Feb.19 (GMM) Christian Horner continues to have nothing but praise for Red Bull’s new works engine partner. For others in the pitlane, a big question-mark hangs over the top-three team after switching from customer Renault to works Honda power for 2019. But Horner, team boss, says Honda is helping Red Bull to “reduce the gap […]
Month: February 2019
Bottas observes ‘really shiny’ Pirelli tyres
Feb.19 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says Pirelli’s 2019 tyres feel similar to their predecessors. For this year, the colour identification of the tyres has changed, with only ‘hard’, ‘medium’ and ‘hard’ tyres to be marked at each grand prix in the interest of simplicity. Also the compounds have been tweaked. But the difference that caught the […]
Sauber name still involved in F1 – Peter Sauber
Feb.19 (GMM) Peter Sauber has admitted that the departure of his surname from formula one “hurts”. The 75-year-old Swiss, no longer involved with the Hinwil based team he founded, was on hand in Barcelona as the new ‘Alfa Romeo’ made its test debut. “Of course it hurts that the Sauber name disappears after such a […]
Ferrari ‘extremely fast’ already – Hulkenberg
Feb.19 (GMM) Ferrari’s new matte-liveried car for 2019 looks “extremely fast”. That was not just the observation of Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg, but almost everyone else as winter testing kicked off in Barcelona. “It looks like Sebastian (Vettel) had a good winter,” smiled Christian Horner, boss of the Red Bull team. One journalist even asked […]
Brexit would give Ferrari an advantage – Wolff
Feb.19 (GMM) Ferrari could be the big beneficiary if Britain’s ‘no deal’ exit from the European Union occurs at the end of next month. That is the warning of Toto Wolff, boss of F1’s leading British-based team Mercedes. British politics is currently in disarray, with time running out for a so-called ‘Brexit’ deal to be […]
Smedley to F1, Williams car delayed
Feb.18 (GMM) Former top engineer at Williams, Rob Smedley, has been signed up by Liberty Media. Towards the end of Williams’ abysmal 2018 season, Smedley announced that he is leaving. Now, it has emerged that he is taking up an official F1 role as technical consultant. It is believed Smedley was headhunted by Ross Brawn, […]
McLaren happy about Renault optimism for 2019
Feb.18 (GMM) Zak Brown says the noises being made by Renault ahead of the 2019 season are also “encouraging” for McLaren. McLaren, now a Renault customer, struggled even after dumping Honda ahead of the 2018 season. But team boss Brown says what he is hearing and seeing from Renault for 2019 is “quite encouraging”. “We […]
Ferrari mechanic back in F1 after leg break
Feb.18 (GMM) A Ferrari mechanic who was badly injured in 2019 is finally back in the F1 garage. Last year in Bahrain, mechanic Francesco Cigarini was run over by Kimi Raikkonen during a pitstop. But on Instagram on Sunday, as Sebastian Vettel made his debut in Ferrari’s 2009 car in Barcelona, Cigarini celebrated his return […]
Leclerc can create ‘mess’ at Ferrari – Villeneuve
Feb.18 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has the ability to create a “mess” at Ferrari this year. That is the claim of outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, referring to young Monaco-born driver Leclerc’s highly anticipated move to be Sebastian Vettel’s teammate. But in terms of the team hierarchy between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, Villeneuve thinks […]
Ferrari ‘priority’ is Vettel, not Leclerc – boss
Feb.18 (GMM) Mattia Binotto has suggested 2019 will be a close three-way battle for victory. The Italian, who remains the technical director, is also Ferrari’s new team boss, having taken over from the ousted Maurizio Arrivabene. “True, they are completely different roles,” Binotto said. “But I’m fortunate to count on a strong team. Everybody knows […]
Ricciardo has no problem with Magnussen
Feb.18 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo insists he has no issues with the aggressive driving of F1 rival Kevin Magnussen. Haas driver Magnussen has been regularly criticised by his rivals, with Nico Hulkenberg admitting to Denmark’s BT newspaper that he does not get along with the Dane. “Ah, my good friend Kevin. How is he? How are […]
Peter Sauber to watch Alfa Romeo testing
Feb.18 (GMM) Peter Sauber will be on-hand to witness the first day of testing since his name was dropped from the official title of the Swiss based F1 team. Although Sauber Motorsport still owns and operates the team, Fiat Chrysler brand Alfa Romeo has taken on the full naming rights for 2019. It is the […]
Another complaint against tobacco sponsorship lodged
Feb.18 (GMM) A controversy surrounding the clandestine return of tobacco advertising in F1 is deepening. Ferrari’s main backer Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, is being investigated by Australian authorities ahead of the 2019 season opener in Melbourne. The investigation surrounds the use of the new ‘Mission Winnow’ branding, and after the launch of […]
‘Everyone’ saying F1 is for sale – Hembery
Feb.18 (GMM) Paul Hembery, the former F1 boss at Pirelli, says he has heard rumours that Liberty Media is trying to sell the sport’s commercial rights. Liberty, headed in F1 by Chase Carey and Ross Brawn, completed its $8 billion acquisition in 2017 but in recent months has come under fire for its management and […]
Formula E boss not ruling out F1 ‘merger’
Feb.15 (GMM) Alejandro Agag, the boss of Formula E, is not ruling out a “long term” merger with formula one. Once dismissed as slow and quiet and obviously eclipsed by F1, Formula E has been gaining in popularity and now boasts high level drivers and top car manufacturers. And series driver Lucas di Grassi, a […]
F1 will not scrap Friday practice – promoter
Feb.15 (GMM) F1 is not about to scrap Friday practice. That is the claim of Francois Dumontier, boss of the Canadian grand prix in Montreal. This year, negotiations over the 2021 Concorde Agreement will be front and centre. There have been rumours the race weekend format, the points system, and restrictions on engineers’ working times […]
Alonso is de-facto ‘reserve driver’ – Brown
Feb.15 (GMM) Fernando Alonso might be regarded as a de-facto “reserve driver” at McLaren this year. That is the news from team boss Zak Brown, even though earlier speculation that the newly-retired Alonso might drive the 2019 car in winter testing was wide of the mark. “Fernando is still part of the team with our […]
Stroll aims to avoid ‘war of words’ with Williams
Feb.15 (GMM) Lance Stroll has hit back after his former boss accused him recently of arriving in F1 “too early”. Stroll, now 20, spent his first two seasons in F1 at Williams. Last year, the once-great British team finished dead last overall, and technical boss Paddy Lowe said Stroll had “arrived in F1 too early”. […]
Perez ‘will not change’ with Stroll as teammate
Feb.15 (GMM) Sergio Perez says he has no problem teaming up with Lance Stroll at Racing Point in 2019. The Perez-Stroll dynamic is a fascinating one, with Perez being the highly experienced ongoing driver but Stroll joining the team as the son of new team owner Lawrence Stroll. Perez and Stroll also have history, with […]
Lack of partner team no problem for Renault – Prost
Feb.15 (GMM) Alain Prost says Renault is not missing out by not having a ‘junior’ partner team. Red Bull and Toro Rosso have moved much more closely together for 2019, while the ties between Ferrari and Alfa Romeo are obvious. But F1 legend Prost, an advisor to the works Renault team, says not having a […]