Jul.30 (GMM) Max Verstappen says the saga following his 51G crash at Silverstone has only reinforced his notion that “I’m on the right team”. The championship leader’s comments come as the FIA on Thursday rejected the arguments made by Red Bull about the penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton for the highly contentious British GP incident. […]
Category: Recent stories
Suzuka delays ticket sales, Spa to welcome F1 crowd
Jul.29 (GMM) Fears about the viability of October’s Japanese GP have proved to be well founded. On Monday, following weeks of speculation, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admitted: “I won’t hide that the situation in Japan is under observation.” He is referring, of course, to Formula 1’s ongoing covid-related calendar crisis, and the fact that Japan […]
Imola aims for three-year F1 race deal
Jul.29 (GMM) Imola is aiming for a multi-year deal to secure a permanent spot on the Formula 1 calendar. Last year and also in 2021, the former San Marino GP venue in Italy stepped in at short notice to fill calendar gaps in the covid-marred sport. And now, regional Emilia-Romagna president Stefano Bonaccini admits he […]
Honda engine survived 51G Verstappen crash
Jul.29 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s Honda engine appears to have survived the huge 51G crash that left him briefly hospitalised after contact with Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone. “Thank God the engine can be used again,” Red Bull top official Dr Helmut Marko revealed to RTL. The team has estimated the damage bill at between EUR 750,000 […]
Red Bull to present ‘new facts’ in Thursday protest
Jul.29 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is confident Red Bull will be able to put Max Verstappen’s Silverstone crash “in a different light” during an FIA hearing on Thursday. The championship leaders are challenging Lewis Hamilton’s in-race, 10-second penalty for the clash that still enabled him to win the British GP. Top official Dr Marko says […]
Experts expect 2021 title battle to intensify
Jul.29 (GMM) Formula 1 is relishing the intense head-to-head between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in 2021. Their rivalry for this year’s world championship came to a contentious crescendo at Silverstone, when Verstappen was briefly hospitalised after a 51G crash following high-speed contact with his Mercedes challenger. Nico Rosberg, who won a similarly-intense battle with […]
Red Bull to keep all four F1 drivers for 2022
Jul.29 (GMM) Red Bull is shaping up to retain the driver lineups of its two Formula 1 teams for 2022. At the junior outfit Alpha Tauri, Pierre Gasly is clearly the lead driver and looks set to be definitely staying in that seat beyond this season. “We talked in Austria over lunch and we discussed […]
‘Loyal’ Russell rules out Red Bull move
Jul.28 (GMM) George Russell has ruled out moving into the Red Bull camp for 2022. Although his promotion to Valtteri Bottas’ seat at the works Mercedes team recently seemed set in stone, it now appears that Lewis Hamilton may have succeeded in talking boss Toto Wolff out of changing the status quo. “It is clear […]
Hungary will not be Monaco repeat for Ferrari – Sainz
Jul.28 (GMM) Carlos Sainz doubts Ferrari can in Hungary this weekend repeat the sort of pole-setting and podium-getting form demonstrated by the Italian team in Monaco. In late May, Charles Leclerc emerged on top in qualifying on the streets of his home Principality, while teammate Sainz went on to finish just 9 seconds behind race […]
Verstappen set to testify in Red Bull protest
Jul.28 (GMM) F1’s governing body will on Thursday hear a protest lodged by Red Bull against the lenient penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton by stewards at Silverstone. Max Verstappen saw his championship lead slashed when he crashed at flat-out Copse corner on the opening lap of the recent British GP. “I’m a little bruised of […]
Saudi Arabia could host two races in 2021
Jul.27 (GMM) Saudi Arabia has put up its hand as a potential alternate Formula 1 venue in the covid-marred 2021 season. The first-ever Jeddah street race is already scheduled to take place in early December – just a fortnight after the re-scheduled and now cancelled Australian GP was due to happen. Qatar and Bahrain have […]
‘Event’ ban does not apply to Dutch GP – organisers
Jul.27 (GMM) Dutch GP organisers are continuing to fend off the doubters and push ahead with preparations for a full house of 105,000 spectators per day in early September. That is despite the fact that government authorities, concerned about rising covid numbers, have now reiterated the widespread ban on multi-day festivals until at least September […]
Formula E leader de Vries linked with Williams seat
Jul.27 (GMM) Nyck de Vries has emerged as a contender for the Williams race seat in 2022. It is rumoured that Mercedes-powered Williams could be on the lookout for a highly-respected driver to replace George Russell, who is linked with a promotion to the works Mercedes team. Also mentioned in connection with that seat are […]
Perez ‘hasn’t lived up’ to Red Bull role – van de Grint
Jul.27 (GMM) Sergio Perez “still hasn’t lived up” to his role in support of teammate Max Verstappen’s world championship campaign in 2021. While Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas has now openly stepped into a subservient role to Lewis Hamilton, one missing ingredient for Red Bull is a similar service by Mexican Perez. That is the view of […]
Verstappen ‘fully strong again’ for Hungary – Marko
Jul.27 (GMM) Max Verstappen is preparing for this weekend’s Hungarian GP with little more than a stiff neck, Red Bull top official Dr Helmut Marko has revealed. The team has been highly critical of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ behaviour surrounding the title contenders’ recent high-speed clash at Silverstone. “I feared it would take a little […]
Sprint race format could be permanent – F1 CEO
Jul.26 (GMM) Sprint races could be installed as a permanent replacement for traditional qualifying in Formula 1, CEO Stefano Domenicali has admitted. The format made its debut at Silverstone, with the second of three trial ‘sprint qualifying’ rounds in 2021 now confirmed for the Italian GP in September. “Do you know what the best thing […]
Ex-drivers doubt Bottas will lose Mercedes seat
Jul.26 (GMM) Two former F1 drivers have cast doubt on a widely-believed rumour suggesting Valtteri Bottas will definitely lose his Mercedes seat to George Russell for 2022. Prior to agreeing a new two-year deal for next year and 2023, seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton made it clear his preference is for Bottas to remain […]
F1 CEO not worried about Hamilton-Verstappen clash
Jul.26 (GMM) F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is not worried that the sport’s 2021 season could turn into a dangerous and controversial confrontation for the title. His comments come as F1 race director Michael Masi bans team bosses from appealing personally to the stewards during grands prix – just as Toto Wolff and Christian Horner did […]
Hamilton lacks Verstappen’s ‘charisma’ – Alonso
Jul.26 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s “charisma factor” makes him the most engaging driver in Formula 1. That is the view of two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who after also once starring as F1’s fiery young charger is now preparing to turn 40. The Spaniard says he will continue to race while his “body” allows it and “I […]
F1 to test and start 2022 season in Bahrain
Jul.26 (GMM) Winter testing will be extended from just one to two weeks ahead of the all-new rules for 2022. There were a mere 3 days of pre-season testing in 2021, but according to Auto Motor und Sport, two three-day tests – one in Barcelona and another in Bahrain – are provisionally scheduled for early […]