Sep.5 (GMM) Qualifying may be more “dangerous” than usual at Monza, according to McLaren driver Carlos Sainz. A 2019-like situation at the Italian GP venue looks to be shaping up again this season, with drivers expected to jostle for position at low speeds to prepare for the best slipstream for their fast qualifying laps. In […]
Month: September 2020
Ferrari pushing ahead with ‘pink Mercedes’ appeal
Sep.5 (GMM) Ferrari is pressing ahead with its appeal against Racing Point’s ‘pink Mercedes’ car. After Renault – the instigator of the protests against the Mercedes-like copy – recently withdrew its intention to appeal, it was rumoured that Ferrari would soon follow suit. “Yes, we confirmed our protest,” Mattia Binotto said at Monza when asked […]
Williams needs ‘good team boss’ – van der Garde
Sep.5 (GMM) Williams needs to appoint “a good team boss” to replace the departing Claire Williams. That is the view of former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde, commenting on news that following the team buyout, Claire and her father Sir Frank will not be involved at Williams after this weekend at Monza. “Williams has […]
Wolff plays down Ferrari switch rumours
Sep.5 (GMM) Toto Wolff has brushed off rumours that he might soon be leading crisis-struck Ferrari. The wild rumour in the Italian press follows reports of the Mercedes team boss’s dithering over a new contract and strained relationship with Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius. “Everyone dreams of Ferrari – it’s normal,” Wolff told Sky Italia at […]
Williams family departure best for team – Schumacher
Sep.4 (GMM) Former team driver Ralf Schumacher says he supports the departure of the Williams family from the eponymous British team. Schumacher raced for Williams between 1999 and 2004, winning all six of his race wins there. He says more recent seasons have shown that selling up, and now the departure of Claire and Sir […]
No fix yet for Bottas ‘leg numbness’ issue
Sep.4 (GMM) Mercedes is working to fix a problem that leaves Valtteri Bottas with leg numbness while driving the otherwise-dominant 2020 car. The Finn admitted at Spa that there have been “a couple of races” this year when his left leg begins to lose feeling. “It’s difficult to say how much I am affected, but […]
Albon ‘won’t listen’ to Hamilton criticism
Sep.4 (GMM) Alex Albon says he “won’t listen” to criticism either from Formula 1 fans on social media or even six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton suggested at Spa that Albon is not making life easy for Red Bull’s title contender Max Verstappen, because “both drivers aren’t there” in terms of pace. “Max is sort […]
Wolff has idea to make F1 more entertaining
Sep.4 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits he is “starting to worry” about Formula 1. Amid the corona crisis, the sport managed to get up and racing with a modified calendar and various health measures in place – including, for now, the absence of spectators. But then it became clear the extent to which Mercedes would […]
Sainz responds to Brawn’s ‘nervous’ comments
Sep.4 (GMM) Carlos Sainz insists he is not regretting his decision to join Ferrari for 2021. Only after the Spaniard signed to switch from McLaren at the end of the year did the full scale of Ferrari’s massive performance slump in 2020 become clear. Sebastian Vettel, the man Sainz is replacing, even admits to feeling […]
All eyes on ‘party mode’ ban at Monza
Sep.4 (GMM) All eyes are on the banning of ‘party mode’ engine settings at Monza this weekend. When asked if Mercedes can be stopped, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko admitted: “Difficult. Monza is a power track.” However, Red Bull-Honda pushed hard for the FIA to ban ‘party mode’ engine settings, with Mercedes clearly leading the […]
Drivers surprised as Williams family leaves team
Sep.4 (GMM) Williams’ two drivers admitted they were surprised to hear that they will have a new team boss within days. Following the sale of the British team to Dorilton Capital, which has links to Prince William’s brother-in-law James Matthews, it was announced on Thursday that Claire Williams and her father Sir Frank are stepping […]
Magnussen stayed at Haas ‘too long’ – Nielsen
Sep.3 (GMM) Formula 1 is leaving Kevin Magnussen behind, according to former Le Mans winner John Nielsen. He thinks that while his fellow Dane is likely to stay at Haas for 2021, the undeveloped and underpowered car is leaving Magnussen in a “bad place” psychologically. “It’s a bad situation for Kevin, because on the one […]
2020 season ‘not boring’ – Petrov
Sep.3 (GMM) Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov has hit back at claims that Formula 1 is “boring” in 2020. Even title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen admitted after Spa that it had been a boring race, caused mainly by the one-stop strategy, the nature of the current cars and tyres, and Mercedes’ dominance. Some […]
Steiner ramps up pressure on Haas supplier Ferrari
Sep.3 (GMM) Gunther Steiner is ramping up the pressure on Haas’ crisis-struck engine supplier Ferrari. The Haas boss was asked if it was satisfying to see the small American team’s Romain Grosjean duelling with the struggling works Ferraris at Spa. “Well, at least Romain was able to fight, but let’s be honest,” Steiner responded. “We […]
‘Political’ reason for Renault surge – report
Sep.3 (GMM) There is a “political” factor behind Renault’s surge towards the front of the grid. That is the claim of Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper, after the French works team’s sudden show of much stronger form at Spa. “If Renault continues like that, I will not be surprised to see them on the second […]
‘Too early’ to decide Kvyat’s future – Marko
Sep.3 (GMM) It is “too early to speculate” about Daniil Kvyat’s future in Formula 1. That is the news from Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s notoriously tough driver manager. Recently, he warned that Russian Kvyat is not performing up to standard at Alpha Tauri. When asked if the Russian should be worrying about 2021, Marko […]
Vettel stopped feeling Ferrari support – Montezemolo
Sep.3 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel was never a troublemaker at Ferrari, the team’s former president Luca di Montezemolo insists. Although he was ousted in 2014, 73-year-old Montezemolo’s final major act was to sign Vettel for the following season. Five years on, the quadruple world champion has also been ousted for 2021 – and Montezemolo says the […]
Ferrari management made mistakes – Montezemolo
Sep.3 (GMM) Ferrari “paid a very high price” for Formula 1’s move to hybrid engine technology in 2014. Although highly competitive with its 2019 power unit, the Italian team has slumped this year in the wake of the engine legality scandal and subsequent secret FIA agreement. Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said the team […]
Red Bull scraps plans for ‘DAS’ copy
Sep.3 (GMM) Red Bull has scrapped plans to copy Mercedes’ ‘DAS’ steering system. Even though the innovative system has been banned for 2021, Red Bull considered designing its own version of the push-pull steering wheel. “DAS is finished for us,” Dr Helmut Marko now tells motorsport-magazin.com. “On the one hand it is of course a […]
Red Bull applied pressure for ‘party mode’ ban – Marko
Sep.3 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted Red Bull applied “necessary pressure” to help get what he describes as Mercedes’ “extreme” party mode engine settings banned. Although the ban will apply to every engine manufacturer from this weekend at Monza, Marko admitted that Red Bull’s focus was F1’s dominant team. “It was legal,” he told […]