Oct.8 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen may not even be interested in a part-time role in the category once he hangs up his Formula 1 helmet. Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur is keen on retaining the 42-year-old in an advisory role to help guide the Sauber-run outfit’s “mid-term development”. But a new book by Finnish journalist Heikki […]
Category: Recent stories
Leclerc hopes Piastri secures 2022 F1 seat
Oct.8 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has thrown his weight behind reports F2 championship leader Oscar Piastri could be on his way to Formula 1 in 2022. Although F2 rival Guanyu Zhou’s reported $30 million in annual backing had made him the favourite, it is believed Alfa Romeo is reluctant to agree a multi-year agreement with the […]
Schumacher yet to respond to Mazepin invitation
Oct.8 (GMM) Mick Schumacher is yet to respond to controversial teammate Nikita Mazepin’s invitation to visit Moscow. Amid the tension of their intense rivalry as Haas teammates, Russian Mazepin revealed at Sochi that he invited German Schumacher to his home. “I think it’s a nice gesture and I know he has some big boy’s toys […]
Imola F1 deal awaits Domenicali signature
Oct.8 (GMM) Imola has moved another step closer to a permanent spot on the Formula 1 calendar, as reports emerge of a race contract for 2022-2025. Late last month, we reported that the Italian circuit – having re-emerged in F1 amid the covid crisis – could now nudge France’s Paul Ricard off the schedule next […]
Norris not ruling out Ferrari move
Oct.8 (GMM) Lando Norris is not ruling out a move to Ferrari some day. However, the impressive 21-year-old – who almost won the recent Russian GP from pole – says he is fully committed to McLaren for now. Last week, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko revealed that he has had “talks” with the British driver. […]
Ecclestone’s wife could be FIA vice-president
Oct.8 (GMM) The Ecclestone name could return to prominence in the governance structure of Formula 1. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Fabiana Ecclestone – the current wife of 90-year-old former F1 supremo Bernie – has thrown her hat into the ring as a potential FIA vice president in the December elections. The report suggests […]
Ferrari talks ‘didn’t last long’ – Hamilton
Oct.8 (GMM) Talks about potentially switching to Ferrari some years ago “didn’t last long”, according to Lewis Hamilton. This week, F1 CEO and former Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali confirmed reports that the Maranello team “discussed” snapping up Hamilton prior to his decision to move to Mercedes. “It was an option in the past, when I […]
Hamilton unsure about Istanbul engine penalty
Oct.8 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has played down the chances he will have to tumble down the Turkish GP grid as a result of an unscheduled engine change. After title rival Max Verstappen took a similar grid hit at Sochi, it is now reported that Mercedes may soon need to fit a fourth power unit to […]
Alonso alleges F1 bias over driver penalties
Oct.8 (GMM) Two-time champion Fernando Alonso has hit out at Formula 1 officials for alleged bias in their decisions to penalise certain drivers. The Alpine driver criticised the way journalists pressed him about his driving tactics in Russia, insisting he is only matching the style of some of his rivals. “I’ve been the idiot many […]
McLaren not happy with F1’s 23-race plans for 2022
Oct.7 (GMM) Andreas Seidl is not so sure Formula 1 will really publish a 23-race calendar for 2022. While the schedule is yet to be officially released, leaked draft versions lay out an unprecedented 23 grands prix within a timeframe of just 245 days. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali doesn’t deny that. “The season will start […]
New favourite emerges for last F1 seat in 2022
Oct.7 (GMM) The rise of the first Chinese driver to the Formula 1 grid in 2022 is suddenly looking in doubt. There are claims that while Alfa Romeo is keen on F2 frontrunner Guanyu Zhou’s reported $30 million in Chinese backing, boss Frederic Vasseur is balking at his other contractual demands. The most prominent is […]
One ‘breakdown’ can decide 2021 title – Klien
Oct.7 (GMM) The intense and close 2021 title fight could be decided by the next “breakdown”, according to former Red Bull driver Christian Klien. Mercedes, and Max Verstappen’s title rival Lewis Hamilton, were stunned at Sochi when the Red Bull driver managed to sear through the field after taking multiple grid penalties to finish second. […]
2021 is most exciting and ‘toughest’ ever F1 duel
Oct.7 (GMM) Formula 1 fans are witnessing perhaps the most “exciting” world championship battle in history. That is the view of former Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug, who thinks the fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton reminds him of another title duel he witnessed first-hand. “When I think back to previous duels, I don’t […]
Glock impressed with Verstappen’s calm in 2021
Oct.6 (GMM) Former F1 driver Timo Glock is impressed with Max Verstappen’s calm demeanour as he races for his first world championship in 2021. Glock, who now races in the German series DTM, referred to the Red Bull driver’s recent and highly controversial crash with title rival Lewis Hamilton at Monza. “He didn’t get involved […]
Marko invites Wolff to wear Red Bull overalls
Oct.6 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says he would be happy if Formula 1 nemesis Toto Wolff is reunited with Red Bull logos in the Istanbul paddock this weekend. Photos have emerged of a younger Wolff, now the Mercedes team boss, wearing fully Red Bull-branded blue overalls during his earlier career as a racing driver. “I […]
Surer explains why Qatar GP in 2021 ‘hurts’
Oct.6 (GMM) It “hurts” to see another Middle Eastern venue added to the Formula 1 calendar whilst traditional host Germany remains without a race. That is the view of former F1 driver turned pundit Marc Surer, following confirmation that Qatar’s Losail circuit will replace the axed Australian GP in November. “Qatar is a circuit that […]
Title battle hurting Mercedes engines – Marko
Oct.6 (GMM) Mercedes is grappling with new engine problems as a direct result of the epic title scrap with Red Bull. That is the claim of Red Bull’s top official Dr Helmut Marko, amid reports Lewis Hamilton could go tumbling down the Turkish GP grid order due to an unscheduled engine change. Auto Motor und […]
Raikkonen plays down ‘F1 team advisor’ rumours
Oct.6 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has shot down rumours he could re-emerge in Formula 1 next year as a team advisor at Alfa Romeo. The 2007 world champion, who turns 42 next Sunday, is finally retiring at the end of the season with an unprecedented 350-plus grands prix under his belt. But apart from his driving, […]
Hamilton hints silver livery likely in 2022
Oct.5 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes is likely to revert to its traditional silver livery for 2022. The reigning champions’ 2020 car was initially launched in silver, but amid the Black Lives Matter protest movement Mercedes and Hamilton teamed up on the issue of diversity with a sudden switch to black. “Honestly, I didn’t expect […]
F1 figures named in new tax avoidance leak
Oct.5 (GMM) Formula 1 figures have been implicated in a huge new leak exposing secret and questionable offshore tax arrangements among some of the world’s wealthiest elites. Known as the Pandora Papers, it is reportedly the biggest ever leak of offshore financial data, with the Canadian press revealing that Aston Martin team owner and billionaire […]