Apr.3 (GMM) Ross Brawn has spoken up in favour of Ferrari ‘B team’ Haas. In Bahrain, team boss Gunther Steiner responded to bigger teams like Renault who have strongly criticised the way Haas simply buys many components from Ferrari. “Leave us alone to do our job,” Steiner said. “If you’re a manufacturer team and you […]
Month: April 2019
Experts not sure Schumacher next F1 sensation
Apr.3 (GMM) Two F1 experts are not so sure that Mick Schumacher will be the next sensation to hit the pinnacle of motor sport. The 20-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, watched on by mother Corinna in Bahrain, made his F1 test debut for Ferrari on Tuesday. “They’re not bad, are they?” said Mick’s […]
Schumacher still in no rush for F1 grid
Apr.3 (GMM) Mick Schumacher says he is still in no rush to step up to formula one. That is despite the fact the 20-year-old son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher made his F1 test debut for Ferrari in Bahrain on Tuesday. Only Max Verstappen was faster in the Red Bull. When asked if he tried […]
Ferrari ‘not alarmed’ after engine problem – Binotto
Apr.2 (GMM) Ferrari is “not alarmed” even though it has failed to win either of the opening two races of 2019. That is the view of the fabled Italian team’s new boss Mattia Binotto. In Australia, Ferrari was simply outclassed by Mercedes, but last weekend in Bahrain it was an engine problem that spoiled Charles […]
Red Bull must ‘quickly’ improve car – Verstappen
Apr.2 (GMM) Max Verstappen has admitted that, for now at least, he does not have a car with which to challenge for the 2019 title. Red Bull-Honda started the year with high hopes, but after two races it is clear that Ferrari and Mercedes are ahead. “We have more questions for the chassis than for […]
Renault must solve ‘unacceptable’ problems – boss
Apr.2 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul admitted that Renault’s weekend in Bahrain was “unacceptable”. But he did not point the finger at the drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg. “As in Melbourne, our qualifying was seriously affected by electronics problems,” team boss Abiteboul said. And then in the race, both cars astonishingly failed on the same lap […]
F1 tests ‘next step’ on road to grid – Schumacher
Apr.2 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has finally admitted to looking forward to his F1 test debut this week. F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s 20-year-old son attracted a huge media scrum in Bahrain last week, but he insisted he was focused only on his Formula 2 debut. Now, the young German is looking forward to driving the Ferrari […]
‘Invisible’ Bottas feels ‘zero pressure’
Apr.2 (GMM) Like the roundly-criticised Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas has also denied feeling the pressure in 2019. After a disappointing 2018 season, the Mercedes driver emerged from the winter with a new attitude and a new beard. He duly won in Australia, declaring “f**k you” to his critics on the radio, and told Italy’s Automoto […]
Leclerc ignored team order by passing Vettel
Apr.2 (GMM) Charles Leclerc dodged a team order by passing his number 1 teammate Sebastian Vettel in Bahrain. Just before mounting the overtake of the sister Ferrari, the 21-year-old dubbed “golden boy” by the Italian press said on the radio: “Guys, I’m quicker”. His engineer replied that he should wait at least two laps. “Then […]
‘No room for Vettel’ in Ferrari future – press
Apr.2 (GMM) Huge pressure is mounting on Sebastian Vettel. Following Charles Leclerc’s impressive performance in Bahrain, Ferrari ‘number 1’ Vettel denied that being overtaken by his teammate and then spinning was due to pressure. “To be honest, I think it’s not about pressure,” said the German. “Obviously my race could have been better, so I […]
2021 agreement now ‘very close’ – Brawn
Apr.1 (GMM) Liberty Media is getting “very close” to finalising F1’s plan for 2021 and beyond. That is the claim of Ross Brawn, days after key meetings with the teams over the next Concorde Agreement. F1 owner Liberty is eyeing a big raft of changes for 2021, including new cars, standard components, income distribution, governance […]
More tyres key to qualifying format change – Horner
Apr.1 (GMM) Christian Horner has warned F1 to think carefully before changing the qualifying format. In recent days, rumours have suggested Liberty Media wants to tweak the current format for 2020. The key change is the addition of a ‘Q4’ segment. “We’re open to ideas,” said Red Bull team boss Horner, “but everything needs to […]
Boss backs struggling Gasly to improve
Apr.1 (GMM) Pierre Gasly’s boss has backed the Frenchman to improve. For only his second full season in F1, the Frenchman was drafted onto the Red Bull Racing lineup to replace Daniel Ricciardo. So far, he has struggled, but he at least scored his first points of the season in Bahrain. “It’s positive, but still […]
No regrets after quitting improving McLaren – Alonso
Apr.1 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has denied regretting his decision to quit McLaren and F1. While some expected the once-great British team to again struggle in 2019, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz in fact look likely to fight for Q3 places all year. “We spent the second half of last year trying to understand the problems […]
Bahrain test key moment for Williams – Kubica
Apr.1 (GMM) This week’s test will be a key moment for Williams. That is the view of Robert Kubica, who is really struggling with the British team on his return to F1 after an eight year injury layoff. “From the beginning I have been struggling to keep the car on the track rather than actually […]
‘Same Vettel as last year’ – Rosberg
Apr.1 (GMM) Huge pressure is back on the shoulders of Sebastian Vettel. Ferrari granted the German full number 1 status for 2019, but it was new teammate Charles Leclerc setting the pace all weekend in Bahrain. And then Vettel spun in the race. “It’s the same Sebastian as last year,” 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg […]
Ferrari advantage could be even bigger in China – Bottas
Apr.1 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton may have won in Bahrain, but he says Mercedes has serious work to do ahead of round three in China in a fortnight. Immediately after winning on Sunday, the reigning world champion got out of his car to commiserate with Charles Leclerc, who should have won from pole. “He’s got a […]