Jan.29 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton may be pricing himself out of the market in Formula 1, according to Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko. Reports suggest the six-time world champion has turned down Mercedes’ offer of a new two-year deal for 2021 and 2022 amounting to as much as $50m per season. But Hamilton is reportedly pressing […]
Month: January 2020
Alonso says Hamilton has ‘weak points’
Jan.29 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has “some weak points” that Fernando Alonso admits would be “nice” to try and exploit. As he faces a second season post-‘retirement’, 38-year-old Alonso is no longer hiding his desire to return to Formula 1 in 2021 – perhaps as Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes. He admits to F1 Racing magazine that […]
Alonso says he ‘will win’ in 2021 F1 return
Jan.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he feels “fresh and ready” to return to Formula 1 in 2021. 2019 was the Spaniard’s first year after ‘retiring’, but he actually always left the door open for a return in the future. That future could arrive in 2021, with Spanish media reports quoting him as saying: “I have […]
Family to return Lauda’s team stake to Mercedes
Jan.28 (GMM) Niki Lauda’s stake in the works Mercedes team will be returned to the German carmaker. Last August, a few months after the F1 legend and team chairman’s death, we reported that the Lauda family was likely to sell the stake, believed to be 10 percent. When asked if the family would keep it, […]
Renault team was ‘missing something’ – Abiteboul
Jan.28 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul says Renault was “missing something” as it struggled to improve the 2019 car last year. The French works team began the year buoyed by the high profile signing of Daniel Ricciardo, and made clear progress with its engine. But team boss Abiteboul identified the chassis as a weak point, and long-time […]
Paul Ricard seeks approval for F1 track changes
Jan.28 (GMM) Paul Ricard is hoping a request to modify the F1 layout ahead of June’s French GP will be approved by the FIA. On Monday, it was announced that former McLaren boss and Frenchman Eric Boullier, until now an advisor and spokesman for the French GP, had received a promotion to become general manager. […]
Vettel wants F1 to ‘double the cylinders’
Jan.28 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel admits he would like to end Formula 1’s controversial ‘power unit’ era. The sport moved away from its fuel-hungry and famously-loud fully normally-aspirated engines at the end of 2013, replacing them with the hybrid 2.4 litre turbo V6s that persist today. Now, it is reported that F1’s next move for 2025, […]
Austin working to remove ‘unacceptable’ bumps
Jan.27 (GMM) The US GP venue in Austin is working to eliminate bumps in the track surface that Formula 1 figures slammed as “unacceptable” in 2019. Speed Week reports that the circuit has been closed in January for repair works, with 40 percent of the entire surface removed and replaced. Indeed, earlier in January the […]
Ferrari preparing two versions of 2020 car – Bobbi
Jan.27 (GMM) Ferrari is preparing two versions of its new 2020 car for next month’s winter testing season. That is the claim of Matteo Bobbi, a former Minardi test driver. His comments to Sky Italia follow reports that an aerodynamic flaw may have been discovered on Ferrari’s 2020 car. Last year, Mercedes took a basic […]
Aston Martin rumours gain more F1 steam
Jan.27 (GMM) Aston Martin, a name increasingly rumoured to be getting even closer to Formula 1, has suddenly pulled out of the German touring car championship DTM. Mere months before the start of the 2020 season, DTM has been left with just two car manufacturers after the R-Motorsport team lost the backing of Aston Martin […]
Leclerc best driver after Verstappen – Marko
Jan.27 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says Charles Leclerc is “clearly” the most attractive driver who does not already race for Red Bull. Recently, Red Bull extended Max Verstappen’s contract through 2023, while Ferrari has secured the services of the similarly-aged Leclerc until 2024. When asked who the best non-Red Bull driver is at present, Marko […]
Hamilton wants new $66m per year Mercedes deal
Jan.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s teammate is his “only opponent” in Formula 1, according to Max Verstappen. In recent days, rumours have emerged from Italy suggesting that six-time world champion Hamilton has upped the stakes in his negotiations with Mercedes over 2021 and beyond. Corriere dello Sport reportedly claims that the 35-year-old wants his retainer to […]
Calderon expects new Alfa Romeo deal
Jan.27 (GMM) Tatiana Calderon is expecting to sign a new deal to remain a test driver for Alfa Romeo in 2020. The female Colombian driver raced in Formula 2 last year, finishing 22nd overall, but she will move over to Japan’s Super Formula series for 2020. In 2019, 26-year-old Calderon was also a test driver […]
Owner Penske wants F1 to return to Indianapolis
Jan.27 (GMM) Roger Penske says he would like to see the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway return to the F1 calendar. Formula 1 is already working on a plan to add Miami to the schedule, to make it the second American race alongside Austin. But the Miami plans are facing political hurdles fuelled by opponents. So […]
FIA president says Leclerc ‘deserves’ title
Jan.27 (GMM) Charles Leclerc “deserves” to be a world champion, according to FIA president Jean Todt. 22-year-old Leclerc, who is managed by Todt’s son Nicolas, recently signed a new deal with Ferrari through 2024. “Charles has to make sure he has a car and a team that allows him to win races,” Todt is quoted […]
Todt’s comments about 25 races ‘outrageous’ – mechanic
Jan.27 (GMM) A mechanic at the small American team Haas has hit back at FIA president Jean Todt. Last week, amid concerns about future calendars that could be as long as 25 races, Todt said most people involved in Formula 1 are “privileged”. “If you have a beloved family, they will understand. And you don’t […]
Haas takes financial hit for 2020 – Steiner
Jan.27 (GMM) Haas boss Gunther Steiner admits the team has suffered a financial setback after the 2019 season. Not only did the small American team lose its title sponsor Rich Energy mid last year, finishing the championship second-to-last also means a drop in official F1 revenue. “It’s a big loss, but we need to move […]
F1 defends pay TV deals’ shrinking audiences
Jan.24 (GMM) It is an “oversimplification” to say that Formula 1 is suffering because of the move away from free-to-air television. That is the view of the sport’s director of media rights Ian Holmes, off the back of reports that in Britain alone, Sky’s exclusive live rights have cost Britain 8.6 million TV viewers. Writing […]
Red Bull ‘tough environment’ for Sainz – Brown
Jan.24 (GMM) Red Bull was a “tough” environment for Carlos Sainz to thrive in, according to McLaren supremo Zak Brown. Sainz, now 25, made his debut via the Red Bull junior program, racing for Toro Rosso for three years until 2017 before switching to Renault and finally signing a contract with McLaren that began in […]
Sports minister eyes F1 return for Argentina
Jan.24 (GMM) Argentina’s new sports and tourism minister wants Formula 1 to return to Buenos Aires. Matias Lammens, who was appointed in December, told Diario AS Argentina: “We would like to work towards recovering Formula 1 in a few years. “It would be very interesting for Argentina from a sporting and a tourism point of […]