Oct.20 (GMM) Moves are afoot to revive the defunct German GP. Public interest in F1 in the country has collapsed in recent seasons, with Nico Hulkenberg now the only active driver and neither Hockenheim nor the Nurburgring on the calendar. “I don’t think we’ll see a grand prix in Germany for a long time,” retired […]
Month: October 2023
Verstappen slams ‘BS’ Red Bull rumblings
Oct.20 (GMM) Max Verstappen has slammed rumours of a political power struggle at the otherwise dominant Red Bull team as “BS”. Team boss Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko have also played down the speculation suggesting they are clashing over how much influence they each wield over the energy drink company’s Formula 1 projects. “I […]
Perez ‘laughs’ at F1 retirement rumours
Oct.20 (GMM) Sergio Perez is hopeful that better preparation for this weekend’s US GP should help him recover from a slump in form. The performance slump has revved-up speculation about the Mexican’s future at Red Bull – including rumours he might announce his retirement from Formula 1 at his home race in Mexico next weekend. […]
Alpine says Schumacher can succeed at Le Mans
Oct.20 (GMM) Alpine boss Bruno Famin thinks Mick Schumacher would succeed if he makes the switch from Formula 1 to Le Mans-style racing. The Haas refugee and current Mercedes reserve tested the Renault-owned concern’s new world endurance championship prototype car at Jerez this week. “It went well,” Famin told Sport1. “But it wasn’t about pure […]
Alonso denies Aston Martin developments failing
Oct.20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has hit back at suggestions that Aston Martin’s efforts to aggressively develop its 2023 car have proved a failure. The Spaniard started the year with a string of podiums, with the team admitting that it has made some “mistakes” with subsequent upgrades. Aston Martin has more upgrades in Austin, while other […]
Drivers furious at ‘obscene’ EUR 1m penalty limit
Oct.20 (GMM) Formula 1 drivers have reacted with astonishment to the news that they stand to be fined as much as EUR 1,000,000 by the governing FIA. Previously, the upper limit for financial penalties for infractions was just EUR 250,000. “Then maybe we can also sponsor the bottles of wine (on the podium),” joked world […]
F1, not FIA, will make Andretti call – Domenicali
Oct.20 (GMM) Formula 1 rights holder Liberty Media will make the final call about whether Andretti-Cadillac will be permitted onto the grid. That is the insistence of the sport’s CEO Stefano Domenicali, amid a power struggle with the governing FIA amid president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s desire for an eleventh team as soon as 2025. Ben […]
Raikkonen moves to Italy for son’s racing career
Oct.19 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen appears to be getting very serious about the karting career of his eight-year-old son. Earlier this year, the retired 2007 world champion set up a dedicated social media page for Robin Ace Matias Raikkonen, who runs the number 91 kart for the factory CRG karting concern. Italian-based CRG is well known […]
Father, team owner defends under-fire F1 son Lance Stroll
Oct.19 (GMM) Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll has leapt to the defence of his struggling and embattled son. Team driver Lance Stroll was warned by the FIA after being instructed to apologise in writing for violently shoving his trainer in Qatar – following his fourth consecutive failure to even get out of Q1. According […]
Horner denies trying to oust Marko
Oct.19 (GMM) Christian Horner has denied that he is trying to oust the controversial Dr Helmut Marko from Red Bull’s Formula 1 activities. Amid the premier team’s utter dominance at present, rumours of a power struggle broke out this week – with Horner reportedly making moves to improve his influence at the parent company in […]
Red Bull Ring calm over FIA president warning
Oct.19 (GMM) Organisers of the Austrian GP seem calm about FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s warning that the race at the Red Bull Ring could be axed. The ‘track limits’ situation and festival of often-delayed rulings about deleted laps was nothing short of farcical at this year’s Austrian GP, but Ben Sulayem lost his cool […]
Vasseur hints at keeping ‘excellent’ driver lineup
Oct.18 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur sounds determined to keep Ferrari’s “excellent” driver lineup intact beyond the expiry of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s 2024 contracts. The Maranello-based marque’s former president Luca di Montezemolo declared this week that “the last problem for Ferrari today is the drivers – it is the car”. New team boss Vasseur appears […]
Verstappen singles out Alonso for special praise
Oct.18 (GMM) Max Verstappen has singled out F1’s elder statesman as the active driver he admires the most. The new triple world champion, who is some 16 years younger than Fernando Alonso, says it’s the 42-year-old Spaniard who he relates to the most among his current rivals. “It’s strange, because we belong to very different […]
Perez rejects Mexico GP retirement rumours
Oct.18 (GMM) Sergio Perez has dismissed rumours that he might announce his retirement from Formula 1 at his home grand prix in Mexico next week. “Rumours are rumours,” former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde said on the DRS De Race Show podcast on Tuesday. Amid his form slump, and despite his 2024 contract to […]
Marko says ‘Mr Horner’ has no power to oust him
Oct.18 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has rejected rumours of a power struggle behind closed doors at Red Bull – as he insists Christian Horner has no ability to oust him. Amid the team’s utter dominance in Formula 1 at present, speculation kicked off this week that Horner – Red Bull Racing’s team boss – is […]
F1 rejected Alpine’s bid for engine power boost
Oct.18 (GMM) Formula 1 has blocked Alpine’s push for special permission under ‘engine freeze’ homologation rules to be allowed to improve its Renault power unit. Back in July, the Enstone and Viry-based outfit made the case that because it was 30 horsepower inferior to its F1 rivals, it should be allowed to ramp up the […]
FIA says Renault cannot stop Andretti’s F1 debut
Oct.17 (GMM) Mohammed Ben Sulayem says Renault or any other engine supplier will not be able to stop Andretti-Cadillac from entering F1. The FIA president is currently in a power struggle with Formula 1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media and the ten existing teams, who are opposed to Andretti being welcomed to the grid as […]
Massa extends ‘crashgate’ deadline yet again
Oct.17 (GMM) Felipe Massa’s deadline for Formula 1 and the FIA to respond to his threat of legal action has been extended once again. Recently, former F1 personality Eddie Jordan urged Brazilian Massa, now 42, to stop his crusade to be crowned the retrospective world champion of 2008 over the ‘crashgate’ scandal. “If it was […]
Sargeant says lack of testing hurt him in F1
Oct.17 (GMM) Logan Sargeant agrees with his boss that he would have performed better in his debut Formula 1 season if he had enjoyed more preparation time. The 22-year-old American’s current seat is the last one yet to be officially filled for the 2024 season, but Williams boss James Vowles takes some of the blame […]
Verstappen wants call from Ferrari chairman
Oct.17 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he wants Ferrari chairman John Elkann to give him a call. However, the call would not be about a potential deal to see the triple world champion make the sensational move from Red Bull to Ferrari. Rather, Dutchman Verstappen, 26, has his eye on one of the most historic and […]