Apr.11 (GMM) Red Bull is leaving the door open to a driver change for 2023. World champion Max Verstappen is firmly under contract for the future, although Dr Helmut Marko recently admitted that an exit clause could be triggered by the Dutchman “if we experience a ‘crash’ like in 2014”. The real question mark is […]
Category: Recent stories
Villeneuve slams Aston Martin’s disastrous 2022
Apr.11 (GMM) Aston Martin’s 2022 season so far has been disastrous in almost every way imaginable. From Sebastian Vettel’s covid to the new Aston Martin safety car being called a “turtle” by world champion Max Verstappen, team owner Lawrence Stroll is “finding out that Formula 1 takes more than just money”. That was the blunt […]
‘No reason to believe in title’ – Verstappen
Apr.11 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen on Sunday was sounding downbeat about his chances of defending his title in 2022. “At this rate I’d need 45 races to be champion,” he is quoted by Algemeen Dagblad newspaper. Indeed, although he won in Saudi Arabia, the Red Bull driver has actually suffered technical failures in two […]
Marko blames Alpine for DRS ‘disadvantage’
Apr.10 (GMM) Red Bull is openly questioning why the FIA banned one of the four DRS zones in Melbourne. Formula 1’s governing body said the decision was made for “safety reasons”, with the porpoising phenomenon particularly noteworthy in the fast and winding stretch to the high-speed turns 9 and 10. “I don’t really understand why […]
F1 drivers clash with new race directors
Apr.10 (GMM) After a smooth start, Formula 1’s new race directors are beginning to collide with the stars of the sport. After Michael Masi’s controversial ousting, some believe new co-directors Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas are trying to stamp their authority on the drivers. In Australia, Sebastian Vettel was fined EUR 5000 for riding a […]
Wolff denies struggling Hamilton will quit F1
Apr.10 (GMM) Toto Wolff has denied that Mercedes’ poor performance so far in 2022 could push Lewis Hamilton into retirement. The seven time world champion admitted in Melbourne that driving his new silver machine is “not fun”. Worse still, the German team is “not making any progress” in catching up with runaway top teams Ferrari […]
Audi ‘would fit in well’ at Alfa Romeo
Apr.9 (GMM) Red Bull is making no secret of its desire to link up with Porsche in Formula 1. On Thursday, Volkswagen’s supervisory board finally approved F1 forays for both the Audi and Porsche brands to coincide with new engine regulations in 2026. The news is contingent not only on the FIA’s ratification of those […]
New money row brewing in F1 paddock
Apr.9 (GMM) A new financial row is brewing in the Formula 1 paddock. As previously reported, some teams are calling for an adjustment to the $140 million budget cap as raging inflation hurts the team’s limited funds. “At the moment there are still three teams against it,” revealed Alpha Tauri’s team boss Franz Tost. “We […]
Red Bull the new ‘benchmark’ in F1 – Wolff
Apr.9 (GMM) Toto Wolff thinks Red Bull and Max Verstappen are “the benchmark” in Formula 1 now. Ferrari has gotten its new era with the revolutionary 2022 rules off to a flying start, but after fighting so hard for the 2021 title, Mercedes’ Wolff thinks Red Bull is in the best situation with its new […]
‘No pressure’ despite Alonso-Piastri dilemma
Apr.9 (GMM) Alpine is under “no pressure” to put reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri in a race seat for 2023. In Melbourne, 40-year-old Fernando Alonso announced that he would like to keep racing next year beyond the end of his current contract. “Two or three more years,” said the Spaniard. “If it’s with Alpine, […]
F1 drivers worried about losing iconic races
Apr.9 (GMM) Formula 1 drivers are worried that the sport’s expansion into new and lucrative markets will result in some of the most historic venues falling off the calendar. F1 will travel to an unprecedented 23 circuits this year including Miami, with another exciting US race scheduled to race down Las Vegas’ fabled ‘strip’ from […]
Norris denies making ‘wrong’ contract decision
Apr.8 (GMM) Lando Norris has hit back at claims that extending his McLaren contract for so long may have been a grave mistake. 2009 world champion Jenson Button raised the alarm about Norris’ lucrative new deal that will see him at the British team until the end of 2025. McLaren has kicked off the all-new […]
Ferrari must bring back ‘team orders’ – Irvine
Apr.8 (GMM) Former ‘number 2’ Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine thinks the Maranello team needs to revive a clear policy of team orders in 2022. That is because Ferrari has emerged for the brand new regulations with a clearly title-contending car, with Charles Leclerc looking more likely than Carlos Sainz to go head-to-head with Max Verstappen […]
No spare chassis for Haas in Melbourne
Apr.8 (GMM) Mick Schumacher is reporting “no after-effects” of his recent high-speed qualifying crash in Saudi Arabia. The German was briefly hospitalised in nearby Jeddah and missed Sunday’s grand prix, but it wasn’t because of his health – it was because of a lack of spare parts. And now, 23-year-old Schumacher is being asked to […]
F1 should brace for more freight chaos
Apr.8 (GMM) Freight chaos could become commonplace in Formula 1 this year, according to Gunther Steiner. The Steiner-led Haas team missed the start of the final pre-season test in Bahrain due to a freight delay, while DHL had to intervene to get all of the Melbourne-bound F1 equipment that was delayed at sea to Australia […]
Volkswagen to F1 in 2026 ‘confirmed’
Apr.8 (GMM) Volkswagen has officially “confirmed” its intention to see the Audi and Porsche brands on the Formula 1 grid in 2026. We have reported for weeks and months that McLaren could tie up with Audi, while the similarly VW-owned Porsche is eyeing a works deal with Red Bull. The issue came to a head […]
VW to approve F1 deals for McLaren, Red Bull
Apr.7 (GMM) Formula 1 is now tantalisingly close to officially welcoming Volkswagen – the world’s second largest carmaker – to the grid for 2026. While F1 congregates in Melbourne, the German giant’s supervisory board is meeting back in Europe on Thursday where it is expected that Audi and Porsche will get the green light for […]
Canal Plus agrees to pay more for F1 deal
Apr.7 (GMM) Formula 1 has improved the terms of its broadcasting deal with French television channel Canal Plus. Canal Plus’ CEO Maxime Saada told L’Equipe sports newspaper that the broadcaster has extended its deal with F1 until 2029. “We have signed an exclusive broadcasting agreement until 2029 for France and Africa and we thus become […]
F1’s close call with Melbourne sea freight delay
Apr.7 (GMM) Formula 1 team’s crucial sea freight almost didn’t arrive on time for the Australian GP this weekend. Austria’s Osterreich reports that although the teams put the Melbourne-bound equipment to sea some weeks ago, a combination of covid, Russia-Ukraine and Brexit issues forced a delay. Formula 1’s transport partner DHL leapt to the rescue, […]
Red Bull set to race much lighter car
Apr.7 (GMM) Red Bull’s already-competitive 2022 car has been on a serious weight-loss diet, according to Dutch insider and racing driver Tom Coronel. Coronel, who is close to the Verstappen family, says he has heard from “a very reliable source” that Red Bull has been working hard to slim the car down and get it […]