Jun.17 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher thinks he knows why Lewis Hamilton’s contract negotiations are taking so long. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said earlier this week that he hoped to get the seven time world champion’s signature on a new deal by Sunday’s Canadian GP. But Hamilton, 38, then said in Montreal that it could actually take […]
Month: June 2023
Father ‘unrealistic’ about Stroll podium – Marko
Jun.17 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has slammed Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll for setting an “unrealistic” goal for this weekend’s Canadian GP. Stroll said he expected his son, Lance, to finally join teammate Fernando Alonso on a 2023 podium at the end of Sunday’s proceedings in their native Montreal. “That’s more than overconfident,” Red […]
Zandvoort admits Dutch GP could disappear after 2025
Jun.17 (GMM) Zandvoort boss Robert van Overdijk admits a cloud hangs over the future of the highly-popular Dutch GP. Recent reports suggest the event might have to alternate a single annual calendar spot with the Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps. “We know that FOM wants to move towards a situation with fewer races in Europe and […]
Mazepin realistic about F1 return chances
Jun.17 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin says it would not be the end of the world if he is unable to return to Formula 1. The Russian was ousted from Haas and F1 at the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, and last week a judge ruled against his request for clearance to enter the UK for talks […]
Haas set to keep same drivers in 2024
Jun.17 (GMM) Haas looks set to lock in its experienced current driver lineup for the 2024 season. In 2021, the American team experimented with an all-rookie lineup of Mick Schumacher alongside Nikita Mazepin – and Gunther Steiner said he regrets it. Last year, ousted Russian Mazepin was replaced by former Haas racer Kevin Magnussen – […]
A Ferrari could beat Verstappen in Canada – Marko
Jun.17 (GMM) It could be Ferrari, not Mercedes, presenting the biggest challenge in Canada to Red Bull’s 2023 victory clean-sweep. Fresh off the double-podium in Spain, the two Mercedes cars were first and second in free practice on Friday ahead of the Canadian GP. But Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko isn’t too worried about them. […]
Simple solution to make F1 cars light – Allison
Jun.17 (GMM) One F1 technical guru has a simple solution to get the hefty weight of Formula 1 cars down – just announce it. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali agree that today’s 800kg cars – some couple of hundred kilos heavier than a couple of decades ago – are far […]
Sirotkin F1 backer says Williams ‘deceived’ them
Jun.16 (GMM) Williams is in dire need of major team upgrades. That is the message not only of the former title-winning team’s new boss James Vowles, but also of a Russian billionaire by the name of Boris Rotenberg. Via his SMP Racing program, Rotenberg bankrolled Sergey Sirotkin’s single season in Formula 1 in 2018. “We […]
All-female ‘W Series’ collapses
Jun.16 (GMM) The all-female single seater category called W Series has now collapsed. Earlier in June, we reported that the series’ drivers – including Finn Emma Kimilainen – were waiting to see if the financial problems that halted the engines last year would be resolved. Kimilainen said organisers were busily looking for “millions (of dollars) […]
Don’t blame drivers for Ferrari crisis – Berger
Jun.16 (GMM) Ferrari cannot blame its current problems on the drivers, according to F1 legend and former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger. The 63-year-old Austrian had two different stints at Maranello in the 80s and again in the 90s, and he says the reason the team is lagging behind is because it lacks top personnel. “You […]
Sainz worried Alpine could overtake Ferrari
Jun.16 (GMM) Ferrari is at risk of falling behind yet another rival Formula 1 team in 2023. The fabled Maranello marque entered the season with a new team boss in Frederic Vasseur and high hopes of a title challenge. But even with a major car upgrade in Barcelona two weeks ago, Charles Leclerc qualified a […]
Verstappen banned from Nordschleife F1 laps
Jun.16 (GMM) Max Verstappen has been banned from joining fellow Red Bull world champion Sebastian Vettel in enjoying rare high-speed laps of Nurburgring’s fabled Nordschleife layout in September. The newly-retired Vettel’s laps will be in his title-winning 2011 Formula 1 car – and the decade-younger Verstappen, the world championship leader, signalled his interest in joining […]
‘100pc’ healed Stroll eyes home Canada GP podium
Jun.16 (GMM) Lance Stroll may finally be ready to go head-to-head with his on-form Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso. Heading into the Canadian GP weekend, team owner Lawrence Stroll – 24-year-old Lance’s father – suggested he would like to see both drivers on the podium in Montreal. “You never know,” Alonso smiled on Thursday. “It […]
New contract could take another ‘month’ – Hamilton
Jun.16 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has hit back at boss Toto Wolff’s claims that signatures on a 2024 contract extension may be just “days” away. Mercedes chief Wolff had even hinted that the long-delayed deal could be signed and sealed prior to the Canadian GP on Sunday. “I don’t really have a huge amount to say […]
Vettel could race at Le Mans in 2024 – reports
Jun.15 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel appears ready to re-fire his motor racing engine. The quadruple world champion retired from Formula 1 at the end of last year, but he left the door more than open to a comeback. “It’s possible that in six months I’ll go crazy, not be able to stand it on the couch […]
F1 should ‘stabilise’ exponential growth – Steiner
Jun.15 (GMM) Gunther Steiner thinks Formula 1 can ease off the pedal in terms of continuing to aggressively grow the sport. On the one hand, he is a big supporter of Liberty Media’s push into a glitzier and more American-style spectacle including new races like Las Vegas this year. But on the other, the Haas […]
Three F1 bosses play down TV ratings slump
Jun.15 (GMM) Three Formula 1 bosses think Red Bull’s utter dominance can be stopped. Amid the sport’s generally soaring popularity, the TV ratings have taken a big hit recently as Max Verstappen cruises almost unchallenged to his third consecutive drivers’ title. “People need unpredictability,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told the American broadcaster CNBC this week. […]
Steiner hits back at F1 ‘bad guy’ image
Jun.15 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has hit back at the notion that he has become a “bad guy” of Formula 1. The Haas team boss admits his personal profile and popularity has soared since his often foul-mouthed, bad-tempered antics were shown in the Netflix series Drive to Survive. He has since published a book and it […]
Toyota cries foul after Ferrari’s Le Mans win
Jun.15 (GMM) Toyota is crying foul after Ferrari won the fabled 24 hour Le Mans race last weekend after a decades-long absence. El Mundo Deportivo newspaper reports that the Japanese manufacturer is upset about a late change that was made in the world endurance championship’s ‘balance of performance’ system. The change occurred just 10 days […]
Tost weighing up new two-year F1 offer
Jun.15 (GMM) Franz Tost may not be heading into full retirement from Formula 1 just yet. Red Bull-owned Alpha Tauri announced recently that the long-time team boss is stepping down at the end of the season to be replaced by Ferrari’s Laurent Mekies. “It’s time to go. I’m 67,” the Austrian said. “I think this […]