Aug.2 (GMM) McLaren has dismissed rumours that Fernando Alonso is being lined up as a reserve driver amid the ongoing corona crisis. It follows Racing Point’s eleventh-hour recruitment of Nico Hulkenberg this weekend to replace Sergio Perez, who tested positive for the virus. “No, Fernando will not be reserve driver for our team,” team boss […]
Category: Recent stories
Lack of competition ‘not Mercedes’ fault’ – Ricciardo
Aug.2 (GMM) Toto Wolff admits Mercedes is “not making friends” by utterly dominating Formula 1 in 2020. Although the sport and its fans are relieved that the race shutdown is now over, there is growing consternation at the supremacy of the reigning world champions. The qualifying gap to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was over a […]
Nurburgring hopes to welcome F1 spectators
Aug.1 (GMM) Nurburgring officials are hopeful the German circuit will be able to welcome spectators to the scene of the October race. The venue has been drafted onto F1’s corona calendar for 2020, but Nurburgring boss Mirco Markfort said he is hopeful it will not have to be another ‘ghost race’. Indeed, the German motorsport […]
Ferrari’s future strategy surprises Wolff
Aug.1 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted surprise at Ferrari’s decision to essentially write off both the 2020 and 2021 seasons in order to focus on the new rules for 2022. With Carlos Sainz en route to the team next year, and Charles Leclerc under contract until the end of 2024, others are also wondering about […]
Red Bull close to new Austria GP contract
Aug.1 (GMM) Red Bull is close to extending its agreement with Formula 1 to host the annual Austrian GP. In March, we reported that the Red Bull Ring owner was yet to decide whether to keep hosting the sport at its circuit in Spielberg beyond 2020. “It will be decided by the end of the […]
Magnussen hopes Haas owner stays in F1
Aug.1 (GMM) Gene Haas is still yet to decide whether to keep his Formula 1 team up and racing. The small American team has already declared that, amid the corona crisis, the 2020 car will not be developed at all. “We are using this year to stabilise ourselves again after the pandemic and try to […]
Perez ‘did nothing wrong’ in contracting virus – boss
Aug.1 (GMM) A happy Nico Hulkenberg is expecting his body to hurt when he returns to the cockpit of Sergio Perez’s Racing Point for qualifying at Silverstone. The German, who lost his Renault seat at the end of last year, got the unexpected call-up to replace Perez after the Mexican tested positive for coronavirus on […]
Red Bull suspects Mercedes hiding true pace
Aug.1 (GMM) Red Bull suspects Mercedes is hiding its true superiority so far at Silverstone. Just as the energy drink owned team appears to take a step forward with new parts designed specifically as a reaction to Hungary, Mercedes’ drivers reported that they are struggling with their otherwise dominant 2020 car. “I couldn’t push the […]
Red Bull ‘nervous’ about Mercedes dominance
Jul.31 (GMM) Red Bull is “getting nervous” in its battle to quickly catch up with Mercedes, team official Dr Helmut Marko has admitted. The team wanted Max Verstappen to become F1’s youngest ever champion this year, but the Dutch driver admitted he could be as much as a second off the pace at Silverstone. When […]
Marko says Albon will be faster with new engineer
Jul.31 (GMM) Red Bull is expecting Alex Albon to enjoy “an increase in performance” thanks to working with a more experienced race engineer from now on. It has been announced that the struggling British-born Thai driver’s existing engineer, Mike Lugg, has returned to Milton Keynes for a factory based role. Back from the factory to […]
Bottas expects to sign 2021 contract ‘soon’
Jul.31 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says talks to extend his contract with Mercedes have already begun. While there was speculation the Finn could be replaced by Sebastian Vettel or George Russell, Mercedes bosses have been saying for several days now that they are more than happy with Bottas alongside Lewis Hamilton. Six-time world champion Hamilton said […]
Sainz expecting to wait until 2022 for winning Ferrari
Jul.31 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says it is only “common sense” to conclude that he will not be world champion or even win races after switching to Ferrari next year. The Spaniard, who currently drives for McLaren, was asked about Ferrari chairman John Elkann’s recent admission that a red car is unlikely to win a race […]
Vettel has ‘more time’ after July 31 deadline – Marko
Jul.31 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel insists he is not under “time pressure” to decide his next career move. We reported that a July 31 deadline, tying in with an exit clause in Sergio Perez’s contract, had been set for the quadruple world champion to decide whether to move to Racing Point for 2021. “There is no […]
Hulkenberg set to replace Perez at Silverstone
Jul.31 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg looks set to make a shock return to Formula 1 this weekend at Silverstone. It comes after Sergio Perez was sidelined after testing positive for coronavirus. Formula 1 insists, however, that the back-to-back races in Britain will go ahead. “The procedures set out by the FIA and Formula 1 have provided […]
Ocon finding his feet at Renault – Boullier
Jul.31 (GMM) Esteban Ocon is still finding his feet at Renault after a year out of the sport. That is the view of former McLaren boss Eric Boullier, who is now a leading official of the French GP. When asked by Ouest France to comment on fellow Frenchman Ocon’s return to F1 this year, Boullier […]
F1 should not be involved in ‘racism or politics’ – Ecclestone
Jul.31 (GMM) Formula 1 should not be involved “in racism or politics in general”, according to the sport’s former chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. Since the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-racism demonstrations the world over gained steam in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the issue spread even to the F1 paddock. It has been […]
‘Green light’ for Barcelona despite corona spike
Jul.30 (GMM) Formula 1 still has a “green light” to race in Barcelona later this month. There has been speculation that, because coronavirus cases are spiking near the scene of the August 16 Spanish GP, Silverstone may be asked to host a third consecutive race instead. “Despite the rise in corona numbers in Spain, we […]
Turkey GP venue says 2020 F1 race talks ‘confidential’
Jul.30 (GMM) Operators of the former F1 circuit in Turkey have admitted they are in a “confidentiality agreement” regarding talks about a 2020 race at Istanbul Park. We reported this week that the Turkish government has announced that the venue “continues to work for inclusion on the Formula 1 race calendar for 2020”. With a […]
Haas ‘should consider’ dropping Ferrari – Watt
Jul.30 (GMM) Haas is now battling among the slowest teams on the Formula 1 grid, driver Romain Grosjean has admitted. After a horror 2019, teammate Kevin Magnussen insists that the new Haas car is “very useable” in comparison to its predecessor. However, it’s not particularly fast. “We’re now fighting with Alfa Romeo and Williams just […]
Perez should replace Albon at Red Bull – van der Garde
Jul.30 (GMM) A familiar face is returning to the F1 paddock to help Alex Albon get up to speed. Having been promoted to the senior Red Bull team mid-way through his debut season last year, the British-born Thai driver is still struggling to keep up with Max Verstappen. It means speculation is swirling about the […]