Jun.30 (GMM) A return to form could be a long way off for the struggling Aston Martin team, lead driver Fernando Alonso has admitted. Last year, the rapidly developing and investing team stunned with Alonso’s early sequence of podiums – but around P15 has been the Spaniard’s level this weekend in Austria. “It’s going to […]
Month: June 2024
Ferrari ‘careful’ before announcing Newey deal – Elkann
Jun.30 (GMM) Ferrari is being “careful” before definitively deciding or announcing that Adrian Newey will join the Maranello based team. That was the coy message given by Ferrari chairman John Elkann in a new interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper, amid rumours departing Red Bull technical guru Newey might actually end up at Aston Martin. […]
Latest upgrade ‘hammering’ Ferrari with porpoising
Jun.30 (GMM) Mid-season in 2024, Ferrari is being ‘hammered’ by the recurrence of a nasty aerodynamic phenomenon – porpoising. Most teams, including the Maranello-based outfit, had largely solved the issue that suddenly emerged with the debut of new ground effect rules in 2022. But Ferrari’s latest major upgrade means the issue is back again. “The […]
Wolff comes clean about Hamilton, Marko and Jos
Jun.30 (GMM) Toto Wolff has opened up about three of his most fascinating relationships in Formula 1 – with Lewis Hamilton, with his fellow Austrian and key rival Dr Helmut Marko, and with Max Verstappen’s father Jos. Relations between the Mercedes boss and Hamilton have been clearly strained in 2024, amid wild sabotage theories following […]
Haas admits Magnussen could be replaced for 2025
Jun.30 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says his team boss at Haas is being very open about the fact that talks with alternative drivers for 2026 are currently taking place. Rookie Oliver Bearman appears definitely set to make his Formula 1 debut with the small American team next year, but Haas may also replace Magnussen – with […]
Marko admits key clauses in Verstappen’s contract
Jun.30 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted for the first time that Max Verstappen’s place at Red Bull is directly connected with his own role at the F1 team. After a recent period of relative calm following the power struggle and conflict earlier in 2024, Max’s father Jos and Christian Horner are clashing once again […]
Aston Martin to modify F1 car for 2026 tyre testing
Jun.29 (GMM) Aston Martin has won in a “lottery process” to become the first Formula 1 team to test Pirelli’s new and slightly smaller tyres for the 2026 rules. It was originally proposed that F1 should find some extra weight savings by reverting to 16-inch tyres for the all-new engine and chassis rules, but in […]
‘Too late’ for change as Audi revs up 2026 F1 engine
Jun.29 (GMM) Audi has revealed its all-new power unit for the revolutionary 2026 Formula 1 regulations has already done several race distances on the test bench. The 2026 rules are currently a contentious topic in the paddock, with Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s proposal to turn down the ambitious electric power component now definitively rejected […]
Return of French GP ‘makes sense’ – Domenicali
Jun.29 (GMM) It would “make sense” if Formula 1 could return to France, the sport’s CEO Stefano Domenicali admits. Despite its deep motor racing history, and being the origin of the term ‘grand prix’ and the home of the FIA, the country fell off the race calendar amid financial problems for the Paul Ricard race […]
Marko says Toto Wolff guilty of ‘wishful thinking’
Jun.29 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has accused fellow Austrian Toto Wolff of “wishful thinking”, as the Mercedes boss clings to the idea that Max Verstappen might make a shock team switch for 2025. Osterreich newspaper on Friday asked Wolff if he had heard that Verstappen had now definitively pledged his immediate future to Red Bull. […]
Mick’s mother Corinna appears at Austrian GP
Jun.29 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s mother is making a rare visit to the Austrian GP this weekend. As outlined by the local newspaper Kleine Zeitung, Corinna Schumacher – wife of stricken F1 legend Michael Schumacher – “normally isolates herself from the public”. But Mrs Schumacher walked into the Red Bull Ring on both Thursday and Friday […]
Ferrari cannot win F1 races for now – Marc Gene
Jun.29 (GMM) Ferrari test driver and ambassador Marc Gene admits the Italian team is currently not in the running to win grands prix. Charles Leclerc won in Monaco from pole, but the latest car upgrades appeared to then struggle on the subsequent circuits in Canada, Barcelona and now Austria. Leclerc could not even complete his […]
Marko tells Horner, Jos, to end ‘personal’ feud
Jun.29 (GMM) The bubbling feud between Max Verstappen’s father and team boss burst back into life ahead of Red Bull’s home race in Austria. Jos Verstappen, a former Formula 1 driver still closely aligned with the management of his son’s career, accused team boss Christian Horner of sabotaging his participation in a ‘legend’s parade’ at […]
Russell doubts Red Bull really slower than McLaren
Jun.28 (GMM) George Russell has cast doubt on just how much dominance Red Bull has lost over the last several races. Despite a performance dip following Charles Leclerc’s Monaco victory, Ferrari is expecting a much better Austrian GP, while Mercedes is keen to confirm its latest upgrade and setup breakthroughs. “We don’t want to get […]
No decision yet on Ricciardo vs Lawson for 2025 – CEO
Jun.28 (GMM) Peter Bayer, CEO of Red Bull’s second Formula 1 team RB, says no decision has been taken about whether Daniel Ricciardo is staying on board for 2025. The team has already confirmed Yuki Tsunoda, producing a dilemma – giving Liam Lawson his full-time F1 debut next year, or potentially losing him to a […]
Renault engine axe whispers ‘just rumours’ – Gasly
Jun.28 (GMM) Pierre Gasly has suddenly moved to quell raging speculation that Renault could scrap its entire power unit project for 2026. Boss Bruno Famin instantly called the reports “rumours”, but new executive advisor Flavio Briatore then made noises suggesting every option was being considered to bring the team back to the top of Formula […]
Nervous drivers waiting for Sainz’s delayed decision
Jun.28 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has announced that he is in fact not ready to make a decision about his post-Ferrari career in Formula 1. Authoritative reports from Barcelona last weekend suggested the Spaniard was poised to imminently decide between Williams, Audi-owned Sauber, and the late contender for his signature – Alpine. Mercedes is no longer […]
Verstappen moves to end ‘silver switch’ speculation
Jun.28 (GMM) Max Verstappen has moved to put a final stop to lingering speculation that he may leave Red Bull at the end of the year. Backed by Toto Wolff, who is willing to leave a seat open for the triple world champion until as late as November, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius said in Barcelona […]
F1 drivers worried about losing seats for 2025
Jun.28 (GMM) The Formula 1 driver ‘silly season’ revved into a higher gear as the sport’s players congregated in Austria ahead of this weekend’s grand prix. Aston Martin confirmed that Lance Stroll has been re-signed by his father’s team, while Alpine – also as expected – revealed its new contract with Pierre Gasly. “We now […]
McLaren finds solution to burned-out ‘motorhome’
Jun.27 (GMM) McLaren has found a temporary solution to get the team through this weekend’s Austrian GP. Earlier, Dr Helmut Marko revealed that the Woking based team reached out to Red Bull hoping the energy drink company had a spare motorhome that McLaren could use at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. “They asked us,” […]