Jun.12 (GMM) Imola has boosted its chances of securing a shock return to the F1 calendar in 2020. F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn admits that a “contingency” is being put in place in case more current grand prix hosts are unable to reorganise their races amid the pandemic. “I think Bahrain and Abu Dhabi will […]
Category: Recent stories
Team driver hierarchies do not work – Wolff
Jun.12 (GMM) Driver hierarchies do not work in Formula 1, according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. Although Lewis Hamilton would seem to be number 1, Wolff insists that Valtteri Bottas has “always” been able to race his teammate from the beginning of each season. He said hierarchies should only form naturally “resulting from performance”. […]
Wolff not committing to 2021 team boss role
Jun.12 (GMM) Toto Wolff is not ready to commit to remaining Mercedes’ team boss beyond the end of 2020. After buying into Lawrence Stroll’s new Aston Martin project, the Austrian has admitted he is currently discussing his future at Mercedes with Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius. When asked how long he will remain team principal, Wolff […]
Wolff admits Vettel not Mercedes’ ‘priority’
Jun.12 (GMM) Toto Wolff admits that Sebastian Vettel is not Mercedes’ “first priority” when considering the team’s driver lineup for 2021. Technical boss James Allison admitted this week it is “difficult to imagine” the quadruple world champion switching from Ferrari to Mercedes. And Valtteri Bottas’ revealed that he received a “pretty straight message” from his […]
Raikkonen, Verstappen not expecting to be ‘rusty’
Jun.12 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is not expecting to struggle in Austria next month even though Formula 1 drivers have not raced since late last year. Some, like the Alfa Romeo driver’s teammate Antonio Giovinazzi, think the drivers will be “rusty” once the initial eight-race European season kicks off. But Finn Raikkonen – F1’s oldest and […]
Austria GP preparations ‘like clockwork’ – Marko
Jun.11 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says preparations for Formula 1’s return to racing next month are “going like clockwork”. “Now all we have to do is keep calm,” the Red Bull official, who has been the leading figure in organising the first ‘ghost races’ of the coronavirus era, told f1-insider.com. Amid face masks and other […]
F1 driver lineups ‘looking to the future’ – Russell
Jun.11 (GMM) Top Formula 1 teams are “looking to the future”, according to George Russell. The 22-year-old made his debut last year for Williams, but he is also the cream of Mercedes’ driver program and tipped to make the step up to the works team for 2021. He said Ferrari’s decision to pair Carlos Sainz […]
Bottas only needs to beat ‘one driver’ – Hakkinen
Jun.11 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas could win the 2020 world championship by beating just “one driver”. That is the view of Mika Hakkinen, the retired double world champion who remains involved in the management of his fellow Finn’s career. “I’ve seen Valtteri’s development and passionate dedication to the work,” the 51-year-old told Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. “He […]
Shutdown could shake up F1 hierarchy – Hakkinen
Jun.11 (GMM) Experienced drivers in smaller teams may benefit the most from F1’s long coronavirus shutdown period, according to Mika Hakkinen. The sport is currently counting down the days before the first ‘ghost races’ of the badly corona-affected 2020 season get underway. When the engines fire in Austria, it will be seven months since the […]
Only 10 journalists to attend first ‘ghost races’
Jun.11 (GMM) A very minimal number of media representatives will be permitted to attend the first ‘ghost races’ in Austria and Hungary next month. Those with permanent FIA media passes have been informed that the FIA will select the initial group of ten that will be confined to the Red Bull Ring’s media centre. The […]
Bottas says Mercedes ‘not considering’ Vettel
Jun.11 (GMM) Mercedes is “not considering” signing up Sebastian Vettel for 2021. That is the claim of Valtteri Bottas, who would presumably have been the victim of the Ferrari refugee’s switch to silver. When asked about the speculation, the Finn told Sky: “It’s the same as every year for me. “I find it quite funny […]
Norris ‘glad’ to lose followers over politics
Jun.11 (GMM) Lando Norris says he faced a backlash among his social media followers after wading into the current political moment. At the tail end of the corona crisis, and amid widespread protests and racial tension, the McLaren driver heeded Lewis Hamilton’s call for his fellow drivers to publicly support the Black Lives Matter movement. […]
Report names three potential Williams buyers
Jun.10 (GMM) Three names are in the fray as potential buyers for the struggling F1 backmarker Williams. That is the claim of Italy’s authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport, reporting that 2020 race driver Nicholas Latifi’s wealthy father is the frontrunner. Correspondent Mario Salvini says Michael Latifi has already loaned the British team EUR 22 million […]
Fewer car updates planned for 2020 – Green
Jun.10 (GMM) Formula 1 teams will have only a limited car development program in 2020, according to Racing Point technical boss Andy Green. “We will have fewer updates than planned,” he told Auto Motor und Sport when asked about the start of the ‘corona calendar’ in Austria next month. “We didn’t even use our first […]
Baku cancellation now imminent – source
Jun.10 (GMM) Baku, Singapore and Suzuka are set to be definitively scratched from the 2020 calendar. That is the word from Andrea Cremonesi, a respected correspondent for Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. “In days, if not hours, the official cancellation of the race in Baku will be announced,” the Italian source Formula Passion quotes him […]
Mercedes to set pace in Austria – Alesi
Jun.10 (GMM) Jean Alesi thinks Mercedes will be the team to beat when the revised world championship kicks off next month in Austria. “The teams have not been able to develop much,” the former F1 driver told Italy’s Autosprint. “Maybe we will see some minor changes in the hierarchy, but I think the Mercedes advantage […]
‘Old school’ Mugello to be F1’s 1000th race
Jun.10 (GMM) Mugello looks set to join the other six European ‘ghost race’ venues on the initial corona-induced 2020 calendar. It is believed a race at the Ferrari-owned circuit will be paired with the other Italian venue, Monza, in mid-September. “Mugello has everything to offer a spectacle,” said Jarno Zaffelli, a circuit architect who also […]
Hungary reveals $20m ‘ghost race’ discount
Jun.10 (GMM) Hungaroring boss Zsolt Guylay admits the F1 race promoters got a discount on their 2020 race fee. The circuit near Budapest is among the eight confirmed ‘ghost races’ on this year’s initial amended calendar. “All in all, we managed to save the Hungarian budget almost six billion forints (US $20 million),” the Magyar […]
Ricciardo didn’t quit Renault ‘on a whim’
Jun.10 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo insists he did not decide to quit Renault “on a whim”. With the French carmaker continuing next year even amid the corona-induced recession, some have expressed surprise that the Australian decided to take the arguably sideways move to McLaren for 2021. “It was not an easy decision to make,” Ricciardo is […]
Russell admits eye on Mercedes seat
Jun.10 (GMM) George Russell has admitted he has a keen eye on a potential Mercedes race seat for 2021. Team boss Toto Wolff, who already works closely with the Mercedes development driver, has named the 22-year-old as a contender for the works seat. “They are the best team, they have been so dominant,” he told […]