Aug.11 (GMM) Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says he deserves some of the blame for the Maranello team’s horror 2020 season. Although he was ousted in 2014, that year was when Formula 1’s controversial hybrid ‘power unit’ engine regulations were introduced. “I was president when it was decided to switch to hybrid,” Montezemolo told […]
Category: Recent stories
As revenues collapse, F1 wants 22 races in 2021
Aug.11 (GMM) Formula 1 is targeting a full and normal 22-race calendar for 2021, as the sport revealed an almost total collapse of revenue amid the corona crisis. The Financial Times reports that F1’s revenues dropped to just $24 million in the last quarter – down from $620 million compared to a year ago. The […]
Hulkenberg travelling to Barcelona this week
Aug.11 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg is travelling to Barcelona this week. The German became Sergio Perez’s eleventh-hour replacement at Racing Point following the Mexican’s positive coronavirus test. But team boss Otmar Szafnauer is now “99 percent” sure that Perez will be virus-free for this weekend in Spain. However, Hulkenberg told RTL: “I’ll prepare for Barcelona in […]
Salo tips Raikkonen to quit F1
Aug.11 (GMM) 2020 will be Kimi Raikkonen’s last season in Formula 1, according to Mika Salo. At 40, Finn Raikkonen is the oldest and most experienced driver on the grid. But this year, he is struggling at the very back with the uncompetitive Alfa Romeo, and is no longer clearly ahead of teammate Antonio Giovinazzi. […]
Vettel to get new Ferrari chassis for Barcelona
Aug.11 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel will have a new chassis at his disposal from this weekend as his relationship with Ferrari teeters on the brink. 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg had suggested the remedy in order to get the quadruple world champion out of his competitive slump. “Sometimes there are minimal things wrong that are barely […]
Liberty pushing ahead with Concorde deadline
Aug.11 (GMM) Liberty Media is pressing ahead with its August 12 deadline for the finalisation of the 2021 Concorde Agreement. While Cyril Abiteboul says “95 percent of the teams are agreed” about the terms of the next binding commercial deal, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he is not ready to sign. He alleges Mercedes is […]
FIA open to tweaking ‘radio coaching’ rule
Aug.10 (GMM) F1’s governing body is open to tweaking a rule about radio communications. Kevin Magnussen lost a point in Hungary after engineers at Haas asked both drivers to pit for dry tyres after the formation lap. The radio instruction contravened a 2017 rule about driver coaching. “We need to move on from this,” team […]
Albon will be given ‘more time’ at Red Bull – Marko
Aug.10 (GMM) Red Bull will continue to give Alex Albon “time” to get up to speed alongside Max Verstappen. As a rookie, Albon was promoted to the energy drink company’s senior team mid-last year to replace the struggling Pierre Gasly. But now the British-born Thai is having the same confidence problem in the same seat, […]
Red Bull not joining ‘pink Mercedes’ appeal
Aug.10 (GMM) Red Bull is not joining the five teams vowing to appeal the outcome of the ‘pink Mercedes’ protest. Racing Point team owner Lawrence Stroll – who normally keeps an extremely low media profile – has lashed out at the four teams who think the EUR 400,000 fine and 15 deducted points penalty is […]
Drivers happy to race in corona hotspot Barcelona
Aug.10 (GMM) Top Formula 1 drivers say they are not overly worried about travelling to Barcelona for this weekend’s race. The Catalonia region is experiencing a significant uptick in coronavirus infections, with the British government officially advising against travel to the area. “I don’t really know a lot about what’s happening there,” world champion Lewis […]
Magnussen wants ‘new car’ after Silverstone struggle
Aug.10 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen thinks something is fundamentally wrong with his Haas car. The Danish driver retired from Sunday’s race at Silverstone with excessive vibrations, and the team had run out of suitable new tyres to return to the track. Magnussen suspects something is wrong with his car – but not teammate Romain Grosjean’s. “We […]
Vettel, Ferrari should split up now – Berger
Aug.10 (GMM) Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel should split immediately. That is the view of former Ferrari driver and F1 legend Gerhard Berger, after tensions between Vettel and the Maranello team continued to flare on Sunday. “You know that you’ve messed up,” the quadruple world champion said on the radio during the Silverstone race. He was […]
Hamilton denies accusing Red Bull of cheating
Aug.10 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has denied insinuating that Red Bull under-inflated Max Verstappen’s tyres for Sunday’s race at Silverstone. While Verstappen raced to victory and the two Mercedes struggled with excessive tyre problems, world champion Hamilton said on the radio: “He must have less pressure in his tyres or something.” Former Red Bull driver Robert […]
Leclerc, Hamilton self-criticism ‘merciless’ – Vasseur
Aug.9 (GMM) Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have something in common – the intensity of their self-criticism. That is the claim of Frederic Vasseur, who worked with both drivers in the past on their road to Formula 1. “Only with Lewis Hamilton have I seen as much self-criticism as I saw with Charles Leclerc,” Vasseur, […]
Ferrari slammed for joining ‘pink Mercedes’ protest
Aug.9 (GMM) Dutch commentator Olav Mol has lashed out at Ferrari for daring to lodge a protest against Racing Point’s ‘pink Mercedes’. Multiple teams are enraged that, with its brake ducts found to have been illegally copied from Mercedes, Racing Point was fined EUR 400,000 and stripped of 15 points – but the car can […]
‘Sources’ say Daimler unhappy with Wolff
Aug.9 (GMM) Toto Wolff’s relationship with Daimler could be souring, according to the respected Dutch publication nu.nl. Firstly, the Mercedes team boss is at the centre of the ‘pink Mercedes’ car copying scandal, with five teams already siding against Wolff’s support for Racing Point. “It’s a small revolution. Small in every way,” Wolff was quoted […]
Hulkenberg hailed, but Perez likely to return
Aug.9 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg deserves a full-time return to Formula 1. That was the sentiment of basically the entire paddock and beyond on Saturday, as the German qualified third behind the Mercedes cars at Silverstone. While his ‘pink Mercedes’ is a controversial topic at present, nobody begrudged Hulkenberg the result as he continues to sub […]
Gasly ‘pushing’ for Red Bull return
Aug.9 (GMM) Pierre Gasly has vowed to “seize the opportunity” if he sees a chance to return to Red Bull. Mid last season, the Frenchman found himself under intense pressure as he struggled alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing. He was demoted to Alpha Tauri, but now it is his replacement – Alex Albon […]
Shwartzman ‘better than Mick Schumacher’ – Lehto
Aug.9 (GMM) There are doubts about whether Mick Schumacher can take the final step to Formula 1. The 21-year-old Ferrari junior, whose father is the seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, stepped up to Formula 2 last year, finishing just twelfth overall for the top Prema team. But so far in 2020, the German is […]
2021 a ‘fresh new beginning’ for Vettel – Heidfeld
Aug.9 (GMM) Big questions are being asked about Sebastian Vettel’s obvious decline at Ferrari. With Vettel to be ousted at the end of the year, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton wonders if Ferrari has stopped supporting the quadruple world champion altogether. “I don’t think they’re doing much to make Sebastian shine at the moment,” he said. Tyres […]