Mar.28 (GMM) Mercedes should stop being “ashamed” of its earlier utter dominance of Formula 1. That is the view of Paddy Lowe, a top engineering executive at the German team for much of the Lewis Hamilton era of dominance until he left Mercedes in 2017. But George Russell, who replaced Valtteri Bottas to become Hamilton’s […]
Month: March 2023
Perez, Sainz, ‘too inconsistent’ for F1 title – Massa
Mar.28 (GMM) Charles Leclerc currently stands out as the only top Formula 1 driver on back-to-back world champion Max Verstappen’s level. That is the view of former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who thinks even seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s best days are now behind him. “I don’t think he can win an eighth,” the […]
Porsche’s F1 return ‘won’t be in 2026’
Mar.28 (GMM) Porsche has definitively decided against entering Formula 1. Audi was actually the second of the two Volkswagen brands to signal its interest in entering the sport for the start of the new engine rules era in 2026. But a deal was ultimately struck with Sauber – while Porsche’s talks with Red Bull fell […]
Two F1 bosses seek to scrap practice sessions
Mar.28 (GMM) If two familiar Formula 1 faces had their way, free practice sessions would be scrapped. Haas boss Gunther Steiner told the Daily Mail that the sport would be more exciting if the entire race weekend is essentially practice-free. “Qualifying on Friday for a sprint race,” he said. “Then on Saturday morning, qualifying for […]
Alonso denies making bad F1 career choices
Mar.27 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has hit back at suggestions that he sabotaged his own Formula 1 career by chasing “money” rather than success. Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan says the 41-year-old Spaniard should actually have won “four, six or maybe even eight” world championships rather than just two. “He should have picked his teams […]
Magnussen not keen on daughter racing in F1
Mar.27 (GMM) Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen admits he would prefer that his two-year daughter chooses a different passion. The 30-year-old Haas driver’s father Jan was also an F1 driver, racing for McLaren and Stewart in the 90s. But Kevin told Sportskeeda that despite F1’s eagerness to welcome a female driver to the grid, he […]
Russian racing can thrive amid Ukraine conflict
Mar.27 (GMM) Motorsport in Russia can still thrive even amid the Ukraine conflict, Russia’s first Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov insists. Nikita Mazepin and Uralkali were expelled from the Haas team at the outbreak of the war early last year, with the FIA now requiring all Russian athletes to assume ‘neutral’ status and sign a […]
No thoughts of quitting over Mercedes crisis – Wolff
Mar.27 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he’s not thinking of quitting just because Mercedes stuck with a flawed car concept for two consecutive seasons. The 51-year-old has flirted with stepping down as team boss in the past, but he says the support from his own bosses at Mercedes is still strong. “We’ve been through all the […]
Red Bull can run car lower than rivals – Wurz
Mar.27 (GMM) Alex Wurz says Red Bull’s dominance this year is about more than just a highly-efficient DRS. So dominant is the energy drink-owned team that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits there is no chance any team can catch Red Bull in 2023. “It is not realistic to think that we can close the gap […]
Ricciardo reminds F1 world ‘I’m still here’
Mar.27 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says he wants to remind the Formula 1 world that he’s “still here”. The Australian, who lost his McLaren seat for 2023 season, did not attend the opening Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix in his new role as Red Bull’s third driver. But he will be in Melbourne this weekend. […]
Nike thwarts Verstappen’s fashion plans
Mar.27 (GMM) A planned clothing line by Max Verstappen has been stopped in its tracks by Nike. De Limburger newspaper reports that the back-to-back world champion intended to call it ‘Max 1’ – which Nike argued is too close to their ‘Air Max’ shoe line. The Belelux Office for Intellectual Property confirmed that an investigation […]
‘Distrust’ between Red Bull pair obvious – Surer
Mar.27 (GMM) Former F1 driver Marc Surer is predicting troubled waters ahead for Red Bull. It appears as though the 2023 world championship will be a one-team head-to-head battle for the drivers’ title fought between Max Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez. And Surer tells motorsport-total.com that the omens are not good for a smooth […]
Hamilton-Leclerc seat swap chances played down
Mar.24 (GMM) There is no room at Red Bull for Lewis Hamilton, according to team boss Christian Horner. 38-year-old Hamilton’s contract negotiations with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff are currently in a period of long delay – coinciding with ongoing car struggles and the impressive performance of teammate George Russell. It has all given rise to […]
Unlike Porsche, Honda still undecided about 2026
Mar.24 (GMM) Honda is not yet decided about definitely staying in Formula 1 beyond 2025. This week, unofficial reports suggested that Volkswagen-owned Porsche has now definitively decided against designing an F1 engine for the new 2026 rules. Porsche had talks with Red Bull, but the energy drink owned team ultimately decided to go a more […]
Alpha Tauri boss to retire by 2026
Mar.24 (GMM) Franz Tost has admitted the end of his Formula 1 career is approaching. A big story so far in 2023 is that Red Bull is unhappy with the performance of its second team – Tost-led Alpha Tauri. There have even been rumours that Faenza based team could be sold, relocated to the UK, […]
Marko denies ‘muzzle’ amid Red Bull tension
Mar.24 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has denied that he was muzzled after last Sunday’s Saudi Arabian GP. In recent weeks, there have been rumours of trouble behind the scenes among Red Bull’s upper management, as Marko in particular starts working with Oliver Mintzlaff – the late Dietrich Mateschitz’s replacement as CEO. According to the Austrian […]
F1 CEO admits Madrid wants Formula 1 race
Mar.24 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admits Madrid is still pushing to host a grand prix. The sport’s top boss on Thursday was in the Spanish capital to mark the beginning of an official F1 exhibition, in which cars, memorabilia and even Romain Grosjean’s charred Haas from his fiery 2020 crash in Bahrain are on […]
Haas teammates ‘don’t fight each other’ in 2023
Mar.24 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has revealed that he and teammate Nico Hulkenberg are racing at Haas this year under the cloud of a particular “rule”. Hulkenberg, 35, returned to Formula 1 this year to replace Mick Schumacher. The German is paired with Kevin Magnussen, with whom he famously clashed in 2017 in an incident remembered […]
Top four unlikely as McLaren shakes up F1 team
Mar.24 (GMM) Top Ferrari engineer David Sanchez’s move to McLaren is now confirmed, as news breaks that the British team has ousted its technical boss James Key. Woking based McLaren – dead last in the constructors’ championship so far this season – has had a dire start to its 2023 campaign. In the wind tunnel, […]
Two Italian F1 races unlikely after 2025
Mar.23 (GMM) Italy might struggle to hang onto both of its annual grands prix beyond 2025, the country’s automobile association chief Angelo Sticchi Damiani has warned. Currently, the historic circuits at Monza and Imola are both on the annual Formula 1 calendar, with Italian GP host Monza in particular now scrambling to make circuit improvements […]