Mar.23 (GMM) Formula 1 has quickly jumped aboard the new trend of virtual racing. Separate to the existing F1 Esports Series for gamers, the sport’s new series will feature “a number of current F1 drivers”, Formula 1 announced. It follows the immediate launch after the cancellation of the Australian GP of two high-profile non-official series, […]
Category: Recent stories
Now Baku set to be postponed
Mar.23 (GMM) Baku, which until now looked set to host the new 2020 season opener, is now expected to be postponed as well. With the opening seven races on the original schedule now cancelled or postponed, Azerbaijan’s June 7 event then looked set to be the first this year. But international media reports now say […]
Hamilton turned down coronavirus test
Mar.23 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he turned down the opportunity to be tested for coronavirus. Concerns about the Mercedes driver’s health did the rounds after he was photographed with actor Idris Elba and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie, who both subsequently tested positive. Hamilton is now self-isolating, but he turned down the chance to […]
F1 teams to make ventilators to fight virus
Mar.20 (GMM) F1 teams have agreed to get actively involved in the fight against coronavirus. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren and Williams have responded to the calls from governments to lend their technological and engineering power to the global pandemic. “Among the technologies the teams could help develop are […]
Teams unlikely to ‘risk’ Alonso comeback – Lehto
Mar.20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso may struggle to find a team willing to host his return to Formula 1 in 2021. That is the view of former F1 driver JJ Lehto, after doors for the mercurial Spaniard at Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and even McLaren reportedly all closed. Lehto thinks the last straw for most bosses […]
New F1 team Panthera pushing on with plans
Mar.20 (GMM) Even amid the coronavirus crisis, a new Formula 1 team project is pressing on. Last September, it emerged that a prospective new outfit called Panthera Team Asia had set up camp near Silverstone. Co-founder Benjamin Durand said then: “Our goal is Formula 1 in 2021.” And even now, Durand says the project is […]
Paul Ricard ‘on stand-by’ amid virus crisis – Boullier
Mar.20 (GMM) Paul Ricard is “on standby” for news about the F1 venue’s scheduled late June race date for the French GP. Every race until June – seven so far – has either been postponed or cancelled, meaning that on the original calendar, France is now technically round 3. But Zandvoort boss Jan Lammers doubts […]
Wolff, Stroll absent from F1 coronavirus talks
Mar.20 (GMM) Two conspicuous absences from F1’s crisis conference calls are sure to ramp up speculation about the future of Toto Wolff. The Daily Mail reports that both Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, and Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll did not take part in two separate rounds of talks this week that discussed the sport’s […]
2021 Ferrari deal ‘in Vettel’s hands’ – boss
Mar.20 (GMM) Talks with Sebastian Vettel about a new Ferrari contract for 2021 are underway. That is the news from Mattia Binotto, the Ferrari boss. Currently, the factory at Maranello is closed as Italy is battered by the coronavirus pandemic. “The health of our employees is important. It’s our top priority,” he told F1’s official […]
Zandvoort says delayed August race may not be ‘ethical’
Mar.20 (GMM) Organisers of the Dutch GP say it is the right thing to postpone the May 3 race at Zandvoort. On Thursday, it was decided that Zandvoort and Barcelona will be delayed, while the prestigious Monaco GP, scheduled for May 24, has been cancelled outright. Jan Lammers, representing Zandvoort, told the Dutch broadcaster NOS […]
Coronavirus decisions pose ‘challenge’ for McLaren
Mar.20 (GMM) With the entire F1 world in disarray over the coronavirus pandemic, McLaren is facing another “interesting challenge”. That is the view of Lawrence Barretto, a writer for F1’s official website. He is referring to the fact that the British team is currently scheduled to switch from Renault to Mercedes power for 2021. However, […]
Monaco says 2020 GP cannot be rescheduled
Mar.20 (GMM) Although Zandvoort, Barcelona and Monaco’s 2020 race dates will no longer take place as scheduled, only the latter historic street race has been cancelled altogether. “As soon as the new date of the grand prix is confirmed, all spectators will be informed about the available options,” organisers of the Spanish GP said. Dutch […]
F1 to organise own alternative ‘virtual’ GPs
Mar.19 (GMM) Formula 1 is set to jump aboard the world of virtual racing. On the face of it, this has already happened in the form of the official F1 Esports Series, which has raced since 2017 starring top gamers. But it was only after Melbourne was cancelled did F1’s wider fan-base embrace the full […]
Perez ruing lost opportunity of 2020
Mar.19 (GMM) With F1 in tatters over coronavirus, Sergio Perez is ruing what could finally have been a great season for him. The Mexican is quoted by Spain’s AS newspaper: “For a year when I have a car…” He is referring to the fact that he may not even get to race what was being […]
F1 floundering amid coronavirus crisis
Mar.19 (GMM) With the coronavirus pandemic having brought the sport – and the wider world – to an indefinite standstill, Formula 1 is still grappling to decide its next moves. In hurriedly organised teleconferences involving the teams, the FIA and Liberty Media, one major focus has been the reorganisation of the existing 2020 calendar. With […]
Hamilton not eyeing leap to Formula E
Mar.18 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is not yet looking to leap into Formula E – even though he admits that could be a more “ethical” choice. The six-time world champion has become outspoken on various progressive issues of the day, including climate change, sustainability and veganism. And for that reason, he admits that Formula […]
Surname ‘no guarantee’ of F1 debut – Schumacher
Mar.18 (GMM) Mick Schumacher says he knows his surname is “not a guarantee” of a future in Formula 1. A year ago, as the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s Formula 2 career kicked off, the Ferrari junior secured tests in current-spec Ferrari and Alfa Romeo cars. But the Schumacher hype is now comparatively muted, […]
F1 to discuss ‘plan B’ calendar on Thursday
Mar.18 (GMM) Chase Carey has admitted that, amid the ongoing global coronavirus crisis, he isn’t sure when the 2020 season will get underway. That is despite the fact that reports are doing the rounds that suggest F1’s authorities are now busily working on a ‘plan B’ calendar. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport says a video […]
Barcelona boss says ‘difficult’ to save 2020 Monaco GP
Mar.17 (GMM) Barcelona circuit boss Joan Fontsere admits that May’s Spanish GP will almost certainly not happen. Although only Australia, Bahrain, Vietnam and China have been postponed officially, F1 has admitted that the races in May are also unlikely to take place. “Our postponement is basically set,” Fonsere told El Mundo Deportivo newspaper. “F1 is […]
Abiteboul plays down Vettel to Renault talk
Mar.17 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul has played down the possibility that Sebastian Vettel might join Renault from 2021. The team boss admits that Renault may lose Daniel Ricciardo at the end of this year. “He should only be retained on a good basis – a shared basis,” Abiteboul told Canal Plus. “It’s an answer without an […]