Aug.8 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he has “accepted” that he will not become Formula 1’s youngest ever champion. At 22, the Dutchman needed to secure the title this year in order to beat Sebastian Vettel’s old record. Verstappen says his Red Bull is not up to the job. “I have already accepted that a world […]
Category: Recent stories
Magnussen eyes F3 test to prepare for Imola
Aug.8 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says he wants to test a Formula 3 car at Imola before the sport races on the former San Marino GP venue in November. Imola, having not hosted a race since 2006, has been added to the sport’s ‘corona calendar’ to replace one of the originally scheduled and ultimately cancelled events. […]
Albon’s confidence now ‘below zero’ – Doornbos
Aug.8 (GMM) Alex Albon’s “self confidence” has dropped to “below zero” in 2020. That is the view of former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos, as he assesses the team’s current second driver in his struggle to keep up with Max Verstappen. Referring to an instance of oversteer in one of the fast corners at Silverstone […]
Perez hits out at ‘irresponsible’ opinions
Aug.8 (GMM) Sergio Perez says rumours about his coronavirus infection are “irresponsible”. Germany’s RTL claims the Mexican is not only still infected, but that the concentration of the virus is actually now higher in the Racing Point driver’s body than a week ago. That means Nico Hulkenberg is still in his pink car at Silverstone. […]
Wolff not commenting on Hamilton pay-cut rumours
Aug.8 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has hinted that his decision about what to do in 2021 has already been made. Although there are rumours Sergio Perez’s sponsors are willing to pay more, it is believed the Mexican will be replaced by Ferrari refugee Vettel after Racing Point becomes Aston Martin next year. La Gazzetta dello Sport […]
Marko calls soft tyres at Silverstone ‘useless’
Aug.8 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has lashed out at the “useless” soft tyres supplied by Pirelli at Silverstone. To spice up the back-to-back action at Silverstone, Formula 1 decided to mix up the allocation of mandatory tyre compounds for the two race weekends – with this weekend’s selection to be softer. That is despite the […]
Binotto hopes Mercedes stays in F1 in 2021
Aug.8 (GMM) Mattia Binotto hopes Mercedes stays in Formula 1 beyond the end of the year. The Ferrari boss’s statement comes after his Mercedes counterpart, Toto Wolff, said at Silverstone that the reigning champions are not ready to sign the 2021 Concorde Agreement. Recently in Hungary, Wolff slammed teams like Ferrari for their “ridiculous commentaries” […]
Teams to appeal ‘pink Mercedes’ penalty over car copying
Aug.8 (GMM) A group of rival teams is not happy with the outcome of Renault’s protest against the ‘pink Mercedes’ raced by Racing Point this year. Following a spate of protests against the car’s allegedly copied brake duct design so far this season, the FIA finally announced on Friday that Racing Point has been fined […]
Camara is Red Bull’s ‘corona’ reserve driver
Aug.7 (GMM) Amid all the current talk about reserve drivers, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko is calm. That is despite the fact that, following Sergio Perez’s positive corona test a week ago, Racing Point had to replace the Mexican at the eleventh hour with Nico Hulkenberg. Realising that Mercedes’ Stoffel Vandoorne is in Berlin for […]
Briatore should run Ferrari team – Ecclestone
Aug.7 (GMM) Flavio Briatore should replace Mattia Binotto as Ferrari’s team boss. That is the view of Bernie Ecclestone, the former F1 supremo who had close personal and business ties with the former Benetton and Renault chief. “He has won a couple of world championships with Renault and is incredibly competent,” Ecclestone, 89, told Germany’s […]
Media should ‘stop talking about’ kneeling – Sainz
Aug.7 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has lashed out at media reports and members of the public accusing him of racism. It comes after his latest interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, in which he said he does not kneel before races because of the Black Lives Matter movement’s links to violence and politics. “It is very […]
Rumours swirl around Perez, Vettel, Hulkenberg
Aug.7 (GMM) Great uncertainty is swirling around the immediate and longer-term future of Sergio Perez in Formula 1. The Mexican was sidelined with coronavirus last week, but Racing Point says he may now return to the seat for this weekend’s Silverstone race. “Public Health England have confirmed that Sergio Perez’s period of quarantine has been […]
Single practice idea for Imola ‘silly’ – Verstappen
Aug.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen has slammed Formula 1’s “silly” plans to slash the number of practice sessions from three to just one for November’s race at Imola. The weekend schedule for that race has been reduced to just two days, given the distance between the circuit in Italy and the preceding one in Portugal. However, […]
No ‘black clouds’ over struggling Albon
Aug.7 (GMM) Alex Albon insists his current situation at Red Bull is “not as bad as people think”. The British-born Thai driver is coming under increasing pressure at the energy drink company’s premier team, as he continues to struggle alongside star teammate Max Verstappen. Pierre Gasly, for one, is keen to return to the senior […]
Hamilton’s contract talks ‘more complicated’ – Bottas
Aug.7 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas insists he is not frustrated that he has been given only a further one-year Mercedes contract. The Finn, whose new deal is his fifth consecutive single-year agreement since joining the team in 2017, was openly hoping for a longer duration. “Although it’s only one year, and maybe there are some options, […]
Wolff wants Hamilton to sign three-year deal
Aug.6 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s boss says he would like to sign up the six-time world champion for the next three years. At Silverstone a week ago, the championship leader told reporters that he can imagine himself “going for at least three years” longer. Hamilton denied that talks about extending his contract with Mercedes are already […]
Hulkenberg backs temporary teammate Stroll
Aug.6 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has backed his current F1 teammate Lance Stroll. Hulkenberg was drafted onto the Racing Point lineup at the eleventh hour last weekend, when race regular Sergio Perez tested positive for coronavirus. RTL in Germany is reporting that the 32-year-old German will be back in the ‘pink Mercedes’ this weekend. His teammate […]
Leclerc admits he and Verstappen ‘hated each other’
Aug.6 (GMM) Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc says he and Max Verstappen “really hated each other a lot” back in their karting days. “We have grown up,” the 22-year-old told La Gazzetta dello Sport, referring to Red Bull’s similarly aged Verstappen. “I raced with him in karting for nine years, also growing up with George Russell, […]
Leclerc won’t kneel due to link with violence
Aug.6 (GMM) Charles Leclerc says he refuses to kneel before races due to the politicisation of racial issues, and the movement’s links to violence. The Ferrari driver is one of seven drivers – including Max Verstappen, Kimi Raikkonen, Carlos Sainz, Daniil Kvyat, Antonio Giovinazzi and Kevin Magnussen – who remained standing at Silverstone last weekend. […]
F1 hoping for ‘normal’ 2021 season – Todt
Aug.6 (GMM) Formula 1 is hoping and planning for a “normal” season in 2021, according to FIA president Jean Todt. This season was halted following the cancellation of the Melbourne opener, and in July started up again only with an incomplete replacement calendar, strict anti-virus measures, and spectator-less ‘ghost races’. Todt is hoping that is […]