Apr.12 (GMM) Toto Wolff has denied rumours the team’s former technical boss James Allison has now returned to Mercedes full-time. In late 2021, Allison took on a new role in America’s Cup yacht racing, with Mercedes and team shareholder Ineos collaborating for Ineos Team UK Britannia. But after Mercedes’ disappointing start to the 2023 season, […]
Month: April 2023
‘Boredom’ no reason to change F1 rules – Steiner
Apr.12 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says Formula 1 must resist the temptation to react to Red Bull’s dominance by changing the rules. The new-in-2022 aerodynamic regulations were introduced in a bid to close up the field and produce better racing – but a spanner in the works at present is how far ahead Red Bull is. […]
Rookie de Vries ‘fighting to survive’ in F1
Apr.12 (GMM) Nyck de Vries has admitted he is under “pressure” to get up to speed in Formula 1. The 28-year-old Dutch rookie arrived at Alpha Tauri this year with a strong reputation – but he is so far lagging teammate Yuki Tsunoda in qualifying and yet to open his points account. He admits that […]
Belgian GP ‘more optimistic’ about race future
Apr.11 (GMM) Belgian GP promoter Vanessa Maes says she is “much more optimistic” about the clouded future of Formula 1’s fabled annual race at Spa-Francorchamps. In February, we reported that Maes was in Bahrain during pre-season testing for meetings with Formula 1 authorities about the event’s expiring contract. But after that, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali […]
Podiums ‘not enough’ for team owner Stroll
Apr.11 (GMM) Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll is not happy to rest on the laurels of Fernando Alonso’s back-to-back-to-back podiums so far in 2023. “It’s very simple,” team boss Mike Krack is quoted by Spain’s AS sports newspaper. “Lawrence’s comment is quite clear. “It hasn’t taken long for him to ask us when we’re […]
Widow sues Niki Lauda’s foundation for 30m
Apr.11 (GMM) Niki Lauda’s widow is suing for a big chunk of the late triple world champion’s net worth. It is believed that at the time of his death in 2019, the 70-year-old and former Mercedes team shareholder was worth somewhere in the range of $200-500 million. And according to the Austrian newspaper Kurier, two […]
Piastri is faster than Ricciardo – Norris
Apr.11 (GMM) Lando Norris says his new teammate is a tougher challenge than the ousted Daniel Ricciardo. The Woking based team decided to slip out of its contract with Australian Ricciardo at the end of last year, replacing him with his much-younger rookie countryman Oscar Piastri. “He’s doing really well, honestly,” Norris is quoted by […]
Ferrari wants Sainz penalty scrapped
Apr.11 (GMM) Ferrari is pushing to overturn the penalty that left Carlos Sainz distraught at the end of the recent Australian GP. The Spanish driver’s devastated radio and visual reaction to the 5-second penalty, which dropped him from fourth to twelfth place, went viral. He called it the “most unfair penalty” he had ever seen, […]
No ‘plan B’ to new Hamilton deal – Wolff
Apr.11 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he has no “plan B” in the event Lewis Hamilton does not sign a new contract with Mercedes beyond 2023. Seven time world champion Hamilton, 38, has indicated he is keen on inking a new deal, but there have been rumblings Mercedes is reluctant to sign up for similarly lucrative […]
Ferrari will not scrap 2023 car ‘concept’
Apr.11 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur has defended Ferrari’s 2023 car, playing down reports the Maranello based team needs to scrap the basic ‘concept’. “In Australia, we took a different development direction and I think it worked,” he said. The Frenchman said his drivers were “not far off” in qualifying in Melbourne, while in the race they […]
Vasseur slams ‘mild’ Red Bull budget penalty
Apr.11 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur has hit out at the “very mild” penalty imposed for Red Bull’s budget cap breach. The Ferrari boss said the dominant title-winning and title-leading team losing 10 percent of its wind tunnel time on top of a $7 million fine “was not a penalty”. “I don’t want to say they didn’t […]
F1 legend Alesi defends race director Wittich
Apr.6 (GMM) F1 legend Jean Alesi has bucked the trend by leaping to the defence of the sport’s under-fire new-in-2022 race director Niels Wittich. Multiple drivers and media outlets utterly slammed the farcical end of last weekend’s Australian GP, insisting the red flags and re-starts was all about putting ‘the show’ above the sport. “It […]
F1’s newest billionaire is Toto Wolff
Apr.6 (GMM) Formula 1 has its newest billionaire, according to the authoritative American finance and business magazine Forbes. Correspondent Matt Craig explained that the rise of Toto Wolff to his new billionaire status is due to Formula 1’s surging Netflix-fuelled popularity and his third-share stake in the works Mercedes team. Austrian Wolff, 51, also has […]
2028 Verstappen contract ‘best decision’ for Red Bull
Apr.6 (GMM) Signing up Max Verstappen for the long term was “one of the best decisions” Red Bull has made in Formula 1. That is the view of the energy drink company’s Dr Helmut Marko, after two-time champion Verstappen pulled out a 15-point lead over his own teammate Sergio Perez in Melbourne. Mercedes’ George Russell […]
F1 teams say ‘yes’ to second qualifying
Apr.5 (GMM) Formula 1 teams have apparently approved CEO Stefano Domenicali’s plan to spice up the ‘sprint’ race weekend format. It emerged in Australia that the sport’s Italian chief wanted to replace a practice session with a second qualifying session. “Of course the drivers need time to practice,” Domenicali told Sky Deutschland. “But the people […]
Father Jos denies he ‘abused’ Max Verstappen
Apr.5 (GMM) Jos Verstappen has denied suggestions he “abused” his son Max on the two-time champion’s road to Formula 1. An official documentary about 25-year-old Verstappen’s rise to F1 is just now being released, with the Red Bull driver saying “very close family members” were involved in the project. “I’m normally not a guy who […]
Red Bull’s DRS speed ‘breathtaking’ – Wolff
Apr.5 (GMM) Following an early battle in Melbourne last Sunday, Max Verstappen accused his former world championship rival Lewis Hamilton of not following the racing rules. With his current position of dominance, Dutchman Verstappen says he simply “tried to avoid a contact” with the Mercedes driver. “It’s quite clear in the rules what is allowed […]
Alpha Tauri ‘intensifying’ Red Bull cooperation
Apr.5 (GMM) The 2023 car is “too slow” but Alpha Tauri boss Franz Tost says the Red Bull-owned team is making changes. Recently, it was rumoured that Red Bull’s new CEO Oliver Mintzlaff was so unhappy with the Faenza based team’s on-track and financial performance that it could be sold. But while a sale was […]
‘Other teams’ eyeing F1 returnee Hulkenberg
Apr.4 (GMM) As far as Nico Hulkenberg is concerned, he’d rather the Chinese GP had not been cancelled. After a forced three-year sabbatical, the 35-year-old German returned to Formula 1 this year to replace the struggling Mick Schumacher. And suddenly, Schumacher’s former teammate Kevin Magnussen – now paired with Hulkenberg – is no longer looking […]
Aston Martin not ruling out Monaco victory
Apr.4 (GMM) After three consecutive podiums in 2023, Aston Martin is now targeting its first Formula 1 win. “I think there are some tracks where the combination of this driver with this car may still be even more magical,” said team boss Mike Krack, referring to one of F1’s men-of-the-moment, former two-time champion Fernando Alonso. […]