Aug.25 (GMM) Merely trying to beat Lewis Hamilton “on the track” will not be enough for Valtteri Bottas. That is the view of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, whose title showdown with Michael Schumacher is now legendary. Now, he is giving advice to Bottas, who has fallen 43 points behind his Mercedes teammate so far […]
Category: Recent stories
Williams was sold for EUR 152 million
Aug.24 (GMM) Buying the Williams team cost the British team’s new owners EUR 152 million, according to Bloomberg. Having slumped to the very back of the field last year, the Grove based team announced last Friday that it has been acquired by private investment firm Dorilton Capital. “This may be the end of an era […]
Wolff denies ‘flexible rear wing’ claims
Aug.24 (GMM) Toto Wolff has rejected suggestions Mercedes’ 2020 car is benefitting from having a flexible rear wing. Already under fire for allegedly pushing technical secrets to Racing Point, the latest accusation is that the rear wing of the German team’s dominant 2020 car bends exceedingly at speed. “We don’t have a flexible rear wing,” […]
Berger advises Vettel to say ‘bye-bye’ to F1
Aug.24 (GMM) In Sebastian Vettel’s place, F1 legend Gerhard Berger says he would say “bye-bye” to Formula 1. In the past days, it has appeared more and more likely that Aston Martin – currently Racing Point – will stick with Sergio Perez and his powerful sponsors rather than sign the Ferrari refugee. Berger admitted to […]
Hulkenberg to turn down Mercedes reserve role
Aug.24 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg would turn down an offer to become Mercedes’ official F1 reserve driver. After the German’s impressive performance when substituting at short notice for Sergio Perez at Silverstone, Toto Wolff hinted that a Mercedes role could be in the offing for the former Renault driver. But Hulkenberg told Sport1’s AvD Motorsport Magazin: […]
Marko wants telemetry and radios banned in F1
Aug.24 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton dominates Formula 1 because he has “a more powerful engine”. That is the claim of Dr Helmut Marko, the top Austrian official at Red Bull-Honda. He is looking forward to the forthcoming ban on ‘party mode’ engine settings, which has been delayed for a week until Monza following a request not […]
Mercedes, Honda asked for ‘party mode’ ban delay
Aug.24 (GMM) Mercedes and Honda pushed for the ‘party mode’ ban to be delayed until Monza, according to Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. It had been expected that the ban, restricting cars to a single engine mode for both qualifying and the race, would come into force for this weekend’s race at Spa. “The requests […]
F1 must ‘pressure’ Pirelli for better tyres – Hamilton
Aug.24 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton wants Pirelli to create better tyres for Formula 1. At Silverstone recently, the six-time world champion won the race with only three tyres intact, following a spate of wear issues among the field. And then in Barcelona, he won again but only after carefully managing tyre wear by reducing his pace. […]
Teams worried about return of F1 spectators
Aug.24 (GMM) “Several teams” are worried about the looming return of spectators to Formula 1 races. Amid the global coronavirus crisis, the sport only got up and running again thanks to the ‘ghost races’ concept which excluded fans from attending. But organisers of the Russian GP are currently selling about 30,000 tickets for the Sochi […]
Party mode ban ‘must first be defined’ – Wolff
Aug.21 (GMM) Mercedes will be stronger in the races once ‘party mode’ engine settings are banned. That is the warning of dominant Mercedes’ team boss Toto Wolff, as news breaks that the proposed ban for the next race at Spa-Francorchamps has been postponed. Other reports claim the ban, which would limit cars to a single […]
Ferrari ‘very satisfied’ with Concorde terms – Binotto
Aug.21 (GMM) Ferrari is “very satisfied” with the terms of its deal with Formula 1 under the newly-signed 2021-2025 Concorde Agreement. Earlier, it was believed Mercedes’ unwillingness to sign was because it felt the more attractive terms offered to Ferrari were unfair. “All the teams have also signed,” noted Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto, “so […]
No F1 ‘corona calendar’ race for Jerez in 2020
Aug.21 (GMM) Jerez will not host a race on Formula 1’s ‘corona calendar’. Earlier, it was believed the sport was poised to add single races at Jerez, Istanbul and Abu Dhabi, and a double-header in Bahrain, to the existing 13-race schedule. “I know the track well so I’m ready for that weekend,” Renault driver Esteban […]
Kvyat ‘not performing as we expect’ – Marko
Aug.21 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted he is not currently happy with Daniil Kvyat’s performance at Alpha Tauri. His comments come amid speculation the second Red Bull-owned team could replace the 26-year-old Russian with Honda-linked Formula 2 rookie Yuki Tsunoda. “I do expect that, sooner or later, he will sit at the wheel of […]
Racing Point expecting to fall behind
Aug.21 (GMM) Racing Point expects to fall behind as the 2020 season races on. Currently, the ‘pink Mercedes’ is making waves both on and off the circuit, with the team under fire for copying Mercedes’ 2019 car and racing it to a strong third in the constructors’ standings. Just behind Racing Point in the championship […]
Portimao planning for F1 spectators
Aug.20 (GMM) The trend for ‘ghost races’ on Formula 1’s amended 2020 calendar looks set to gradually ease. Race organisers at Sochi are actively trying to sell around 30,000 tickets for September’s Russian GP, and now Portimao has announced that it wants some fans to attend the Portuguese event the following month. “When we realised […]
Alonso admits Indy 500 win ‘difficult’
Aug.20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has admitted he is unlikely to complete his target of securing the ‘triple crown’ this weekend. The two-time world champion, who is returning to Formula 1 with Renault next year after a two year sabbatical, only needs victory at the Indy 500 to add to his previous Monaco and Le Mans […]
Ferrari’s ‘first win of 2020’ is Concorde deal
Aug.20 (GMM) Every team has signed up to the 2021-2025 Concorde Agreement, finally ending a long period of uncertainty for Formula 1. Earlier, clouds floated over the commitment of teams like Renault and even Mercedes, whose boss Toto Wolff said as recently as Silverstone that the reigning champions are the “biggest victims” of Liberty’s proposed […]
Enzo Ferrari would have treated Vettel better – Forghieri
Aug.19 (GMM) Legendary Ferrari figure Mauro Forghieri has critiqued Mattia Binotto’s management of the struggling Italian team’s drivers. Speaking to Italian insider Leo Turrini’s Quotidiano blog, Forghieri – a major player at Ferrari from the 60s to the 80s – claims Maranello has “a human resources problem”. “There is no lack of money at Maranello,” […]
Wolff warns F1 rivals over data sharing accusations
Aug.19 (GMM) Toto Wolff has slammed as “complete nonsense” claims that Mercedes is in the wrong over the ‘pink Mercedes’ affair. With the matter set to proceed to the international court of appeal, tensions continue to rise amid reports Mercedes gave Racing Point a scale wind tunnel model of its 2019 car. Racing Point, to […]
Red Bull has ‘enough time’ to catch Mercedes – boss
Aug.19 (GMM) Red Bull bosses believe the team has enough time to challenge Mercedes for the 2020 world championship. Although Lewis Hamilton eased to victory in Barcelona, Dr Helmut Marko says Red Bull will roll out car updates at the next race at Spa. “It should bring a noticeable improvement on the chassis side,” he […]