May 28 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is emerging as a leading figure in the next round of the 2021 ‘silly season’. Contrary to wishful speculation, it appears unlikely that Mercedes would pair Sebastian Vettel with Lewis Hamilton. A more likely scenario is that George Russell will line up with the six-time world champion next year. It […]
Category: Recent stories
F1 ready to publish 8-race European calendar
May 28 (GMM) Formula 1 is preparing to publish an eight-race calendar that it hopes will restart the 2020 season amid the corona crisis. It comes just as the FIA confirmed that a $145 million budget cap, and a range of other measures including “linear” aero development restrictions for the better performing teams, are definitely […]
Maldonado predicting driver trouble at Ferrari
May 27 (GMM) Former F1 driver Pastor Maldonado is expecting trouble at Ferrari in 2020. The Italian team and Sebastian Vettel have announced their split – but that will only take effect from the 2021 season. It means that the tension seen between teammates Vettel and Charles Leclerc could even intensify once the racing finally […]
Leclerc admits to missing real racing ‘so much’
May 27 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has admitted he desperately misses racing in Formula 1. Although the Ferrari driver has become a star of at-home simulator racing and the streaming service Twitch during the corona crisis, he says his real love is the real race track. “The only thing I have in mind now is to […]
Aleshin says F1 more ‘show’ than sport
May 27 (GMM) Formula 1 is “more of a show” than a sport, according to a boss of the Russian program SMP Racing. SMP Racing, headed by SMP Bank chief and Russian oligarch Boris Rotenberg, is active in various motor racing categories and backs the former Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin. “I’m not a very big […]
Ferrari working on 20hp boost for Austria
May 27 (GMM) Ferrari is aiming to show up in Austria in July with an engine packing 20 more horsepower. When the Melbourne season opener was called off, most insiders were predicting at the time that the engine legality scandal of 2019 had hurt Ferrari in the power stakes. Ferrari’s Maranello HQ has been shut […]
Abiteboul disappointed and surprised to lose Ricciardo
May 27 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul admits he is “disappointed” to lose Daniel Ricciardo for 2021. Earlier in May, the Renault team boss took a parting shot at Australian Ricciardo, saying that amid the corona crisis “reciprocated confidence, unity and commitment are, more than ever, critical values for a works team”. Ricciardo, widely regarded as having […]
Report names potential Renault F1 buyer
May 27 (GMM) A potential buyer for embattled Renault’s works Formula 1 team has emerged. On Tuesday, it emerged that about 75 members of the McLaren team are losing their jobs, with chairman Paul Walsh admitting it is a “challenging time for our company”. At the same time, reports suggest that Renault’s obvious financial problems […]
FIA to scrap complex ‘MGU-H’ for 2025
May 26 (GMM) F1’s governing FIA is preparing to scrap the ‘MGU-H’ element of the current engine formula for 2025. The news was broken by Spanish correspondent Albert Fabrega, who says the ‘motor generator unit – heat’ is ground-breaking technology that has obvious weaknesses in F1. For instance, he says the technology is expensive, complex, […]
Rosberg achievements ‘not appreciated’ – Kovalainen
May 26 (GMM) The extent of Nico Rosberg’s career achievements in Formula 1 is not fully appreciated. That is the view of Heikki Kovalainen, a former F1 driver who – like Rosberg – was once paired inside a team with Lewis Hamilton. “Formula 1 is mentally and physically gruelling enough without having such a virtuoso […]
Binotto tasked with ‘difficult situation’ – Piero Ferrari
May 26 (GMM) Mattia Binotto will be tasked with a “difficult and unusual situation” once the racing kicks off in 2020. That is the view of Piero Ferrari, the son of founder Enzo Ferrari who is also the fabled Italian marque’s vice president and co-owner. And he is not just referring to the corona crisis. […]
Mick Schumacher tipped for mid-season 2020 debut
May 26 (GMM) Mick Schumacher could make his Formula 1 race debut much earlier than expected. Officially, Michael Schumacher’s son is taking his rise to the top steadily, as he plans to do another full year of Formula 2 in 2020. “The good thing about the Schumacher family is that they know exactly what to […]
Mercedes man tipped to run Aston Martin
May 26 (GMM) Intrigue about the future of Mercedes’ works team is only intensifying. In the past days, weeks and months, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has been clearly moving in the direction of fellow Aston Martin investor Lawrence Stroll. Wolff admits he is in talks with new Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius about his role […]
Renault not rushing to replace Ricciardo
May 26 (GMM) Renault will not rush to name Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement for 2021. Amid rumours the parent carmaker is in serious financial trouble, Australian Ricciardo decided recently to switch next year to McLaren. Team boss Cyril Abiteboul told Dutch media including De Telegraaf and Ziggo Sport that there is no rush to name a […]
F1 drivers ‘impatient’ for 2020 season to restart
May 26 (GMM) Formula 1 drivers are starting to look forward to the resumption of racing in July. It now appears likely that initial plans for ‘ghost races’ in Austria, Silverstone, Hockenheim and Hungary starting in July will get the green light. “I am still in the simulator a lot, but not as often as […]
Austrian government to give F1 green light
May 26 (GMM) Austrian officials look set to show a green light to Formula 1’s plans to re-start the 2020 season in July. Health and sports ministers Rudolf Anschober and Werner Kogler have given the strongest indication yet that the plan for back-to-back ‘ghost races’ will be approved. “There are entry and exit regulations, provisions […]
Massa not revealing Schumacher health ‘information’
May 25 (GMM) Felipe Massa says he is not going to divulge the “information” he knows about the health of his former Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher. Ever since his late 2013 skiing crash, Schumacher’s family has managed to keep the extent of the seven time world champion’s brain injuries almost completely secret. One of the […]
Leclerc denies Sainz will be Ferrari number 2
May 25 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has denied that he will be the undisputed ‘number 1’ at Ferrari from 2021. Ferrari’s move to oust Sebastian Vettel and replace him with Carlos Sainz has been interpreted as a clear hierarchical shift for the Maranello team. But after driving a Ferrari sports car around the Monaco circuit on […]
Pundit thinks Vettel to Aston Martin ‘possible’
May 25 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel will join “a winning team” for 2021 or quit the sport, according to his former boss Dr Helmut Marko. Speculation about the quadruple world champion’s future is rife after Ferrari announced that he will be replaced by Carlos Sainz next year. “I have spoken to Sebastian and of course we […]
Alonso will help Sainz adjust to Ferrari – Domenicali
May 25 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has tipped former Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso to help his countryman Carlos Sainz “a lot” with his adjustment to life with the Italian team. “It will be important for Carlos to prepare well this year to be able to withstand the pressure he will experience at Ferrari,” said Domenicali, who […]