Feb.22 (GMM) Franz Tost is expecting a mixed first season of Formula 1 for Alpha Tauri’s 2021 rookie Yuki Tsunoda. The 20-year-old Japanese arrives in F1 with Honda’s support, and he has adjusted to life at the pinnacle of motorsport with recent private winter testing in a 2018 car at Imola and Misano. It is […]
Category: Recent stories
No F1 spectators ‘until summer’ – Domenicali
Feb.22 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali doubts spectators will be allowed to watch Formula 1 races at the circuits “until the summer”. The 2020 season was badly affected by the pandemic, but the sport’s new CEO Domenicali is currently aiming for all 23 currently-scheduled grands prix to go ahead. According to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, the vaccines […]
No ‘green Mercedes’ saga in 2021 – Domenicali
Feb.22 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali doesn’t think the ‘pink Mercedes’ controversy will reignite in 2021. In light of the tweaked aerodynamic rules for the new season, Toto Wolff is warning that it cannot be ruled out that “Red Bull or Aston Martin” will leap to the front of the field. Last year, Racing Point was at […]
Honda fast-tracked 2022 engine for new season
Feb.22 (GMM) Honda has prepared a more reliable and powerful engine in order to “leave Formula 1 with a bang” at the end of 2021. That is the news from technical boss Toyoharu Tanabe, although he admits to being happy that Red Bull will continue to use Honda-based engines after the Japanese manufacturer quits officially […]
Ocon, Russell in the running for 2022 – Wolff
Feb.22 (GMM) Toto Wolff has named two drivers who may be in the running to succeed either Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas in 2022. At the same time, the Mercedes team boss played down the fact that seven time world champion Hamilton has only signed a less-than-one-year contract extension for this season. “The reason was […]
Red Bull, Aston Martin could lead in 2021 – Wolff
Feb.22 (GMM) Toto Wolff is warning that Mercedes may be overtaken in 2021. His counterpart at Red Bull, however – Christian Horner – warns that the reigning champions remain the clear favourites to keep dominating this year. “They had an incredible car last year and the main features of it will be at the start […]
Tost doubts Mazepin will succeed in F1
Feb.19 (GMM) Franz Tost doubts controversial Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin can succeed in Formula 1. Currently, the 21-year-old Russian is the subject of a vicious social media campaign after he was recently depicted on video in an alleged incidence of groping. However, Mazepin has also made other headlines for the wrong reasons in the past, […]
F1 drivers shouldn’t make ‘millions’ – Tost
Feb.19 (GMM) Formula 1 drivers should not make “millions”, according to Alpha Tauri boss Franz Tost. Last year, the sport’s top earner Lewis Hamilton infamously declared “Who is Franz Tost?” when the Austrian publicly backed moves to install a driver salary cap. “It was a legitimate question,” Tost says now when asked about the incident […]
Williams, not Haas, to turn pink in 2021
Feb.19 (GMM) It is Williams, not Haas, that has leapt into pole position to turn pink in 2021. Kolner Express newspaper claimed this week that with Aston Martin switching to a green livery for this season, the pink-coloured Austrian water treatment company BWT had turned its attention towards a move to Haas. But the German […]
Monaco to start work on F1 street circuit
Feb.19 (GMM) Monaco is poised to begin work to prepare the fabled street circuit for May’s Formula 1 race. With the 2020 edition cancelled, and amid new concerns about the viability of F1’s street venues in the ongoing pandemic, the Automobile Club de Monaco last month insisted that the 2021 Monaco GP is definitely going […]
Alpha Tauri turned down 2020 Red Bull rear
Feb.19 (GMM) Alpha Tauri turned down the opportunity to update its car for 2021 with last year’s rear-end and gearbox of sister team Red Bull. Amid the pandemic, and apart from an aerodynamic rule change, chassis design has been essentially paused between 2020 and 2021 apart from a complex ‘token’ system. However, as a technical […]
Hulkenberg wants to ‘stay in F1 orbit’ in 2021
Feb.19 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has all but confirmed that he will serve as Aston Martin’s official reserve driver in 2021. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer, having used the out-of-work Hulkenberg at short notice last year when Racing Point’s regulars Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll were ill, revealed last week that he is back in talks with […]
Ricciardo struggled to fit in 2021 McLaren
Feb.18 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has revealed how he initially struggled to fit inside his new McLaren cockpit. “It’s pretty normal,” the former Red Bull and Renault driver, who has moved to McLaren for 2021 to replace Carlos Sainz, recalled of his recent seat fit. “I do have wide hips. It was the first mock-up of […]
RTL not commenting on F1 return reports
Feb.18 (GMM) RTL, F1’s well-known German broadcaster of the last three decades, could be returning to the paddock in 2021 after all. With the pay network Sky Deutschland stepping up with a dedicated F1 channel, RTL had announced last year that staying in Formula 1 was no longer “economically justifiable”. But multiple German sources, including […]
Perez set for early Red Bull test
Feb.18 (GMM) Sergio Perez looks set to get an early taste of life at the wheel of a Red Bull cockpit. Reports suggest that the Mexican, arriving in 2021 to replace Alex Albon who struggled alongside Max Verstappen, will get a one or two-day hit-out – probably in the 2018-spec, Honda-powered Toro Rosso at Silverstone. […]
Ricciardo not McLaren ‘number 1’ – Seidl
Feb.18 (GMM) Neither Daniel Ricciardo nor Lando Norris will be McLaren’s “number 1” driver, team boss Andreas Seidl insists. Ricciardo, a decade older than team incumbent Norris and with seven grand prix wins under his belt, is arriving to replace Carlos Sainz for 2021. But Norris, 21, said at the launch of McLaren’s new car […]
Gasly can return to Red Bull – Tost
Feb.18 (GMM) Pierre Gasly still has a chance to return to a front-of-the-grid team, according to his current boss Franz Tost. After struggling alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull in the first half of 2019, Frenchman Gasly, 25, returned to Alpha Tauri where last year he broke through to win the Italian GP. Tost said […]
Vettel confirms Ferrari car sale reports
Feb.18 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel’s spokeswoman has confirmed reports that the quadruple world champion is offloading several of his privately-owned Ferrari road cars. The reports indicate that, alongside Vettel’s BMW Z8 and two Mercedes, a dealer is claiming that a Ferrari Enzo, a La Ferrari, a F50, a F12 and a Ferrari 458 are all up […]
Haas could turn pink for 2021
Feb.18 (GMM) Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin could be wearing pink for their Formula 1 debuts in 2021. As Russian rookie Mazepin visited Haas’ factory on Wednesday for his seat fitting, rumours swirled that – with Aston Martin turning green for 2021 – the pink-coloured Austrian sponsor BWT could switch camps. Kolner Express newspaper cited […]
McLaren aerodynamic change ‘striking’ – pundit
Feb.17 (GMM) The aerodynamic changes to Formula 1 cars for 2021 are “striking”. That is the view of Ossi Oikarinen, a pundit for Finnish broadcaster MTV Sport. He was speaking after seeing McLaren’s newly-launched car for 2021, which is nearly identical to last year’s version – apart from the mandatory changes to the floor. “The […]