May 13 (GMM) Speculation about Sebastian Vettel’s next move is already in a high gear. On Tuesday, Ferrari announced that the German driver is not staying at the Maranello team beyond 2020. Team boss Mattia Binotto said there was “no specific reason” for the joint decision, while the quadruple world champion hinted that the required […]
Category: Recent stories
Ecclestone ‘can’t imagine’ Ferrari exit
May 12 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he “can’t imagine” Formula 1 without Ferrari. Recently, amid suggestions the sport will force through a reduced budget cap for 2021, team boss Mattia Binotto hinted that the Maranello team could look elsewhere in the world of motor racing. “I could never imagine Formula 1 without Ferrari,” former F1 […]
Rosberg questions Hamilton’s fitness claims
May 12 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has questioned former teammate Lewis Hamilton’s claim that he is fitter than ever amid the corona shutdown. Mercedes’ Hamilton claims he is “fitter and healthier” than ever, even though drivers are in the midst of what will be a five month layoff for the pandemic. Hamilton also said the period […]
Marko rejects Ricciardo, Horner rumours
May 12 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has played down suggestions Daniel Ricciardo could return to Red Bull Racing in 2021. Australian Ricciardo, whose Renault contract is expiring, has also been linked with Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari seat. Marko told Sport1 that he would prefer if Alex Albon performs strongly enough to keep the second Red Bull […]
Vettel exit announcement set for Tuesday
May 12 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel will leave Ferrari at the end of 2020, according to several authoritative media sources. Germany’s Bild newspaper and Auto Motor und Sport were the first to reveal that the quadruple world champion and Ferrari have not been able to agree on a contract extension. Bild cited a source as it […]
Carey eyes full 22-race calendar for 2021
May 12 (GMM) Notwithstanding F1’s decimated race calendar for 2020, Chase Carey says he is determined to put together a full schedule of grands prix for 2021. The American heads the sport’s owner Liberty Media, who according to Auto Motor und Sport has already advanced survival payments to Haas, Alfa Romeo, Racing Point, Alpha Tauri […]
Alpha Tauri preparing corona ‘back-up team’
May 12 (GMM) Alpha Tauri has a plan in the event that a coronavirus infection is confirmed during F1’s planned return to racing from July. F1 doctor Professor Gerard Saillant recently declared that, unlike in Melbourne, the sport will keep racing even if a new infection emerges in the paddock. “If an employee is infected […]
Hulkenberg eyes racing outside of F1
May 12 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says he might return to racing – even if it is not Formula 1. “It depends on the sporting perspective,” the former Renault driver, who lost his seat at the end of 2019, told DPA news agency. Hulkenberg, 32, contested almost 180 grands prix in a decade-long career, but never […]
BMW accuses Audi of ‘jeopardising’ DTM
Apr.11 (GMM) BMW has accused fellow German carmaker Audi of “jeopardising” the future of the German touring car series DTM. The category’s viability is hanging by a thread after Audi decided to pull out after 2020, which would leave BMW as the only competitor. Klaus Frohlich, a BMW board member, told Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that […]
Dutch broadcaster says no to ‘ghost races’
Apr.11 (GMM) Ziggo Sport, the Dutch broadcaster of Formula 1, will not be present at July’s planned re-start of the 2020 season in Austria. Although it was understood that members of the media would be excluded at the ‘ghost race’ anyway, Ziggo reporter Jack Plooij said the company has been in contact with F1. “We […]
Ferrari should enter Indycar – Andretti
Apr.11 (GMM) Ferrari should consider entering the Indycar championship. That is the view of Mario Andretti, a legend of both the top category of American open wheeler racing as well as Formula 1. Recently, as talk about reducing the F1 budget cap for 2021 intensified, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto suggested the Italian marque could consider […]
Williams ‘closer to other teams’ in 2020 – Latifi
Apr.11 (GMM) Nicholas Latifi is settling in for “several more weeks” away from the world of Formula 1. The Canadian said it was “really strange” when he travelled to Australia for his debut race, only for it to be cancelled at the last minute over coronavirus. “At the start, we weren’t sure what to do, […]
Alonso eyes ‘good future’ for friend Sainz
Apr.11 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is hoping his countryman and friend Carlos Sainz has a “good future” in Formula 1. Spaniard Sainz, who currently drives for Alonso’s former team McLaren, is being linked with a move to Ferrari for 2021. “If an agreement is not reached with Sebastian Vettel, I quietly doubt that Ricciardo would be […]
Barcelona wants new contract through 2024
Apr.11 (GMM) Barcelona is still hoping to remain on the F1 calendar beyond 2020. On the face of it, the Spanish circuit is firmly established in the sport, having hosted its first F1 race in 1991 and now serving as the exclusive winter test venue. But the 2020 race contract was actually a one-off, agreed […]
July ‘late’ for 2021 contract talks – Ricciardo
Apr.11 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has admitted that his own future in Formula 1 is on his mind during the corona crisis. First team advisor Alain Prost, and now boss Cyril Abiteboul, have revealed in recent days that it is possible Australian Ricciardo will leave after 2020. Sebastian Vettel could be a candidate to replace him. […]
Tost bets F1 season will re-start in Austria
Apr.11 (GMM) Franz Tost is hopeful F1’s plan for ‘ghost races’ starting in July will work out. That is despite the fact that there are obvious issues with that plan to re-start amid the corona crisis. For instance, British PM Boris Johnson has announced that all international travellers will need to quarantine for a full […]
Insider says Ecclestone’s corona advice ‘disingenuous’
May 8 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone’s advice that Formula 1 should cancel the 2020 season altogether is “disingenuous”, according to an insider. With so much at stake due to the sport’s shutdown for the corona crisis, Liberty Media is working desperately on a plan to start running again from July with ‘ghost races’. Alexey Popov, the […]
Two Schumachers in F1 again would be ‘cool’ – Weber
May 8 (GMM) Willi Weber says it would be “cool” to see two new Schumachers on the Formula 1 grid. Although he fell out with the family after Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident, Willi Weber was a key figure in the seven time world champion’s meteoric F1 career. Now, Michael’s son Mick is knocking on the […]
Carey admits ‘no racing’ possible in 2020
May 8 (GMM) F1 CEO Chase Carey has admitted it is possible there will be “no racing” at all in 2020. Currently, Liberty Media is working on a plan to get back up and running amid the corona crisis with back-to-back ‘ghost race’ weekends in Austria in July. Indycar and MotoGP have similar plans to […]
Spa waiting for government ‘green light’
May 7 (GMM) Spa-Francorchamps is waiting for the “green light from the government” to push ahead with plans for a 2020 Belgian GP. The famous circuit has a August 30 date on the original 2020 calendar – but the Belgian government has banned mass events until the 31st. Race promoter Vanessa Maes told RTBF that […]