Jun.23 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin has vowed to keep the respective secrets of the Renault and McLaren teams to himself. The Russian, already Renault’s reserve driver, has now been signed by Renault-powered McLaren in the same role. “The work is similar in both teams,” Sirotkin told Russia’s Championat at Paul Ricard. “We have yet to discuss […]
Month: June 2019
McLaren leaving Alonso era in the past
Jun.23 (GMM) McLaren appears to be moving on from the Fernando Alonso era. In recent days, team supremo Zak Brown said there is no room for the Spaniard in 2020 because McLaren is happy with Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. And the reserve driver role has just been filled by Sergey Sirotkin. “Fernando cannot attend […]
2020 winter testing to stay in Barcelona
Jun.23 (GMM) Pre-season testing will continue to take place in Barcelona next winter. There are often suggestions that some teams would prefer the limited pre-season running occur in a country with a warmer and more predictable climate. But team bosses met at Paul Ricard and decided that if the circuit fees do not increase, Barcelona […]
Williams denies supplying better car to Russell
Jun.23 (GMM) Claire Williams has denied the struggling British team is not giving Robert Kubica equal equipment in 2019. Kubica, dead last in almost every session this season, has hinted numerous times that he thinks teammate George Russell is driving a fundamentally different car. The Pole was half a second from Russell in Paul Ricard […]
Norris denies McLaren has ‘secret upgrade’
Jun.23 (GMM) Lando Norris has denied claims McLaren took a “secret upgrade” to Paul Ricard. Much was made of Renault’s French GP car and engine upgrade, but it was customer team McLaren setting the ‘best of the rest’ pace in qualifying. “We got beat by the two McLarens and they have a little update they […]
Wolff denies wanting Chase Carey’s job
Jun.23 (GMM) Toto Wolff has once again played down reports linking him with F1 supremo Chase Carey’s job. Carey’s contract runs out next year and many in the paddock think Mercedes chief Wolff would make a good replacement. But Wolff told the Telegraph: “I’m personally very happy. “If you start to realise that other parts […]
Norris wants new contract and pay rise – report
Jun.23 (GMM) Lando Norris says he wants a new deal to stay at McLaren in 2020. In recent days, team supremo Zak Brown played down the prospect of Fernando Alonso returning by saying the team is happy with Norris and Carlos Sainz. But the Sun newspaper says Norris is being paid just $500,000 this year, […]
Dominant Hamilton says Bottas battle still interesting
Jun.23 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says his battle with teammate Valtteri Bottas is still interesting. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel could not put up a challenge to the dominant Mercedes cars in qualifying at Paul Ricard, but Hamilton hopes Charles Leclerc – third – can be fast on Sunday. “I’m looking forward to a race with this one,” […]
Rumours swirl about Chase Carey’s future
Jun.22 (GMM) Rumours about the future of F1 CEO Chase Carey are heating up at Paul Ricard. American Carey, a former News Corp, Sky and Fox executive, is busily negotiating the controversial 2021 rules but with rumours hanging over his head. The 65-year-old’s contract with Liberty Media reportedly runs out at the end of next […]
Silly season revving up at Paul Ricard
Jun.22 (GMM) F1’s silly season is shifting into another gear in the Paul Ricard paddock. Firstly, given Valtteri Bottas’ most recent performance dip, there are claims Toto Wolff wants to put Esteban Ocon in the Mercedes for 2020. But another season for Bottas is also a possibility. Ocon, the Mercedes reserve this year, told the […]
Steiner says Twitter account is fake
Jun.22 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has denied that a Twitter account in his name is controlled by him. The account, whose official handle is ‘BanterSteiner’, is followed by 20 thousand followers including Mika Hakkinen, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. The humorous tweets are normally laden with expletives, following the Haas boss’ now notorious appearances in the […]
Stroll in ‘transition phase’ after team switch
Jun.22 (GMM) Lance Stroll has played down his struggle to match his teammate in qualifying this year. In fact, Stroll – whose billionaire father owns Racing Point – has failed even to get out of Q1 since joining the former Force India team. “There is only one or two tenths between Sergio (Perez) and me,” […]
F1 physically difficult enough for Hamilton – Kubica
Jun.22 (GMM) Robert Kubica has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s claim that Formula 1 is not physically demanding enough. Recently, the five time world champion said drivers should be “exhausted” after a race. “Sometimes I do these races and I could get up and probably do two or three in a row, and Formula 1 […]
Hockenheim still ‘fighting’ for German GP
Jun.22 (GMM) Hockenheim is still fighting to save the 2020 German grand prix. It is believed Hockenheim and Barcelona are the existing circuits most likely to be axed in order to make way for the new races in Vietnam and Zandvoort. “It would be sad to see it go but at the end of the […]
Ferrari car upgrade ‘not a failure’ – Binotto
Jun.22 (GMM) Ferrari did not get off to a good start at Paul Ricard. First, the stewards rejected the push for a review of Sebastian Vettel’s controversial Canada GP penalty. And then questions were raised about the new car upgrade. A lot is riding on the upgrade, with Vettel declaring that Ferrari realistically has only […]
Verstappen defends stewards as Vettel saga ends
Jun.22 (GMM) Max Verstappen has defended F1’s stewards as the Sebastian Vettel time penalty affair finally ends. On Friday at Paul Ricard, the FIA rejected Ferrari’s push for a review of the controversial call that cost Vettel victory in Canada. The Maranello team declared that it had “overwhelming” new evidence to present, including footage of […]
Two F1 drivers eye Le Mans with fathers
Jun.21 (GMM) Two sons of former Formula 1 drivers are hoping to race alongside their fathers at Le Mans. “I’ve always said that I would like to race anywhere with my father,” Kevin Magnussen, whose father is Corvette sports car driver Jan, said at Paul Ricard. “We’ll see,” the Haas driver added when asked what […]
Three races face 2020 F1 calendar axe
Jun.21 (GMM) As Liberty Media puts together the 2020 calendar, strong doubts about the fate of three existing races remain. The F1 owner has inked new deals with Zandvoort and Vietnam, with chief executive Chase Carey saying the calendar will remain static at 21 races by dropping two current grands prix. The most endangered are […]
Bottas has ‘no doubt’ he can beat Hamilton
Jun.21 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he has “no doubt” he can still challenge Lewis Hamilton for the 2019 title. Hamilton, who leads by 29 points, was absent in Paul Ricard on Thursday as he attended an event in Paris in memory of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. “Toto Wolff allowed him to do it,” a Mercedes […]
Russell denies Kubica’s claims about car
Jun.21 (GMM) George Russell has denied Robert Kubica’s claims about the unpredictability of their Williams cars. Although also suggesting the pair are not enjoying identical equipment, Kubica said recently that the performance and handling of his car is wildly inconsistent in 2019. “In Monaco, the car was very stable and I was able to have […]