Mar.4 (GMM) Toto Wolff is worried about Sergio Perez – for two reasons. Firstly, the Mercedes boss says his team’s dominance could be threatened for 2021 because Red Bull now has a more experienced teammate alongside Max Verstappen. “They have similar resources to ours and are a very ambitious team,” Wolff told Sky Deutschland. “With […]
Month: March 2021
Vettel defends ‘underestimated’ Stroll
Mar.4 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has defended his new teammate Lance Stroll. Stroll, the 22-year-old son of Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll, is often criticised for the privilege that helped power him to Formula 1. “He’s been a bit underestimated,” quadruple world champion Vettel told Sky Deutschland. “Generally, people are condemned very quickly these days. […]
Vettel plays down sale of Ferrari road cars
Mar.4 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has denied that offloading his collection of Ferrari road cars might be seen as sour grapes after being ousted by the Maranello team. “The rationale was just to free up a bit of space,” the quadruple world champion said at the launch of his green 2021 Aston Martin. “I am very […]
Hamilton to discuss ‘kneeling’ in Bahrain
Mar.3 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he isn’t sure if the pre-race ‘kneeling’ routine will continue in 2021. Amid the US unrest last year in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Hamilton pushed for Mercedes to switch to a black livery and began kneeling before races in deference to the Black Lives Matter movement. 12 of […]
Baku to host F1 ‘ghost race’ in June
Mar.3 (GMM) Azerbaijan’s return to the F1 calendar this year will take place without the presence of a crowd. Last year, the popular Baku street race was cancelled amid the pandemic, but Formula 1 has scheduled a June 6 date for the event’s return in 2021. However, the company that operates the Baku City Circuit […]
Ocon happy to fill in for absent Alonso
Mar.3 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says he is filling in for Fernando Alonso while the Spaniard completes his recovery from last month’s cycling crash. Alonso, who is returning to F1 with Alpine in 2021, missed the launch of the new car on Tuesday and it will be Ocon who takes the blue single seater for its […]
Hulkenberg may still be Mercedes reserve – Wolff
Mar.3 (GMM) Toto Wolff has hinted that Nico Hulkenberg may still become a Mercedes reserve driver in 2021. That is despite the fact that the reigning champions have actually unveiled its works Formula E drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Nick de Vries in similar F1 roles for this year. However, team boss Wolff says former Renault […]
Red Bull handling problems ‘solved’ – Albon
Mar.3 (GMM) Alex Albon says Red Bull has succeeded in improving the handling of its Formula 1 car ahead of the 2021 season. The team recently admitted that the difficult handling was one reason Albon struggled to keep up with Max Verstappen last year – ultimately leading to the British-born Thai driver’s demise. However, Red […]
Only 30 simulator laps for Hamilton this winter
Mar.3 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has admitted he only did about 30 laps of driving in Mercedes’ simulator over the winter. While other teams and drivers have been busily preparing for the 2021 season with private testing, the seven time world champion declared: “I may have only done 30 laps.” The 36-year-old said the main reason […]
Wolff admits Verstappen on Mercedes ‘radar’
Mar.3 (GMM) With Lewis Hamilton’s contract expiring in just ten months, Toto Wolff is openly admitting that Max Verstappen is on Mercedes “radar” for 2022. Seven time world champion Hamilton on Tuesday defended his mere one-year deal, and declared that his political activism is more important this year than winning a record eighth title. The […]
Formula E ‘acceleration’ will beat F1 car – Agag
Mar.2 (GMM) The next generation Formula E car should be able to beat a Formula 1 car off the line, according to series boss Alejandro Agag. Until now, F1 purists have dismissed the all-electric category on the basis that Formula 1 is head and shoulders faster in terms of ultimate pace. But Agag says the […]
Hamilton, Mercedes could split after 2021 – Coronel
Mar.2 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes could go their separate ways after the 2021 season, according to well-known Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel. After long and difficult negotiations, the two parties could only agree on a new one-year deal for 2021. It is rumoured Mercedes may sign up George Russell or Max Verstappen – or […]
Missing Alpine launch ‘doesn’t matter’ – Alonso
Mar.2 (GMM) It is travel restrictions that are preventing Fernando Alonso from attending the launch of his Formula 1 car for 2021 on Tuesday. The Spaniard, who is returning to the sport after a two-year sabbatical, broke his upper jaw and two teeth in a road cycling crash just over two weeks ago. It had […]
F1 fans ‘finding controversy everywhere’ – Popov
Mar.2 (GMM) Formula 1 is falling victim to “people who are finding controversy everywhere”. That is the view of Alexey Popov, the commentator for Russian broadcaster Match TV. He has already spoken out about the treatment of his countryman Nikita Mazepin, who has been the subject of a relentless social media attack in the wake […]
CEO admits Williams could lose Russell
Mar.2 (GMM) Jost Capito, the new Williams CEO, admits the British team could lose George Russell to Mercedes for 2022. 2021 is 23-year-old Russell’s third season in Formula 1 with Williams, but he got a taste of life in the fastest lane late last year when Lewis Hamilton had covid-19. “When he drove the Mercedes […]
Sainz plays down 18-inch tyre test crash reports
Mar.1 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has played down reports that he crashed last week whilst testing Ferrari’s new-for-2022 18-inch tyres. Eyewitnesses claimed that Ferrari’s new Spanish driver crashed during the Pirelli test at Jerez. “I don’t know how much I can say about that according to the contract,” Sainz is quoted by the Swiss newspaper Blick. […]
Schumacher hits back at racism criticism
Mar.1 (GMM) Mick Schumacher says his stance about racism has been “misinterpreted”. Last week, the Haas rookie flirted with controversy by answering “no comment” when asked by La Stampa newspaper to talk about F1 and Lewis Hamilton’s political activism. Some social media users lashed out at his silence on the highly-charged topic, prompting the son […]
Alonso to sit out Alpine launch
Mar.1 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will sit out the launch of Alpine’s 2021 car. The Spaniard recently underwent surgery for an upper jaw fracture and two broken teeth following a road cycling crash. His manager Flavio Briatore said Alonso was not able to speak for “only one day” due to having to wear a special recovery […]
Ferrari waiting for sprint race ‘details’
Mar.1 (GMM) Two more F1 drivers have urged Formula 1 to proceed with caution with the ‘sprint race’ trials in 2021. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is determined to finalise the details of the three-weekend trial – set for Montreal, Monza and Brazil – prior to the season opener in Bahrain later this month. “We are […]
Magnussen not missing ‘strange’ F1 atmosphere
Mar.1 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says he is not yet missing the “strange atmosphere” of Formula 1. The Dane lost his Haas seat at the end of last year but he claims he did not fight too hard to find another seat in the midfield. “It can be a pretty hostile environment,” he told the WEC […]