Nov.24 (GMM) Toto Wolff has slammed suggestions he has already guaranteed Esteban Ocon the race seat at Mercedes for 2020. Furious about Ocon’s clash with Max Verstappen in Brazil a fortnight ago, Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko said the Dutchman had been taken out by “a driver who already has a Mercedes deal for […]
Month: November 2018
Wolff wants Lauda ‘back at full speed’
Nov.24 (GMM) Niki Lauda has told Mercedes he will be back at the F1 tracks “soon”. The team chairman and F1 legend actually wanted to come to Abu Dhabi, but according to Austrian radio O3, that plan was vetoed by doctors. “He didn’t lose the race to come to Abu Dhabi, he won it because […]
Renault team safe amid Carlos Ghosn scandal
Nov.24 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul has played down suggestions Renault’s F1 project could be affected by the Carlos Ghosn affair. Ghosn, the CEO of the major car manufacturer Renault, is currently in prison in Tokyo. Asked what impact the scandal will have on the F1 team, boss Abiteboul said in Abu Dhabi: “It’s fair to say […]
Russian sponsor leaves F1 with Sirotkin
Nov.23 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin’s sponsor is driving away from formula one for now. The Russian driver is gutted that Williams has decided to sign up Robert Kubica instead of him for 2019. Sirotkin is backed by Russian banker Boris Rotenberg’s SMP programme. “We have decided not to continue our involvement in formula one,” Rotenberg said […]
F1 considers new tyre rules for 2019
Nov.23 (GMM) Team managers have met with FIA race director Charlie Whiting in Abu Dhabi to talk about tyres. The meeting follows the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association meeting recently in Brazil, when the drivers complained directly to Pirelli that the current tyres do not allow them to attack in the races. And so, according to […]
Vandoorne hopeful about F1 future
Nov.23 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne is hopeful about his future in formula one. That is despite the fact that Abu Dhabi is his last race with McLaren prior to switching to Formula E for 2019. Vandoorne has been signed by Mercedes’ new works team in the all-electric category, but he will also stay in touch with […]
Haas protests Force India over $60m payment
Nov.23 (GMM) Haas has lodged an official protest against the Force India team. According to Auto Motor und Sport, the dispute is all about money — and up to a whopping $60 million. Haas, the small American outfit, is pointing out that when Lawrence Stroll bought the Force India assets earlier this year, a whole […]
Sainz to test McLaren next week
Nov.23 (GMM) Carlos Sainz will get his McLaren career off to an early start. Both Renault and Red Bull, who have contracts with the Spaniard, have apparently released Sainz to test the 2018 McLaren next week in the post-race Abu Dhabi test. But the 24-year-old says he is still focused on rounding out the season […]
Lauda not in Abu Dhabi – Marko
Nov.23 (GMM) Niki Lauda is not in Abu Dhabi for the F1 finale. Earlier, we reported that despite the Mercedes team chairman’s closest paddock friends saying Lauda had targeted a comeback, he is in fact not well enough to be in Abu Dhabi. The 69-year-old had a lung transplant in early August and is currently […]
Managers say Alonso could return in 2020
Nov.23 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s managers say it is possible the Spaniard will return to formula one in 2020. Disenchanted with the category, Abu Dhabi is the 37-year-old’s last grand prix for now, as Alonso will focus on the Indy 500, Le Mans and some other “iconic” races in 2019. “Maybe next year by April or […]
Bottas ‘not worried’ about 2020 seat
Nov.23 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he is not worried he could lose his seat after 2019. The Finn is all signed up for next year, but Mercedes could be holding the seat open for Force India refugee Esteban Ocon for 2020. Ocon, the top Mercedes junior who looks set to be a ‘super reserve’ for […]
Lauda to miss Abu Dhabi comeback
Nov.22 (GMM) Niki Lauda will not be in Abu Dhabi this weekend. The F1 legend’s closest friends and colleagues including Toto Wolff, Helmut Marko and Bernie Ecclestone had earlier confirmed that the 69-year-old’s ‘secret plan’ was to be at the 2018 finale. But triple world champion and Mercedes team chairman Lauda is still in rehabilitation, […]
Jock Clear to be Leclerc’s race engineer
Nov.22 (GMM) Jock Clear is returning to his familiar role as race engineer for 2019. The 55-year-old rose to prominence in 1997, as he guided Jacques Villeneuve to the world championship with Williams. Clear followed Villeneuve to BAR, with the Brackley team subsequently becoming Honda, Brawn and Mercedes. He switched to Ferrari for 2015, where […]
Ricciardo says Renault switch ‘terrifying’
Nov.22 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has admitted his move from Red Bull to Renault for 2019 is “terrifying”. Speaking to The Players Tribune, the Australian revealed that amid a difficult 2018 season with the energy drink-owned team, it was a difficult decision to accept a rival offer from Renault. “I’ve talked about rolling with the punches, […]
Kubica sponsor to back entire Williams team
Nov.22 (GMM) Robert Kubica will definitely make his F1 racing return in 2019, multiple authoritative media sources are now confirming. While Williams is expected to announce the news officially on Thursday morning, the 33-year-old Pole’s seven year wait to resume his promising F1 racing career is clearly over. “Our journalists have learned that the sponsor […]
Abu Dhabi happy to stay season finale
Nov.21 (GMM) Abu Dhabi wants to remain the last grand prix on F1’s annual calendar. That is despite that fact that, as is the case in 2018, the world championship has already been decided. But Yas Marina chief executive Al Tareq Al Ameri told The National newspaper that being the last race on the long […]
Red Bull drivers expect Honda progress in 2019
Nov.20 (GMM) Red Bull’s 2019 drivers do not expect Honda to have a field-beating engine at the beginning of next season. Pierre Gasly, who has been using Honda power all year and for 2019 steps up to the senior team, said: “There is still a gap to Mercedes and Ferrari. “Honda knows they have to […]
Renault CEO arrested in Japan
Nov.20 (GMM) Carlos Ghosn, the top executive of the Renault F1 team’s parent car manufacturer, has been arrested in Japan. State prosecutors had earlier questioned the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CEO on suspicion of under-reporting his $10 million salary. “Numerous other significant acts of misconduct have been uncovered, such as personal use of company assets,” Nissan confirmed. As […]
Friends know nothing of Schumacher condition
Nov.20 (GMM) Even Mick Schumacher’s closest racing friends know nothing about the condition of the 19-year-old F3 champion’s famous father. The entire world is in the dark about the physical condition of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, following his late 2013 skiing accident and brain injuries. One of Mick’s closest racing friends, Nicklas Nielsen, praised the […]
Williams set to announce Kubica on Thursday
Nov.20 (GMM) Williams looks set to announce Robert Kubica as its second driver for 2019 this weekend in Abu Dhabi. Journalist Cezary Gutowski, who writes for the Polish publication PrzeglÄ d Sportowy, said the British team is planning to make the news public on Thursday. The identity of George Russell’s teammate looks likely to be Polish […]