Oct.24 (GMM) F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn thinks Sebastian Vettel has driven his own 2018 championship campaign “off the track”. The Ferrari driver is being roundly criticised for the kind of mistakes he has made at recent races, despite often having the fastest car in the field. It means Lewis Hamilton only has to finish […]
Month: October 2018
Vandoorne did not show talent in F1 – Boutsen
Oct.24 (GMM) Former F1 driver Thierry Boutsen says fellow Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne has lost his race seat because he did not perform. Before Vandoorne made his McLaren debut as a highly rated junior category champion in 2017, grand prix winner Boutsen predicted that he “might even be a world champion” in F1. Two years later, […]
Team making ‘jokes’ about Ricciardo plight
Oct.24 (GMM) Members of the Red Bull team are making “jokes” about Daniel Ricciardo. That is the news from Max Verstappen, the energy drink-owned team’s continuing driver. Ricciardo is switching to Renault’s works team, but ironically he has been bearing the brunt of the problems with the French manufacturer’s customer engine at Red Bull lately. […]
Vandoorne not ‘aggressive’ enough for F1 – Brown
Oct.23 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne’s F1 career could be over because he was not “aggressive” enough with McLaren. That is the view of McLaren team boss Zak Brown, who is replacing the Belgian with rookie Lando Norris for 2019. Fernando Alonso, Vandoorne’s teammate for the two years of his F1 career, says the move to Formula […]
Kubica eyes Ferrari role as 2019 ‘plan B’
Oct.23 (GMM) Robert Kubica’s ‘plan B’ for 2019 could be a test driver role at Ferrari. That was the rumour as the paddock packed up in Austin, amid reports the Pole is also still in contention for the race seat at Williams. The Williams rumour was ramped up after his recent visit to the headquarters […]
Mercedes could oust Bottas for Ocon – Doornbos
Oct.23 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas could be ousted at the eleventh hour in order to improve the Mercedes team and rescue the career of Esteban Ocon. That is the view of former F1 driver Robert Doornbos. Currently, Williams looks likely to choose against Ocon for 2019, after the Frenchman lost his seat at Force India. But […]
Vettel admits he needs to improve for 2019
Oct.23 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted both he and Ferrari need to improve in order to get back into shape to win a world championship. The Italian team finally looked on track to end a more than decade-long title drought earlier this year, until car and driver problems put the advantage back with Mercedes’ Lewis […]
Stroll announcement on hold because of Ocon – Szafnauer
Oct.23 (GMM) Force India is holding off on confirming Lance Stroll for 2019 out of “courtesy” to Esteban Ocon. It is an open secret that Ocon will be ousted and replaced with Stroll, whose billionaire father Lawrence has bought the team. “We will not announce the other driver until Esteban’s future is clarified,” team boss […]
Magnussen slams ‘Formula Fuel-Saving’
Oct.23 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has hit out at F1’s fuel-saving rules. The Haas driver was disqualified in Austin because his car used marginally more fuel than is allowed. “We were racing in formula fuel-saving rather than formula one,” said the Dane. “It’s a shame that we have to save fuel rather than be able to […]
Uncertainty about future ‘annoying’ – Hartley
Oct.23 (GMM) Brendon Hartley says the uncertainty about his place at Toro Rosso for 2019 is getting “annoying”. It is believed team owner Red Bull will replace the New Zealander with rookie Alexander Albon. “We have not yet made a decision,” Dr Helmut Marko told motorsport-magazin.com. “Important decisions take time.” Hartley has generally underperformed in […]
Red Bull-Honda can fight for 2019 title – Marko
Oct.23 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Max Verstappen could be a title contender in 2019. Daniel Ricciardo is leaving Red Bull and will be replaced by Pierre Gasly, but top team official Marko thinks the team remains in great hands. “Max never surprises us with how good he is,” Marko said after the Dutchman finished […]
Pace difference ‘serious problem’ for F1 – Hamilton
Oct.23 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says the gap between the top teams and the others in the field is a “serious problem” for formula one. The championship leader said the problem is then compounded by how difficult it is for even much faster cars to overtake their slower rivals. “As you get within five seconds, you […]
F1 chequered flag rules changed for 2019
Oct.22 (GMM) F1 has changed a long-standing rule about the iconic chequered flag. In Montreal this year, the end of the Canadian grand prix was thrown into chaos when model Winnie Harlow accidentally waved the flag too early. As the rules stand, whenever the physical chequered flag is waved, the race is over whether the […]
Alonso slams Stroll after US GP clash
Oct.22 (GMM) Fernando Alonso slammed Williams backmarker Lance Stroll after the US grand prix. The McLaren driver’s race in Austin was cut very short due to a clash with the French Canadian, whose father is the billionaire fashion mogul Lawrence Stroll. “When you’re in the middle of the group the truth is that the low […]
McLaren split helped Honda progress – Verstappen
Oct.22 (GMM) Max Verstappen admits he is getting excited about 2019. Recently highly critical of Renault, the Dutchman finished second behind Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and ahead of championship leader Lewis Hamilton in Austin. He says Red Bull’s chances for 2019 look good as the team switches its customer Renault engines for the new works Honda […]
Raikkonen happy to leave Ferrari after win
Oct.22 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen says he is “very happy” to join Sauber for 2019, even though he finally ended his winning drought on Sunday in Austin. The Finn, who just turned 39, hadn’t won for years until he triumphed at the US grand prix. But he only has three races left for Ferrari before switching […]
Ocon race seat ‘up to Williams’ – Wolff
Oct.22 (GMM) It is up to Williams whether it selects Esteban Ocon to complete the British team’s 2019 driver lineup. That is the claim of Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss who says he has done his best to try to keep the French driver’s F1 racing career alive for next year. “The decision is […]
Vandoorne to be Mercedes simulator driver
Oct.22 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne will keep one foot in the world of formula one next year. The Belgian has lost his seat at McLaren and will instead race for Mercedes’ works Formula E team from 2019. But he will also stay in touch with F1. “We like Stoffel a lot,” Gwen Lagrue, who is the […]
Vettel ‘hurts’ as title falls apart – Glock
Oct.22 (GMM) Former F1 driver Timo Glock says he feels for Sebastian Vettel. Although delaying Lewis Hamilton’s 2018 title win for now, German Vettel’s campaign nonetheless continued to fall apart in Austin as he spun early in the race in a clash with Daniel Ricciardo. “This is the third time,” the Ferrari driver told the […]
Raikkonen move means ‘Sauber is now Ferrari’ – Ecclestone
Oct.21 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has applauded Kimi Raikkonen’s move to Sauber. Raikkonen, 39, surprised the F1 world by signing up with the small Swiss team for the next two seasons after being dropped for 2019. Asked if it’s a smart move, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone answered: “Absolutely. “I think a lot of Kimi,” he […]