Feb.17 (GMM) Renault is pledging its ongoing commitment to Formula 1, despite departed 2022 driver Fernando Alonso insisting Alpine was “happy with fourth” overall. Former two-time Renault champion Alonso, 41, made the switch over the winter to what he describes as the “more ambitious” Aston Martin project. However, Aston Martin finished just seventh last year, […]
Month: February 2023
Williams denies Latifi-shaped budget black hole
Feb.16 (GMM) Williams has played down concerns about financial strife in the wake of Nicholas Latifi’s departure from Formula 1. After three disappointing years at Williams, Canadian Latifi was left without a seat for 2023. But, due to his wealthy father Michael, he has taken a lot of team funding with him, including Lavazzi and […]
Hulkenberg admits ‘mental’ anguish of F1 break
Feb.16 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg admits he struggled with the “mental” side of his three-year full-time absence from the Formula 1 grid. With almost 180 grands prix in the bag, the now 35-year-old lost his Renault race seat after 2019 and since then has only contested the odd race as a one-off substitute. But he is […]
Rival teams have ‘interest’ in Mick Schumacher
Feb.16 (GMM) Formula 1 teams are already interested in signing up Mick Schumacher for his return to the grid in 2024. This year, after two mixed seasons with Haas, the 23-year-old son of F1 legend Michael has had to settle for a reserve role at Mercedes. He will also be on standby for Mercedes-powered McLaren. […]
Alpine was ‘happy with fourth’ – Alonso
Feb.16 (GMM) Fernando Alonso couldn’t resist a jibe at his former team as he got up to speed at the wheel of an Aston Martin this week. When the 41-year-old Spaniard announced his impending switch to Aston Martin, he said owner Lawrence Stroll’s project seemed “more ambitious” than Alpine’s. Now, following the 2023 Aston Martin […]
Norris happy with teammate who ‘pushes’ him
Feb.16 (GMM) Lando Norris is glad he will have a teammate who “pushes” him in 2023. As his Formula 1 career started, the now 23-year-old was paired with Carlos Sainz who subsequently was promoted to Ferrari. McLaren replaced Sainz with experienced race winner Daniel Ricciardo, but the 33-year-old notably struggled and was ultimately ousted after […]
McLaren keeping engine options open for 2026
Feb.16 (GMM) Zak Brown is keeping an open mind about the identity of McLaren’s next engine supplier. Currently, the Woking based team uses a customer Mercedes power unit on a contract that runs until the end of the current rules period to 2025. Beyond that, there is talk of a reunion with Honda, as the […]
Domenicali says F1 not for sale
Feb.16 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has played down reports that Formula 1 is for sale. Last month, it was reported that Saudi Arabia’s state investment fund was eyeing the currently Liberty Media-owned asset – with a staggering potential $20 billion price-tag. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem responded by suggesting the price was “inflated”, earning a strong […]
‘No sidepods’ look could change in 2023 – Wolff
Feb.16 (GMM) Mercedes is sticking with its ‘no sidepods’ concept for the start of the 2023 season – but that could soon change according to team boss Toto Wolff. After a difficult 2022, the Brackley based team on Wednesday revealed and debuted at Silverstone its slightly modified new car – now in all carbon black. […]
Another budget cap breach possible in 2023 – Horner
Feb.15 (GMM) Christian Horner admits there is no guarantee Red Bull will not breach Formula 1’s new budget cap for the second year in succession. After being found guilty of a ‘minor’ overspend following a high profile controversy last year, the reigning champions received a $7 million fine and a 10 percent reduction in car […]
F1 to discuss raising $200m new team entry fee
Feb.15 (GMM) Existing teams will soon discuss a proposal to raise the amount of money potential new entrants need to pay to enter Formula 1. Currently, a keen Andretti-Cadillac collaboration is pushing to be welcomed to the sport for 2025 or 2026 but have called their potential rival teams “greedy” for rejecting their bid on […]
Ferrari proud to reject ‘fake’ car reveal
Feb.15 (GMM) As the wraps came off Ferrari’s 2023 car, new boss Frederic Vasseur hit back at the theory that the Maranello team has added 30 horsepower to its engine. “A joke,” the Frenchman told the Swiss newspaper Blick as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz put the first few laps on the visibly tweaked car […]
FIA must end F1 budget cap breach delays – Domenicali
Feb.14 (GMM) Formula 1 must speed up the process of dealing with potential breaches of the annual budget cap, Stefano Domenicali has admitted. Last year, the issue of Red Bull’s alleged minor overspend remained in limbo for weeks – ultimately culminating in a $7 million fine and 10 percent reduction in car development time. But […]
Tsunoda must score ‘a lot more points’ in 2023
Feb.14 (GMM) Alpha Tauri boss Franz Tost says Yuki Tsunoda must score “a lot more points” in 2023. Japanese Tsunoda, 22, is kicking off his third consecutive season in Formula 1 with the second Red Bull-owned team. He was notably erratic on debut in 2021 and subsequently relocated at Dr Helmut Marko’s behest from the […]
Binotto tipped to return to F1 with Audi
Feb.14 (GMM) Well-known Italian journalist Leo Turrini thinks sacked Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto could re-emerge as Audi’s new Formula 1 boss. Last week, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said he has “sympathy” for Binotto’s situation as he did a “good job” in charge of the Maranello team. However, both Horner and his Mercedes counterpart […]
FIA extends restrictions on Russian drivers
Feb.14 (GMM) As Nikita Mazepin secured a podium on his return to top-level circuit motor racing, the FIA has announced new measures relating to Russian drivers. Early last year, at the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the FIA introduced a measure requiring Russian drivers to sign a document denouncing their country. Several FIA-sanctioned Russian drivers […]
McLaren ‘not completely happy’ with 2023 car
Feb.14 (GMM) McLaren admits it is “not completely happy” with its newly-launched Formula 1 car for 2023. The latest teams to launch their respective cars for the new season are McLaren and Aston Martin – with Alpine carrying out a low-profile ‘shakedown’ at Silverstone. Red Bull boss Christian Horner is expecting the midfield teams to […]
Drivers must maintain Mercedes ‘harmony’ – Russell
Feb.13 (GMM) George Russell expects his “good relationship” with teammate Lewis Hamilton to continue in 2023 – even if they are wheel-to-wheel for the title. Felipe Massa, who so nearly beat seven time world champion Hamilton to the title in 2008, says the 38-year-old’s status came under threat last year as Russell replaced Valtteri Bottas […]
Ecclestone tells ‘truth’ about 1981 F1 injustice
Feb.13 (GMM) Former F1 driver Carlos Reutemann’s daughter says she is glad that Bernie Ecclestone confessed to interfering in the outcome of the 1981 world championship. In his early days of running the sport, Ecclestone doubled as owner of the Brabham team – whose Nelson Piquet arrived at the Las Vegas finale locked in a […]
Ben Sulayem limited to ‘strategic’ role – CEO
Feb.13 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali says FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is best to leave “everyday life” in Formula 1 to others. Amid a particularly tense moment between the sport’s governing body and the commercial rights holders at Liberty Media, Ben Sulayem told the teams last week that he will take a step back from the […]