Feb.1 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen says he is staying in Formula 1 because he still enjoys it. Many were surprised when the 41-year-old, who is clearly the oldest and most experienced driver on the grid, signed up for 2021 after Alfa Romeo struggled for pace last year. “Even if you drive for a top team, there […]
Category: Recent stories
2021 title tilt ‘not realistic’ – Seidl
Feb.1 (GMM) It is not “realistic” to expect McLaren to charge for the 2021 title. That is the admission of team boss Andreas Seidl, after world champion Lewis Hamilton said McLaren’s switch to Mercedes power could make his former team an immediate frontrunner. “It was great to see them with a good car in 2020 […]
Mercedes not blocking Red Bull-Honda deal
Feb.1 (GMM) Mercedes will not stand in the way of Red Bull’s engine plans for 2022. Red Bull has said its plan to take over the departing Honda’s engine operations depend entirely on whether rival teams support a 2022 development ‘freeze’. “If the freeze is necessary to keep Red Bull Honda in business, we will […]
‘Too early’ to reveal Indycar news – Grosjean
Feb.1 (GMM) It is “too early” to reveal whether Romain Grosjean will race in Indycar in 2021. Indycar team owner Dale Coyne last week admitted his interest in signing up the former Formula 1 driver, whose burnt hands from the fiery Bahrain crash are now almost fully recovered. “I posted pictures when I decided that […]
Vettel to have ‘usual hair’ in Bahrain
Feb.1 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel should be back to his “usual longer hair” by the start of the season in Bahrain. That is the news from the German newspaper Bild, referring to the F1 world’s shock and amusement at recent footage of the quadruple world champion’s newly half-bald head. Correspondents Jens Nagler and Silja Rulle claim […]
‘Tokens’ won’t make big difference in 2021
Feb.1 (GMM) The new system of limited development ‘tokens’ will not make a big difference to the 2021 pecking order, according to Jody Egginton. The technical director at Alpha Tauri was asked by motorsport-total.com to comment on the regime that will limit non-aerodynamic changes to the cars amid the covid crisis. “I don’t think it […]
Magnussen says end of F1 career ‘boring’
Feb.1 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says the experience of racing in Formula 1 became “boring” for him in the past few seasons. The former Haas driver was speaking after taking part in the first race of his post-F1 career – the Daytona 24 hour event for Chip Ganassi’s team. “In recent years, Formula 1 became the […]
Eighth title ‘a huge thing’ – Hamilton
Feb.1 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says winning a record eighth world championship this year would be a “huge thing”. The Mercedes driver was speaking about his ambitions for 2021 with La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Sportweek publication, even though he is yet to sign an actual contract with Mercedes. But Hamilton said: “The eighth world title would […]
Hamilton contract situation ‘unpleasant’ now
Feb.1 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s contract situation is becoming “quite unpleasant” for the new seven time world champion. That is the view of Russian F1 commentator Alexey Popov, who wonders if Hamilton is miscalculating his rumoured demands as he negotiates with Mercedes. “I thought, like Bernie Ecclestone did, that this was all a marketing ploy so […]
Three-year Hamilton contract ‘unlikely’ – Wolff
Jan.29 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted that a new three-year contract is unlikely for Lewis Hamilton. With the new season looming, it is now highly conspicuous that seven time world championship Hamilton is yet to sign a new deal for 2021. “We’re not far away,” Mercedes team boss Wolff told the German broadcasters RTL and […]
Mazepin may not race in F1 under Russian flag
Jan.29 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin may not be able to race under the Russian flag in Formula 1 this year. Recently, Nikolay Gryazin had to contest the Monte Carlo rally as a ‘neutral athlete’, following the world anti-doping agency’s decision to ban Russia from international competition over a widespread cheating scheme. Russian F1 pundit Alexey Popov […]
Possible Imola will be ‘ghost race’ in April
Jan.29 (GMM) The ‘ghost race’ era in Formula 1 is not over yet. Stefano Bonaccini, the president of the Emilia Romagna region in Italy, has admitted that Imola’s new 18 April race will at best welcome “limited” numbers of spectators. Imola was drafted in to fill the calendar slot following the cancellation of the scheduled […]
Hamilton to ‘win again’ in 2021 – Alonso
Jan.29 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says it is already clear which teams and drivers will finish at the top of the 2021 world championship. The 39-year-old is returning to Formula 1 after a two-year sabbatical, but he is most interested in the sweeping new rules for 2022 that he hopes will greatly increase the championship’s competitiveness. […]
New Barcelona corner is ‘faster’ – de la Rosa
Jan.28 (GMM) The newly revised turn 10 at the Spanish GP venue in Barcelona will be “faster”, according to former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa. In recent weeks, the Circuit de Catalunya has been working on the reprofiling of the corner, which was approved by both the FIA and MotoGP governing body FIM. “It […]
Early start for 2022 not possible – Binotto
Jan.28 (GMM) Ferrari has denied that the 2022 regulations are a perfect opportunity to ‘do a Mercedes’ and set up a new period of dominance for the future. Some are comparing Ferrari’s current situation with Mercedes in 2013 – less competitive in the moment, but getting a head-start in development for the new ‘power unit’ […]
‘Goal’ is to catch and beat Verstappen – Perez
Jan.28 (GMM) It is too soon to say if Sergio Perez will still be Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate in 2022. That is the word from Dr Helmut Marko, who said he decided to only sign the Mexican driver up for 2021. “First we will look carefully at how well the two sides fit together,” […]
Bottas has ‘no chance’ of beating Hamilton – Berger
Jan.28 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has “no chance” of beating seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2021. That is the view of F1 legend Gerhard Berger – even though Hamilton is yet to even sign a new contract for the forthcoming world championship. However, Finn Bottas declared this week that, notwithstanding the unknown identity of […]
Brawn denies stepping down as F1 boss
Jan.28 (GMM) Ross Brawn has rubbished reports that he may be stepping down as Formula 1’s managing director. Some had predicted that Brawn would follow hot on the heels of the departure of F1 CEO Chase Carey, who has now been replaced at Liberty Media by Stefano Domenicali. “I have no idea where the rumours […]
Indycar team would ‘love’ Grosjean for 2021
Jan.28 (GMM) Indycar team owner Dale Coyne has confirmed speculation that Romain Grosjean is in the running for a 2021 seat. Some expected that a press conference that was called on Wednesday was for Dale Coyne Racing to announce the Grosjean deal. In fact, it was for confirmation that Ed Jones will drive one of […]
Too early to accept Dutch GP ‘ghost race’ – Lammers
Jan.28 (GMM) Dutch GP boss Jan Lammers says it is too early to say September’s scheduled event at Zandvoort will have to proceed without spectators. Last year, Zandvoort opted out of the ‘ghost race’ scenario amid the pandemic because the structure of the event was always planned for the mass attendance of Dutch fans. Medical […]