Mar.24 (GMM) While one driver is eyeing a move to Formula 1’s top seat, his teammate is facing the exit door. “That was a fantastic performance,” Dr Helmut Marko, the notoriously stormy and influential F1 consultant at Red Bull, told Servus TV in Melbourne. “He was there the whole time and he didn’t make any […]
Month: March 2024
Verstappen would ‘destroy’ car in Sargeant’s situation
Mar.24 (GMM) Williams is still taking fire for its lack of preparation for the 2024 season. Alex Albon crashed heavily in Melbourne practice, badly damaging the chassis. He was then shuffled into the sidelined teammate Logan Sargeant’s car for the remainder of the weekend – enraging his fans and puzzling Formula 1 experts. “I would […]
Pirelli choosing tyres for ‘better show’ in 2024
Mar.24 (GMM) Pirelli is trying to spice up Formula 1’s on-track action in 2024. At round three of the new world championship, it is already clear that Max Verstappen and Red Bull will almost certainly remain dominant for yet another season. But the good news is that Pirelli, the sport’s sole tyre supplier that works […]
Hamilton ‘done’ with struggles at Mercedes – Doornbos
Mar.24 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is “done” with his Mercedes, according to former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos. After full two years of struggling in the new ground-effect regulations era, the seven time world champion is not only still grappling with his Mercedes – he has been out-qualified by teammate George Russell 0-3 so far in […]
Wolff happy to ‘wait’ for Verstappen amid Red Bull chaos
Mar.23 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he will keep “waiting” for Max Verstappen, as the Red Bull power struggle and Christian Horner affair keeps bubbling in the background. Verstappen, under contract to Red Bull through 2028, said in Melbourne that it was “nice to hear” Mercedes boss Wolff admit that he would “love” to accommodate the […]
FIA president vows to fight on after F1 ‘attacks’
Mar.23 (GMM) FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem claims both he and F1’s governing body are being attacked by people trying to “destabilise me”. It has been clear for some time that, under Sulayem’s reign, a power struggle has emerged between the FIA, F1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media, and many of the current teams. A […]
Bahrain buys McLaren, Brown stays as boss
Mar.23 (GMM) Zak Brown will continue to lead the McLaren team as it is 100 percent acquired by Bahrain’s state wealth fund Muntalakat. In a statement, the McLaren Group – taking in not only the famous Woking based Formula 1 team but its road car and other businesses – confirmed that Bahrain now has “full […]
Vettel not ruling out racing at Le Mans in 2024
Mar.23 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel may have launched his return to competitive motorsport. Porsche has announced that its works Penske team will give the quadruple world champion, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2022, a full endurance test in its Porsche 963 Le Mans hypercar at the Aragon circuit next week. “Vettel has […]
Leclerc ‘extremely strong’ in Melbourne – Marko
Mar.23 (GMM) Max Verstappen may have a fight on his hands to win a third consecutive grand prix in 2024 this weekend, admitting after practice that “Ferrari is certainly fast”. “But we can fine-tune a few things,” the triple world champion said in Melbourne. “I don’t see a reason to worry yet,” Red Bull’s Dutch […]
New car delays caused Sargeant ‘sacrifice’ – boss
Mar.23 (GMM) Williams has made the brutal decision to sideline Logan Sargeant in Melbourne. Alex Albon, who is clearly the James Vowles-led team’s preferred driver, crashed heavily on Friday, damaging the so-called ‘tub’. And Williams, who even almost failed to take a single chassis to pre-season testing just a month ago following production delays, has […]
Both Ricciardo and Tsunoda ‘too slow’ – Marko
Mar.23 (GMM) Red Bull’s notorious sword of Damocles is now hanging over the heads of a trio of Formula 1 drivers – Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda’s heads. Ricciardo and Tsunoda, teammates at Red Bull’s feeder F1 team RB this year, appeared to be in a head-to-head this year to potentially replace Perez […]
F1 could have two rookies on 2025 grid
Mar.22 (GMM) Despite the total and highly-criticised absence of a single full-time rookie on the 2024 grid, Formula 1 could have two brand new drivers up and racing next year. One might be Kimi Antonelli, who many believe is his mentor Toto Wolff’s second choice after Max Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next […]
Verstappen denies worrying about Red Bull’s 2026 engine
Mar.22 (GMM) Max Verstappen has denied speculation that rumours about his Red Bull exit could be more about the all-new 2026 engine rules than the Christian Horner saga. The F1 contracts of top stars like Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are all believed to contain certain ‘exit clauses’ – like the rumoured ‘Marko clause’ […]
Melbourne set to be opening F1 race in 2025
Mar.22 (GMM) The buzz in the Melbourne paddock is that Albert Park will return to its former post as the opening Formula 1 race of the season from 2025. More recently, Bahrain – also the scene of pre-season testing – had become the more familiar opener each season. This year, the Bahrain GP was paired […]
Boss denies Pirelli will leave F1 after 2027
Mar.22 (GMM) Mario Isola, Pirelli’s F1 boss, has hit back at circulating paddock rumours suggesting the Italian company will exit Formula 1 at the end of 2027. Last year, following a challenge by Bridgestone, Pirelli secured yet another contract with Formula 1 to remain the sport’s sole tyre supplier. But it’s now being rumoured that […]
Red Bull crisis ‘handled the right way’ – Verstappen
Mar.22 (GMM) The public heat of the Red Bull unrest and obvious power struggle has cooled in Melbourne – but wild rumours continue to rumble in the background. It was expected that, with his recent rally outings now complete, Max Verstappen’s explosive father Jos would be back in the F1 paddock this weekend in Melbourne. […]
Alonso to remain ‘master of destiny’ for next F1 move
Mar.22 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he will not give up on being the “master of my own destiny” in his life – and in Formula 1. The two-time world champion is easily the oldest driver on the grid, and currently linked with bombshell moves for 2025 to Mercedes or even Red Bull – whilst also […]
Marko rules out RB seat for Ferrari’s Bearman
Mar.21 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has ruled out offering impressive rookie Oliver Bearman a seat at Red Bull’s junior Formula 1 team RB. Bearman impressed at the wheel of the ill Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari in Saudi Arabia recently, prompting Marko – the 80-year-old top F1 consultant at Red Bull – to urge Ferrari to promote […]
Horner wants to be energy drink CEO – report
Mar.21 (GMM) Christian Horner has set his sights on becoming the CEO of the energy drink company CEO. As Horner’s personal scandal and obvious power struggle at Red Bull Racing speeds ahead, it has become increasingly clear that there’s more at stake than just F1. Bild, the biggest German newspaper, explains that Horner has become […]
Alpine crisis could be Schumacher’s last F1 chance
Mar.21 (GMM) The current slump at Alpine could be Mick Schumacher’s best and last chance to return to Formula 1. The contracts of the struggling team’s highly respected French duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly expire at the end of the year – and both are being linked with the exit door. Enstone and Viry-based […]