Mar.9 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel needs to watch out for “psychological problems” as he settles into life at Aston Martin. That is the view of former F1 driver Christian Klien, who said that although the quadruple world champion has moved teams after his struggles at Ferrari, he now has another serious challenge to grapple with. “At […]
Month: March 2021
‘No promises’ about 2022 Mercedes seat – Russell
Mar.8 (GMM) George Russell says he has been given “no promises” by Mercedes about a race seat with the works team for 2022. As Williams’ likely back-of-the-grid 2021 car was revealed, Russell said the team’s goal for this season is to “not be last” after a battle with Haas and Alfa Romeo. “The new Ferrari […]
Albers says James Key is a ‘new Newey’
Mar.8 (GMM) James Key is a potential “new Newey”, according to a former F1 driver. Christijan Albers, a Dutch driver who raced for Minardi and Spyker, actually worked alongside current McLaren technical boss Key during his F1 career. “Adrian Newey is pretty much done,” he told the Dutch publication Formule 1. “At Red Bull, they […]
Mazepin will not lose F1 super license – Todt
Mar.8 (GMM) Jean Todt has defended his decision to stay out of the Nikita Mazepin ‘groping’ affair. Social media users have been applying intense pressure on Haas and Formula 1 to act on the alleged wrongdoing of the 21-year-old Russian rookie driver. But FIA president Todt said it wouldn’t be fair to take Mazepin’s super […]
Hulkenberg not denying Mercedes reserve rumours
Mar.8 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg is keeping his cards close to his chest amid speculation he will join Mercedes this year as a Formula 1 reserve driver. It is even rumoured that the German could double up as reserve for Mercedes-powered Aston Martin, too. “The question is not when the decision will be made, but when […]
Driver retracts ‘Binotto sacked’ claim
Mar.8 (GMM) A Ferrari driver has hit reverse gear after suggesting F1 team boss Mattia Binotto may be on the cusp of losing his top job. Josef Kral, a 30-year-old Czech driver who races a Ferrari 488 GT3, backtracked when he was slammed by social media users for talking out of turn. “Just to make […]
Wolff plays down engine problem reports
Mar.8 (GMM) Toto Wolff has denied Mercedes is struggling with an engine reliability problem ahead of the 2021 season. The title-winning team supposedly ‘turned down’ its engines when Max Verstappen dominated the season ending Abu Dhabi GP, and Mercedes engine boss Hywel Thomas said recently there had been “problems” with the unit ahead of the […]
No podium after 2021 ‘super-qualifying’ races
Mar.8 (GMM) There will be no podium celebrations after the three trial ‘super qualifying’ sprint races in 2021. Although the new format will be tested at three grands prix this year, there are concerns about the addition of a shorter race detracting from Sunday’s main event. “A grand prix of 300 kilometres, the biggest challenge […]
Zandvoort wants full house for Dutch GP
Mar.8 (GMM) Zandvoort is hoping to welcome a full house of spectators to its first Dutch GP in September. Formula 1 has just announced that Portimao will join the 2021 schedule in May – with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali declaring that he hopes spectators will be there. “We hope to welcome fans to Portimao again […]
Bahrain GP spectators must be vaccinated
Mar.5 (GMM) Bahrain GP organisers say only previously-infected or fully vaccinated people can attend this month’s Formula 1 season opener. “Entry will only be granted to ticket holders on presentation of one of these badges,” the organisers declared, referring to the two aforementioned covid-19 categories. “Failure to do so will result in entry being denied.” […]
Alpine keen but not desperate for F1 customer
Mar.5 (GMM) Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has played down suggestions the Renault-owned outfit is desperate to link up with a customer team in Formula 1. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported last week that Renault is worried it will fall behind its other major competitors who are forging close alliances with junior teams. Williams was therefore […]
Haas makes car changes after Grosjean crash
Mar.5 (GMM) Haas has made changes to its car for 2021 in reaction to Romain Grosjean’s terrifying and fiery crash in Bahrain late last season. The news comes ahead of the submission to the World Motor Sport Council on Friday of the stewards’ report following an investigation into the incident. “The report will come out […]
Alpine defends ‘no team boss’ structure
Mar.5 (GMM) New Alpine CEO Larent Rossi has backed the decision to not replace the departed Cyril Abiteboul as team principal for 2021. Instead, executive director Marcin Budkowski will have more responsibilities this year, and he will be jointly supported in the role by new racing director Davide Brivio, who arrives from MotoGP. “They will […]
FIA says Haas’ Russian livery is legal
Mar.5 (GMM) A prominent Russian politician has welcomed the controversial new Haas livery, declaring that “common sense triumphs over anti-Russian hysteria”. The company of Russian team rookie Nikita Mazepin’s father Dmitry Mazepin – Uralkali – was on Thursday unveiled as the American team’s new title sponsor. And despite the fact that the world anti-doping agency […]
Alpine cannot rely only on Alonso – Ocon
Mar.4 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says he is not worried that Alpine will essentially become Fernando Alonso’s team in 2021. Frenchman Ocon, 24, is the incumbent at the rebranded Enstone based outfit, but after Alonso’s two-year F1 sabbatical he is being joined by the team’s double champion Alonso this season. “The team will listen to me […]
Bottas to be ‘more selfish’ in 2021
Mar.4 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has announced he will be “more selfish” in 2021. The Finn has been Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate since the shock retirement of Nico Rosberg at the end of 2016 – and he lost the title each time. “Valtteri has been in an unfortunate situation in recent years with short contracts,” team […]
No Ferrari engine fire-up until Bahrain – Steiner
Mar.4 (GMM) Haas will not fire up its 2021 car until the small American team touches down in Bahrain for the start of official testing next week. Normally, Haas’ car for the new season is put together at the Dallara facility – which, like engine supplier Ferrari, is based in Italy. However, with covid making […]
Mercedes tackles F1 budget cap with new division
Mar.4 (GMM) A new division at Mercedes was set up to help the Formula 1 team tackle the new budget cap. At Ferrari, moves to support customer team Haas at Maranello and kick off a works Le Mans program for 2023 have been seen as ways to get under the budget limit without sacking staff. […]
Mercedes reserve says Verstappen can match Hamilton
Mar.4 (GMM) Max Verstappen has the potential to take on Lewis Hamilton at the very top of Formula 1. That is the view of Nyck de Vries, a Dutchman who drives for Mercedes’ works Formula E team. The 26-year-old has also been made a reserve driver for the title-winning F1 team for 2021. “I am […]
Wolff tips return of F1 spectators in 2021
Mar.4 (GMM) Toto Wolff thinks spectators will begin to return to Formula 1 races in 2021. That is despite the fact that June’s Azerbaijan GP has already announced that spectators will not be allowed to gather around the Baku street layout. “I’m always a pessimist by nature and trying to calculate for the worst-case scenario,” […]