May 15 (GMM) Alex Wurz is expecting the driver rivalry at Mercedes to heat up in 2019. The former F1 driver says Ferrari has a lot of work to do to catch up with a Mercedes team that looks more dominant than ever. “Take a close look at every detail,” Wurz told Speed Week when […]
Month: May 2019
Haas may need to tweak 2019 F1 car livery
May 15 (GMM) Haas may need to tweak the livery of its 2019 car following a court ruling. In February, we reported that the American team’s new title sponsor, Rich Energy, was being sued in the UK High Court by a British company called Whyte Bikes. The bicycle company claimed its antler-like logo was copied […]
Honda ‘better than Renault’ – Yamamoto
May 14 (GMM) Renault now has the least impressive power unit in Formula 1. That is not the view of field leaders Mercedes and Ferrari, but of Honda’s F1 chief Masashi Yamamoto. “With the help of Red Bull and Toro Rosso, we are in better shape than Renault at the moment,” the Japanese told Speed […]
Ferrari in ‘real crisis’ after Barcelona – press
May 14 (GMM) Ferrari is clearly now in a “real crisis”, the partisan Italian media has proclaimed after Barcelona. After four consecutive Mercedes 1-2s, hopes were high for the Spanish grand prix, staged at Barcelona where Ferrari dominated the winter test season. But on Saturday and Sunday, Mercedes were once again first and second in […]
2020 Dutch GP does not stop Barcelona talks
May 14 (GMM) Zandvoort’s soon-to-be-announced 2020 Dutch GP does not mean Barcelona is out of the running to also be on the calendar next year. Vincenc Aguilera, the Circuit de Catalunya boss, says he is still in talks with Liberty Media about signing a new race deal for 2020. “We are not having any calendar […]
Liberty not denying Zandvoort F1 deal
May 14 (GMM) A source at Liberty Media is not denying that Chase Carey is set to announce that a Dutch GP will take place at Zandvoort from 2020. The media has been called to the circuit’s Paddock Club on Tuesday morning. “We’ll see,” the source told us when asked if the press conference is […]
Alfa Romeo could axe Giovinazzi – Lehto
May 14 (GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi needs to up his game. That is the view of former F1 driver JJ Lehto, who warned that if the Italian driver doesn’t improve, he is at risk of being ousted by Alfa Romeo. “Kimi is the only one who can bring the results at the moment,” the Finn told […]
Mercedes dominance hurting television numbers
May 14 (GMM) The one-sided 2019 world championship is affecting television viewing figures. RTL, the German free to air broadcaster, reports that one million fewer people sat down to watch the Barcelona race compared to the 2018 Spanish grand prix. “As much as you have to pay tribute to Mercedes, they suffer as much as […]
Russell shines in Kubica’s Williams chassis
May 13 (GMM) George Russell has some very bad news for his Williams teammate. Prior to Barcelona, following steady complaints by Robert Kubica about differing equipment, the struggling team agreed to swap the pair’s respective chassis. Pole Kubica, having returned to F1 this year after an eight-year absence with permanent arm injuries, did not improve. […]
Carey to unveil Montreal’s new F1 pit building
May 13 (GMM) Race promoter Francois Dumontier insists everything is on track for next month’s Canadian GP. Earlier, there were reports that the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s new pit building may not be ready. But promoter Dumontier, who was in the Barcelona paddock at the weekend, said the new facilities will be unveiled by none other […]
Bratches to join Carey for Dutch GP announcement
May 13 (GMM) This week looks set to stage good news for the Dutch GP in Zandvoort. We reported at the weekend that Chase Carey is heading to the Netherlands this week to sign and announce the 2020 race deal. Liberty Media’s commercial boss Sean Bratches looks set to join him. “I am indeed going […]
Haas pair ‘cleared the air’ after clash – Steiner
May 13 (GMM) Gunther Steiner ensured Haas’ two drivers “cleared the air” after a clash in the Spanish grand prix. While the American team managed to end its earlier struggle with the Pirelli tyres in Barcelona, one tense moment on Sunday was a collision between Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean. “We had contact and that […]
Red Bull has ‘high expectations’ for test – Marko
May 13 (GMM) Red Bull bosses say they couldn’t be happier with Max Verstappen’s 2019 form. That is despite the fact that, even though Red Bull beat Ferrari in Barcelona, Mercedes pulled even further away from the field at the weekend. “I think that apart from them, no team has understood yet how to develop […]
Hockenheim warns F1 in danger if traditional races axed
May 13 (GMM) The boss of Hockenheim has warned that Formula 1 could “bleed out” if too many traditional races are axed. It is believed the German and Spanish grands prix will be the two that are axed to make way for Zandvoort and Vietnam in 2020. Georg Seiler, boss of the Hockenheimring, admitted: “If […]
Catalonia president steps in to save Spanish GP
May 13 (GMM) Catalonia regional president Quim Torra has moved to boost Barcelona’s dwindling chances of keeping the Spanish grand prix on the F1 calendar. It is widely believed that Zandvoort, a Dutch circuit, will take Barcelona’s race date in 2020, ending a 28-year run of Spanish grands prix. But Barcelona’s hopes looked brighter on […]
Binotto admits potential issue with car ‘concept’
May 13 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says Ferrari will not “give up” on the 2019 title. The Maranello team fast-tracked its Canada-spec engine upgrade for Barcelona, but Mercedes moved further ahead and Ferrari was even beaten by Red Bull on Sunday. Mercedes’ Toto Wolff played down his team’s dominance. “If Ferrari performs well in Monaco, everyone […]
21-race Mercedes clean sweep ‘not realistic’ – Wolff
May 13 (GMM) After Mercedes’ record-breaking five consecutive 1-2 finishes in 2019, many are wondering if the team can complete an unprecedented clean sweep this year. “That’s not realistic,” said boss Toto Wolff in Barcelona. “We have to stay humble and not see success as guaranteed.” However, the gap to Ferrari only widened in Spain, […]
Hamilton denies eyeing Ferrari move
May 13 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has dismissed reports he might be considering a move to Ferrari. At the weekend, we reported Toto Wolff’s comments that suggested Hamilton might be heading to Maranello, while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel could be Mercedes-bound. But after winning in Barcelona, Hamilton said he thinks Wolff was referring to his earlier contract […]
Wolff plays down rumours Mercedes to quit F1
May 12 (GMM) Toto Wolff has played down rumours that Mercedes could quit Formula 1 at the end of 2020. All the teams are only committed contractually until the end of next year, with the next Concorde Agreement set to drastically slash spending. But boss Wolff denied that the end of the current contract is […]
Renault cannot beat top teams until 2021 – Abiteboul
May 12 (GMM) Renault is not even planning to win races in 2020, according to the works team’s boss Cyril Abiteboul. With Daniel Ricciardo now in the cockpit, the French team had hoped to take a clear step closer to Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull this year. But it hasn’t worked out that way. In […]