May 5 (GMM) The relocation of the Russian GP became semi-official late on Tuesday – before the information was quickly denied. We reported last weekend that concrete plans are afoot to have the race moved to a new circuit in Leningrad Oblast, Igora Drive, after this year’s Sochi event. On social media, someone posted a […]
Category: Recent stories
Hamilton the stand-out 2021 driver so far – Sainz
May 5 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is already emerging as the standout driver of the 2021 season, according to Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz. This year’s title battle is being billed as a head-to-head between the seven time world champion and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. “The truth is that I was surprised how easily Hamilton passed Verstappen […]
Schumacher, Horner reject mid-season Bottas axe rumours
May 5 (GMM) Rumours that Valtteri Bottas could lose his Mercedes seat before the end of the season do not “make sense”, according to former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher. Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper quoted a team source as saying there is “unrest” at Mercedes about the Finn’s performance. “He is not up to it, which […]
Bottas ‘lacking confidence’ for title fight – Sirotkin
May 4 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas appears to be “lacking some confidence” as his teammate and Max Verstappen race away at the top of the drivers’ standings in 2021. That is the view of former Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin, as he assesses why Bottas has not only fallen behind Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen but even McLaren’s […]
Norris posing ‘mammoth task’ for Ricciardo – Glock
May 4 (GMM) Lando Norris is “the man of the midfield” at present, and he presents a “mammoth task” for his experienced McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo. That is the view of former Formula 1 driver Timo Glock, who has been impressed with Norris’ ability to stand out amid the sport’s “very competitive” midfield of 2021. […]
Vettel ‘hired to make Lance Stroll look better’
May 4 (GMM) Two faces familiar to the F1 paddock have questioned the motives behind Aston Martin’s signing of quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel this year. The Lawrence Stroll-owned team signed up 33-year-old Vettel despite his poor final seasons at Ferrari, who decided to replace him for 2021 and beyond with Carlos Sainz. Former HRT […]
Wolff ‘can’t imagine’ Hamilton leaving
May 4 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he “can’t imagine” Mercedes’ collaboration with Lewis Hamilton ending once the driver’s current one-year contract expires late this year. The seven time world champion caused a stir last weekend when he clearly expressed his desire to keep racing beyond 2021 – even though he recently agreed only to a […]
Abiteboul back in F1 with Alpine-linked company
May 4 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul will remain connected with the world of Formula 1. At the end of last year, Renault – having decided to re-brand as Alpine – suddenly ousted its French team boss as Davide Brivio arrived from MotoGP and Marcin Budkowski was promoted. Little has been heard about 43-year-old Abiteboul since then […]
Red Bull won’t abandon Verstappen’s 2021 chances – Marko
May 4 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says Red Bull will not abandon development of its 2021 car – even with the radical new 2022 technical regulations now looming large in Formula 1. Most teams not in contention for ultimate spoils this season are already turning the bulk of their resources towards developing brand new cars […]
Marko admits Mercedes engine situation ‘tense’
May 3 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted the situation is “a bit tense” between Red Bull and Mercedes at present. And that’s not just because of the close championship battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, but because their respective team bosses are clashing too. For instance, Christian Horner told Toto Wolff to mind […]
Kvyat to consider ‘proposals’ for F1 future
May 3 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat says he wants to return to Formula 1 next year – although he’s not ruling out a move to another series. The Russian had a rollercoaster 100-plus race career in the sport but lost his Alpha Tauri seat – and Red Bull’s backing – at the end of last season. […]
Early start for 2021 title ‘mind games’ – Schumacher
May 3 (GMM) The “mind games” between Formula 1’s title protagonists have begun tantalisingly early in 2021, according to former driver Ralf Schumacher. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are keeping their battle civil at least publicly, but 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg says their respective bosses “can’t stand each other”. Indeed, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff has […]
Schumacher beating Mazepin ‘completely’ – Rosberg
May 3 (GMM) Mick Schumacher is “completely” showing up his fellow rookie teammate in his first season of Formula 1. That is the view of Nico Rosberg, although Mick’s uncle Ralf also had high praise for his 22-year-old nephew. “That was zero points with an asterisk,” said Ralf. “It’s a pleasure to watch him,” added […]
Verstappen rejects Rosberg’s Hamilton-beating advice
May 3 (GMM) Max Verstappen has responded to 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg’s advice about his head-to-head championship battle with Lewis Hamilton. As Hamilton’s teammate, Rosberg managed to win the 2016 title before immediately retiring. He thinks Verstappen is currently making too many mistakes. “Max had the faster car, which we also saw here in […]
Wolff ‘happy’ to consider 2022 Mercedes lineup
May 2 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he is “happy” that news of his initial talks with Lewis Hamilton about the seven time world champion’s future at Mercedes have “come out”. Hamilton, who after protracted and difficult negotiations only agreed a one-year Mercedes deal for 2021, said at Portimao that he decided to do the Pirelli […]
McLaren denies helping Mercedes with Norris radio call
May 2 (GMM) McLaren’s team boss has hit back at Dr Helmut Marko after the Red Bull official sarcastically criticised “very sporting” behaviour to benefit Mercedes at Portimao. During qualifying, Lando Norris’ engineer was heard to tell the British driver on the radio not to do Max Verstappen “any favours” as the Red Bull driver […]
Binotto happy with ‘second driver’ Sainz
May 2 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says he is “very happy” with the way Carlos Sainz is progressing at Ferrari. At the same time, the Maranello team’s boss said Charles Leclerc was “too aggressive” in qualifying at Portimao. Spaniard Sainz has been taking some time to adjust to his new car after switching from McLaren to […]
Stroll getting car update is ‘perfectly fine’ – Vettel
May 2 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is not bothered that only his teammate got to drive the latest specification of Aston Martin’s 2021 car at Portimao. The quadruple world champion revealed on Friday that Lance Stroll, the son of billionaire team owner Lawrence, “has a slightly different specification this weekend, which was clear in […]
Portimao surface ‘unworthy of F1’ – Verstappen
May 2 (GMM) Max Verstappen continued to slam the condition of the track surface at Portimao after qualifying behind both Mercedes cars. The Dutchman was ultimately four tenths off the pace on Saturday, after having a faster lap deleted for a ‘track limits’ violation. “We could have had pole, but I don’t like to talk […]
Russia GP set for Igora Drive switch in 2022
May 1 (GMM) This year’s Russian GP could be the last one held at Sochi. According to Russian business daily Delovoy Petersburg, the plans to relocate the Formula 1 race to a new circuit in Leningrad Oblast – Igora Drive – have been submitted to parliament. The bill calls for tax exemptions for services related […]