Jul.8 (GMM) Multiple authoritative media sources are now reporting that Fernando Alonso will definitely return to Formula 1 with Renault in 2021. We reported on Tuesday that, with Spanish radio Cadena SER and Movistar correspondent Noemi de Miguel having broken the news in the past days, the French team was shaping up to announce Daniel […]
Category: Recent stories
Red Bull looking into ‘more extreme’ DAS system
Jul.8 (GMM) Red Bull is looking into designing a “more extreme solution” now that the FIA has declared Mercedes’ innovative DAS steering system fully legal. In Austria, the energy drink owned team lodged an official protest against the technology, which allows Mercedes’ drivers to adjust the ‘toe’ of the front wheels by pulling and pushing […]
Red Bull enters world of F1 broadcasting
Jul.8 (GMM) Red Bull has now entered the world of Formula 1 broadcasting. Already an owner of two teams and the promoter of the Austrian GP, it has now been confirmed that Red Bull-owned Servus TV will keep Formula 1 on free-to-air television in Austria. The broadcaster will share the coverage with existing F1 broadcaster […]
‘Gloves are off’ in Mercedes vs Red Bull battle
Jul.7 (GMM) Tensions are heating up between title contenders Mercedes and Red Bull. In Austria, it became clear that the fight this year would not just be between their respective drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. On Friday, Red Bull launched a protest against Mercedes’ innovative ‘DAS’ steering system. And on Sunday, the energy drink […]
Renault may announce Alonso news on Wednesday
Jul.7 (GMM) Renault is shaping up to reveal Fernando Alonso as the works team’s driver for 2021. The rumours gained new momentum last week, when Spanish radio Cadena SER said the two-time world champion could even return to Formula 1 this season to replace McLaren-bound Daniel Ricciardo. Team boss Cyril Abiteboul denied that, insisting that […]
Failure makes title ‘a lot harder now’ – Verstappen
Jul.7 (GMM) The opening race weekend of 2020 has made Max Verstappen’s big title target “a lot more difficult to achieve”. The Dutchman, and his Red Bull team, want the 22-year-old to beat Sebastian Vettel’s old record to become the youngest ever world champion this year. But Verstappen retired during the season opener last Sunday […]
Activism ‘a distraction’ for Hamilton – Schumacher
Jul.7 (GMM) The first race of 2020 in Austria was “certainly not the best weekend” for Lewis Hamilton. That is the view of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, who has been vocally critical of the way Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel performed at the Red Bull Ring. But while in the spotlight for his Black Lives Matter […]
No big decisions amid F1 uncertainty – Steiner
Jul.7 (GMM) Haas will continue to tread water regarding the development of its 2020 car, according to team boss Gunther Steiner. As owner Gene Haas considers whether to keep funding the small American team, Steiner recently ordered a halt to car developments amid the corona crisis and uncertain race calendar. “I still don’t know the […]
Ecclestone, Marko, told Vettel to reveal truth
Jul.7 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he advised Sebastian Vettel to go public about the way he was axed by Ferrari. Before last weekend, the official story was that the quadruple world champion and the Maranello team had decided mutually to part ways after 2020. But Vettel shattered that narrative in Austria, revealing that he was […]
‘No problem’ with Vettel as teammate – Verstappen
Jul.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen insists he would have “no problem” racing with Sebastian Vettel as his teammate. As Vettel’s relationship with Ferrari crumbles apparently by the hour, Red Bull boss Christian Horner continues to play down the likelihood that the quadruple world champion may return to the team he leads. “Seb needs a good environment, […]
Zanardi condition ‘severe’ after third surgery
Jul.7 (GMM) After a third surgery, the hospital looking after Alex Zanardi says the former F1 driver’s neurological condition remains “severe”. The Santa Maria Alle Scotte hospital in Siena, Italy, said the latest five-hour operation was for “cranio-facial reconstruction”, after the 53-year-old recently crashed into a truck during a hand-cycling road race. “The fractures were […]
Ferrari CEO backs embattled team boss Binotto
Jul.7 (GMM) Ferrari’s CEO has expressed “confidence” in team boss Mattia Binotto after an uncompetitive start to the 2020 season in Austria. The Maranello team is currently fast-tracking its scheduled Hungary update so that “at least some” of the parts can debut on the troubled 2020 car this weekend. But given that the new car […]
UK gov’t clears F1 staff for Silverstone races
Jul.6 (GMM) The Formula 1 circus has received a green light to travel to Britain for the back-to-back races at Silverstone next month. Until now, all international travellers to Britain were facing 14 days of mandatory quarantine, which would have made the races almost impossible. “Now that the pubs have opened … we assume there […]
Mugello’s 2020 F1 race hopes at ’98 percent’ – Binotto
Jul.6 (GMM) Mugello’s chances of hosting a Formula 1 race on the 2020 ‘corona calendar’ stand at 98 percent. That is the claim of Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s team boss. The Maranello-based company also owns Mugello, a challenging circuit in northern Tuscany. Mugello is well known as a test track, but it is now slated to […]
Mercedes’ current drivers staying in 2021 – Kallenius
Jul.6 (GMM) Ola Kallenius, the CEO of Mercedes’ parent company Daimler, has ruled out a move to the German works team for Sebastian Vettel. At the same time, the Swede all but officially confirmed that both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas – who are both yet to sign new contracts – will be staying put […]
Vettel-Ferrari union continues to break down
Jul.6 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel’s relationship with Ferrari continued to deteriorate after the 2020 season re-start in Austria. It was the first race weekend since the Maranello team made the decision to oust the quadruple world champion at the end of the year. The event finally made clear the extent of Ferrari’s problems with its 2020 […]
F1 should re-think in-race driver penalties – Marko
Jul.6 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says Formula 1 should re-think the “whole system” of in-race driver penalties. After Max Verstappen retired with technical trouble, his Red Bull teammate Alex Albon tried to pass Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in Austria but was tipped into a spin. “This guy is such a sore loser!” Albon raged on the […]
F1 should be ‘careful’ with political movements – Todt
Jul.6 (GMM) Jean Todt admits Formula 1 should be “very careful” about letting the world of politics into the paddock. As the sport got up and racing in the coronavirus era on Sunday, six of the 20 drivers chose not to follow Lewis Hamilton’s lead by kneeling on the grid in support of the Black […]
Black car may increase overheating risk – Wolff
Jul.5 (GMM) Toto Wolff has admitted to some concern about Mercedes’ new black livery. The team boss revealed this week that Lewis Hamilton had pushed for the change in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. But there have been rumours that some Mercedes engineers are worried the sudden and unforeseen switch to black paint […]
Two drivers breach coronavirus rules in Austria
Jul.5 (GMM) Two breaches of F1’s strict coronavirus measures have emerged from Austria. The first is footage by Germany’s RTL broadcaster depicting McLaren driver Lando Norris failing a mandatory forehead temperature check at the Red Bull Ring. The 20-year-old is then seen holding a cold water bottle to his forehead before being checked again and […]