Mar.14 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel waded into yet another political storm by using a special ‘No War’-themed helmet in Bahrain testing last week. The livery was bordered by strips of tiny national flags of the countries of the globe – including one for Northern Cyprus. Actually, Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey, with the rest […]
Category: Recent stories
F1 should respond to inflation crisis – Horner
Mar.14 (GMM) A global inflation crisis that has been worsened by the Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected to have an impact on Formula 1. Red Bull boss Christian Horner thinks dramatically rising prices across the board will be “a real problem” for the sport under the rule of the $140 million budget cap. “We can already […]
Krack not first choice as Aston Martin boss
Mar.14 (GMM) Mike Krack wasn’t the only candidate to become the new team boss at Aston Martin for 2022. The Dutch publication Formule 1 claims that after losing Otmar Szafnauer to Alpine, Aston Martin put the feelers out to Graham Watson. New Zealander Watson is the team manager at Alpha Tauri – the second Red […]
Sainz-Ferrari contract talks ‘no secret’
Mar.14 (GMM) Only “details” stand between Carlos Sainz and a new Ferrari contract. Young suitor Mick Schumacher is hopeful his next move could be to the fabled Maranello team, but Mattia Binotto admits he is actually in talks to keep Spaniard Sainz on board next to Charles Leclerc. “It is no secret that we are […]
Steiner ‘sorry’ about ousting Mazepin
Mar.14 (GMM) Gunther Steiner admits he is “sorry” he had to oust Russian driver Nikita Mazepin from the Haas team. The Uralkali-backed 23-year-old, who is not ruling out legal action, has been replaced for 2022 by the immediately-impressive former team driver Kevin Magnussen. Team boss Steiner admits the last couple of weeks have been “exhausting […]
Alfa Romeo approves of last-minute weight increase
Mar.14 (GMM) Alfa Romeo has given a thumbs-up to yet another car weight increase just days ahead of the 2022 season. As pre-season testing kicked off, it was clear that most teams had struggled to produce cars meeting the new minimum car-plus-driver weight of 795kg. They lobbied for an eleventh-hour increase of 5kg, but ultimately […]
Marko ‘not impressed’ with new Mercedes
Mar.14 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko admits he isn’t too impressed with Mercedes’ radical ‘no sidepod’ upgrade for its 2022 car. “We were looking more at the performance than the sidepod and it wasn’t that impressive,” the Red Bull official told Osterreich newspaper. He was speaking as the final pre-season test in Bahrain wrapped up ahead […]
Russians scrambling for Bahrain F1 coverage
Mar.14 (GMM) Russian fans are scrambling for a way to watch this weekend’s highly anticipated 2022 season opener in Bahrain. Alongside the ousting of Nikita Mazepin and his sponsor Uralkali, Formula 1 scratched not just Sochi’s grand prix contract, but also the Russian broadcasting deal with Match TV and access to the streaming service F1TV. […]
Three drivers linked with Ricciardo’s seat
Mar.14 (GMM) Three drivers have emerged at the top of the list to potentially replace the unwell Daniel Ricciardo in Sunday’s 2022 season opener. The Australian missed the entirety of the final pre-season test in Bahrain, taking place just a week before the opening race of the year at the same circuit. Ricciardo, 32, ultimately […]
F1’s ‘politicised’ Russian TV axe slammed
Mar.11 (GMM) Russian fans of Formula 1 are today hearing the news that they are not welcome to watch either live or televised coverage of their favourite sport. According to well-known Match TV commentator Alexey Popov, Formula 1 has “unilaterally” torn up the contract with the Russian broadcaster as a private sector sanction due to […]
Verstappen again snubs ‘fake’ F1 Netflix series
Mar.11 (GMM) Fans of world champion Max Verstappen will be disappointed to discover he plays no active role in the latest edition of the official Formula 1 series on Netflix. With the 2021 championship edition of Drive To Survive set to launch, the Dutchman’s absence from the series – despite his leading role in the […]
Teams say ‘no’ to extra test day for Haas
Mar.11 (GMM) Amid the saga about Mercedes’ ‘no-sidepods’ 2022 car innovation, teams were also squabbling over a request by the small American team Haas. Mired in the Ukraine conflict-triggered exit of race driver Nikita Mazepin and title sponsor Uralkali, Haas then got its Bahrain test started a half day late on Thursday following a cargo […]
New Magnussen contract is for ‘several years’
Mar.11 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen admits it is pure luck and good will that means he’ll be returning to the Formula 1 grid next weekend. The Dane lost his Haas seat at the end of 2019, when the small American team decided to pair rookie Mick Schumacher with well-funded Russian driver Nikita Mazepin. Mazepin had even […]
Nervous Spa waits for new multi-year F1 contract
Mar.11 (GMM) With Imola securing a new Formula 1 race deal through 2025, Belgium’s fabled Spa-Francorchamps is hoping for a similar breakthrough. 2022 is the popular circuit’s last year in the current contract, but key organiser Vanessa Maes – in Bahrain for a promoter’s meeting with F1 authorities – is hopeful of an extension. “It’s […]
Red Bull hits reverse on ‘illegal’ car claims
Mar.11 (GMM) Red Bull has hit reverse gear after boss Christian Horner suggested Mercedes’ no-sidepod innovation revealed in Bahrain on Thursday is illegal. Even F1 managing director Ross Brawn admits that the radical concept, also complete with controversial wing-like crash structure mounts for the side mirrors, came out of left field. “It’s a very extreme […]
No driver likes 2022 F1 cars – Alonso
Mar.10 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has blown the lid off Formula 1’s exciting new era by insisting that “none” of the drivers on the 2022 grid “like” the all-new cars. The sport’s authorities are excited about the close-competition and overtaking opportunities offered by the radical switch to ‘ground effect’ aerodynamics. But the weight limit has gone […]
Boss admits lightweight 2022 Alfa ‘extreme’
Mar.10 (GMM) Aspects of Alfa Romeo’s car design for 2022 are “extreme”, technical boss Jan Monchaux has admitted. The Sauber-run, Swiss based team was the only outfit initially resorting to radical camouflage measures to hide the details of its car for the all-new technical rules. Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko thinks the car is the […]
Furious Mazepin, sponsor, exploring legal action
Mar.10 (GMM) Former team driver Kevin Magnussen is returning to Formula 1 to replace the axed and furious Russian Nikita Mazepin, whose sponsor Uralkali is not ruling out legal action. Mazepin, who has just turned 23, told reporters on Wednesday that boss Gunther Steiner did not even give him any notice that the Ukraine crisis […]
Briatore set for Formula 1 return – report
Mar.9 (GMM) Recent tumours that Flavio Briatore could be returning to Formula 1 appear to have been accurate. It was claimed in January that the former Renault team boss might join his protege Fernando Alonso as a consultant to the works Alpine team. “A return for Briatore is very difficult, but in F1, these very […]
Mercedes set for ‘revolutionary’ 2022 car upgrade
Mar.9 (GMM) Mercedes could be preparing to unleash the most radical technical innovation seen so far on any of the ten all-new Formula 1 cars for 2022. After Barcelona, most insiders were stunned that such restrictive new aerodynamic rules resulted in such visibly and obviously different solutions. But Alpine’s Fernando Alonso thinks those differences will […]