Nov.6 (GMM) Ralf Schumacher thinks it is possible that Lewis Hamilton really will retire from Formula 1 after wrapping up his seventh title. The 35-year-old Mercedes driver caused a stir after winning at Imola by insisting there is “no guarantee” he will agree a new contract for 2021 and beyond. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff played […]
Category: Recent stories
Alfa Romeo to remain ‘independent’ in F1 – boss
Nov.6 (GMM) Sauber, the company that races in F1 as Alfa Romeo, will remain an independent team. That is the insistence of boss Frederic Vasseur, countering the widely held narrative that the Swiss based team has become a sort of Ferrari satellite team in recent years. But Vasseur told Auto Motor und Sport that Haas […]
Tsunoda told by Marko to ‘focus on F1’
Nov.6 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko blocked Yuki Tsunoda from contesting a recent junior series race so that the Japanese can focus on Formula 1. It is another clear sign that the boss of Red Bull’s driver program intends to oust Daniil Kvyat and run 20-year-old Honda-backed Tsunoda at Alpha Tauri in 2021. This week at […]
‘Unlucky’ to lose place in F1 – Magnussen
Nov.6 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen thinks he is “unlucky” to be losing his place in Formula 1. The 28-year-old was brought into Formula 1 by McLaren in 2014, subsequently driving for Renault and spending the last four seasons at Haas. But for 2021, the small American team is opting for two new drivers, prompting his teammate […]
Steiner admits contact with Hulkenberg
Nov.6 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has revealed that he was recently in contact with Nico Hulkenberg. Steiner, the team boss, is yet to fill Haas’ two newly-vacated seats for 2021, although he admits that young drivers are at the top of the shortlist. “Yes, we focus on young drivers for next year,” he told Sport1. “We […]
Vettel may return to top form in 2021 – Marko
Nov.6 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel could return to full power at Aston Martin next year, according to his former boss Dr Helmut Marko. German Vettel, now 33 and a four-time title winner, became the youngest ever world champion after Marko and Red Bull brought him in to Formula 1 over a decade ago. But ahead of […]
Ferrari to get ‘new engine’ in 2021 – Sainz snr
Nov.6 (GMM) Carlos Sainz senior insists he is not worried that his son has made a major mistake by deciding to move to Ferrari in 2021. 26-year-old McLaren driver Carlos Sainz signed to join the Maranello team before the depth of Ferrari’s performance slump this year became clear. But his father, rally legend Carlos Sainz, […]
No more F1 spectators in 2020
Nov.6 (GMM) The remaining four grands prix of 2020 look set to be held without spectators. The news comes as F1’s owner Liberty Media reveals a new $100-plus million financial loss for the third quarter of the coronavirus-marred 2020 season. For the teams, the impact on them financially amounts to a whopping 50 percent hit […]
Hamilton asked to condemn new Saudi Arabia GP
Nov.6 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has been urged to “speak out” against Formula 1’s newly-announced 2021 race in Saudi Arabia. The sport has now officially confirmed that it will attend a spectacular night race in the city of Jeddah next November. Saudi Arabia, however, is often widely condemned for its human rights record, even though a […]
Wurz hits out at Liberty’s calendar plans
Nov.5 (GMM) Alex Wurz has hit out at Formula 1’s plans to schedule longer and longer annual calendars by potentially shortening the race weekend format to just two days. After the sport trialled the two-day format at Imola, at the same time a draft calendar for 2021 was leaked that listed an unprecedented 23 grands […]
No interest in Mercedes switch or engine – Leclerc
Nov.5 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says he has no interest in moving to Mercedes – or even enjoying the superior power of the reigning world champions’ dominant F1 engine. Late last year, the impressive 23-year-old pushed his Ferrari contract out until 2024, only to find himself at the wheel of the Maranello team’s 2020 slump. However, […]
2020 to be one-off slump season for Ferrari – Binotto
Nov.5 (GMM) 2020 is a one-off season of struggle for Ferrari, team boss Mattia Binotto insists. He told Sky Italia that although the Maranello team’s performance slumped badly this season, he is confident recent car upgrades have at least pointed Ferrari on the right track. “We have fought for victories and titles a few times […]
Verstappen better than Red Bull car – Wolff
Nov.5 (GMM) Max Verstappen is the only driver capable of mixing it with Mercedes’ dominant cars in 2020. That is the claim not only of the Dutchman’s own bosses at Red Bull, but also main rival Mercedes’ team chief Toto Wolff. “Max is doing fantastically,” the Austrian is quoted by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. […]
Alonso working on F1 fitness in Bahrain
Nov.4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he will be working on building up his neck muscles as he tests a two-year-old Renault this week in Bahrain. After a two-year sabbatical, the 39-year-old Spaniard is returning to Formula 1 next year to replace Daniel Ricciardo as Renault becomes Alpine. Some people have been surprised about Alonso’s commitment […]
Car upgrade successes ‘good sign for future’ – Leclerc
Nov.4 (GMM) Ferrari is on the right track as the Maranello team moves to pull out of its competitive slump. That is the positive news from Charles Leclerc, even if his departing teammate Sebastian Vettel has been progressively struggling in the improving 2020 car. “I think Ferrari has gone in Leclerc’s direction with all these […]
Costa thinks Mercedes will continue to dominate
Nov.4 (GMM) Aldo Costa says he doubts Mercedes can be beaten by any rival Formula 1 team any time soon. The Italian designed Mercedes’ dominant title-winning F1 cars until last year, when he decided to move to the Italian race car designer Dallara. Toto Wolff gave Costa a shout-out after Mercedes wrapped up its seventh […]
Salo surprised as Raikkonen keeps racing in 2021
Nov.4 (GMM) Mika Salo has admitted to surprise that Kimi Raikkonen will keep his longest-ever Formula 1 career alive into yet another season in 2021. Fellow Finn and former F1 driver Salo recently predicted that the now 41-year-old 2007 world champion’s long career would finally conclude at the end of this season. “I was pretty […]
Verstappen not upset about missed F1 record
Nov.4 (GMM) Max Verstappen is not bothered that he will never be crowned the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history. After Imola, it has become mathematically impossible for the 23-year-old Dutchman to beat the Mercedes drivers to the 2020 title – and therefore Sebastian Vettel’s record as youngest champion remains safe. “Records like that […]
More gravel traps will ‘improve the show’ – Binotto
Nov.4 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says installing more old-school gravel traps at Formula 1 circuits will help to “improve the show”. Next year, teams will only be able to make limited modifications to their current cars after the all-new regulations were delayed until 2022 amid the corona crisis. Ferrari boss Binotto thinks the field will be […]
Mercedes to keep black livery in 2021
Nov.3 (GMM) Mercedes will keep its all-black livery in 2021, boss Toto Wolff has revealed. Amid Lewis Hamilton’s advocacy for the Black Lives Matter movement, the reigning world champion team agreed to switch from silver to black for 2020. “It seems that yes, we will also be in black in 2021,” Wolff told the Austrian […]