Aug.28 (GMM) Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess has dropped a tantalising hint about the German carmaker giant’s potential future in Formula 1. Even though VW brands Audi and Porsche are in Formula E, Diess says he prefers motor racing’s top class of open wheel racing – even when considering the future of technology. “In my personal […]
Category: Recent stories
No workout for Vettel’s contract pen at Spa
Aug.28 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel’s future looks set to remain unclear for now. There were reports that the German would bring a pen to Spa-Francorchamps this weekend to finally sign his 2021 Aston Martin deal. But Sergio Perez is actually sounding increasingly confident about retaining the seat. “We don’t see the reasoning why we should change […]
Schumacher manager Weber suffers a stroke
Aug.27 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s former manager is recovering from a stroke. Until the seven time world champion’s less successful return to Formula 1 in 2010, Willi Weber guided Schumacher’s motor racing career. Bild newspaper claims the now 70-year-old recently suffered a stroke, spending 9 days in a Stuttgart hospital and then weeks in rehabilitation. “I […]
McLaren pulling out of pro cycling
Aug.27 (GMM) McLaren is pulling out of the Tour de France. Last weekend, Fernando Alonso finished just 21st in the Indy 500, having failed even to qualify in a similarly McLaren-branded entry a year earlier. And now, McLaren is pulling out of the top level of cycling. The British outfit surprised motorsport fans late last […]
‘Hamilton’s Mercedes better than Schumacher’s Ferrari’
Aug.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s team and car are better than the ones raced to similar levels of success by seven time world champion Michael Schumacher. That is the claim of former Mercedes boss Norbert Haug, with Hamilton poised to soon race past Schumacher’s all time record for the number of grand prix wins (91). Hamilton […]
Ocon happy with Renault’s engine performance
Aug.27 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says Renault is happy with the performance of its 2020 engine. Having ended Red Bull’s difficult relationship with the French outfit at the end of 2018, Dr Helmut Marko claimed that while Renault has a “good qualifying mode” this year, Honda is now stronger in the race. Works Renault driver Ocon, […]
Dutch GP nervous about 2021 ‘ghost race’
Aug.27 (GMM) Dutch GP organisers are not ruling out asking for a later race date on the 2021 calendar. Contractually, the race at Zandvoort – whose return to F1 was cancelled this year due to covid-19 – has another early May date pencilled in on the unpublished 2021 schedule. But after Dutch organisers opted against […]
Sochi plays down F1 teams’ corona concerns
Aug.27 (GMM) Organisers of the Russian GP have hit back at concerns raised about the return of spectators to the Formula 1 circuits. Sochi was the first to announce that fans will be welcome at its September race, but Portimao and Imola are also making plans to end the ‘ghost race’ trend. “According to our […]
Ferrari expected to drop ‘pink Mercedes’ appeal
Aug.27 (GMM) Ferrari is expected to follow Renault’s lead in withdrawing its appeal over the ‘pink Mercedes’ affair. Although it had prompted the saga by protesting the legality of Racing Point’s Mercedes-like brake ducts, Renault announced that it ultimately decided to drop the appeal. “Intensive and constructive work between the FIA, Renault and all Formula […]
Ecclestone still welcome at Russian GP – promoter
Aug.27 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is still welcome at the Russian GP, organisers of the Sochi race have announced. The former F1 supremo was recently scolded by the sport’s new owners after controversially claiming that black people are often “more racist than white people”. Liberty Media reacted by saying the 89-year-old is no longer F1’s ‘chairman […]
Albon’s confidence ‘badly damaged’ – Heidfeld
Aug.26 (GMM) It is “extremely important” that Red Bull continues to support struggling driver Alex Albon. That is the view of Nick Heidfeld, as pressure continues to mount on the British-Thai driver as Albon struggles to match up to Max Verstappen. Notable, however, is that where Red Bull has often been highly critical of its […]
Raikkonen plays down pressure on Vettel
Aug.26 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has played down the pressure that is mounting on the shoulders of his former Ferrari teammate. According to insiders, Sebastian Vettel has been marginalised not only by a now Charles Leclerc-focused Maranello, but by the notorious Italian press. But former Vettel teammate Raikkonen insists: “The pressure or the attention is no […]
Team boss says F1 ‘still works’ for Gene Haas
Aug.26 (GMM) Formula 1 still “works” for Haas team owner Gene Haas. That is the claim of Gunther Steiner, who runs the small American outfit that had been openly questioning its future on the grid beyond 2020. However, like all the other existing teams, Haas has now signed the new 2021-2025 Concorde Agreement. “I guess […]
Honda wants Alpha Tauri debut for Tsunoda
Aug.26 (GMM) Honda is admitting it would like to see Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda make his way into Formula 1 with Alpha Tauri. It comes after Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko said Daniil Kvyat is “not performing as we would expect” in 2020. It would appear to be the perfect opening for the Honda-backed Formula […]
Motorhomes make F1 comeback at Spa
Aug.26 (GMM) F1’s grand ‘motorhomes’ are making their return to the paddock this week at Spa-Francorchamps. So far in the coronavirus-marred 2020 season, teams have been cutting costs by operating out of makeshift buildings and with outsourced catering. But at Spa – the seventh race out of the 17 that have now been scheduled in […]
Mercedes’ team culture ‘impressive’ – Vandoorne
Aug.26 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says the culture inside the Mercedes team is what makes it so dominant. The former McLaren driver lost his F1 seat at the end of 2018, but was signed up for Mercedes’ new Formula E team and finished runner-up. But the Belgian is also a Mercedes reserve driver, and after working […]
Mercedes gave Racing Point ‘data and drawings’ – Marko
Aug.25 (GMM) Racing Point must have received “data” and “drawings” from Mercedes in order to create a fully-competitive copy of the reigning champion team’s 2019 car. That is the word from Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, echoing former F1 team boss Colin Kolles’ claims last week that Racing Point even received a 60 percent scale […]
Marko not ruling out Ricciardo return
Aug.25 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says there may be “a way back” to Red Bull for Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian driver stunned the F1 world by leaving Red Bull for Renault at the end of 2018, but he has already decided to switch again to McLaren for 2021. “I said to Daniel ‘I don’t get […]
Now Imola wants spectators at 2020 F1 race
Aug.25 (GMM) A third circuit on the 2020 calendar says it wants spectators to be able to attend this year. Earlier, we reported that some teams are nervous about Sochi and Portimao’s plans to allow 30,000 and 50,000 spectators respectively to attend their races later this season. Imola has now joined them. “We expect the […]
Honda has better race engine than Renault – Marko
Aug.25 (GMM) Honda is now the best engine manufacturer in Formula 1 behind Mercedes, according to Dr Helmut Marko. Red Bull’s top Austrian official is looking forward to the banning of ‘party mode’ engine settings from Monza – even though Toto Wolff has warned that it could actually make Mercedes stronger in the races. “Mercedes […]