Red Bull expects engine penalties in 2018
Apr.18 (GMM) Red Bull expects to take engine penalties later in 2018. Although winning in China, Daniel Ricciardo has also suffered reliability trouble so far this year and is already onto his second out of three ‘power units’. “We are sure that we will get penalties. We just have to make sure they happen on […]
Whiting rejects safety car controversy
Apr.17 (GMM) Charlie Whiting has denied the FIA has time to consider whether safety car deployments favour certain competitors over others. Comments made after China, in particular by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, cast doubt on the decision to deploy the safety car, which because of the timing favoured Red Bull. F1 race director Whiting is quoted […]