Nov.12 (GMM) Honda is getting close to making a decision about whether or not to stay in Formula 1. That is the claim of Dr Helmut Marko, a top official at Red Bull. Both of Red Bull’s teams – Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso – are powered by Honda. “Honda hasn’t decided yet,” Marko […]
Category: Recent stories
Verstappen denies dismissing Hamilton success
Nov.12 (GMM) Max Verstappen has fended off a rumour that he has signed a pre-contract with Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton if the six-time champion quits Mercedes for 2021. “Slippery question,” the Red Bull-Honda driver smiled to Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper. “I am happy where I am. I want to win with Red Bull. […]
Verstappen says he is too ‘honest’ and ‘direct’
Nov.12 (GMM) After accusing Ferrari of cheating in Austin, Max Verstappen now wants to move on. It is believed Mattia Binotto threatened Verstappen’s Red Bull boss Christian Horner with legal action after the Dutch driver alleged that Ferrari cheated with its 2019 engine. “It’s a sensitive topic that I’m not going back to,” Verstappen told […]
Hans-Joachim Stuck warns against F1 quit threats
Nov.12 (GMM) German motor racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck thinks there is a risk that Formula 1’s top teams will threaten to quit the sport. The ten teams are not only yet to sign the 2021 Concorde Agreement, it has also emerged that the published 2021 regulations are effectively a draft. “What is written down on […]
Alonso enjoys watching Verstappen in ‘attack mode’
Nov.12 (GMM) Former F1 driver Fernando Alonso has admitted he enjoys watching Max Verstappen race. Frustrated with the sport last year, Spaniard Alonso quit at the age of 37 and is currently preparing to contest the fabled Dakar rally. “I find the motivation to try new categories due to my passion to win,” he told […]
Toto Wolff to miss Brazilian GP
Nov.12 (GMM) Toto Wolff will this weekend sit out a grand prix for the first time since 2013. Now the Mercedes boss, 47-year-old Wolff began attending races regularly in 2019 when he bought a share of Williams. He left in 2013 when he and fellow Austrian Niki Lauda bought into Mercedes. Last week, Wolff was […]
Carey admits ‘fatigue’ due to longer calendars
Nov.11 (GMM) Chase Carey has acknowledged that rumours of 25-race calendars for the future at not popular in the Formula 1 paddock. Next year, the calendar will swell to an unprecedented 22 races. But in the new regulations for 2021 and beyond, provisions for up to 25 races in the future have been made. “We […]
Mayor rejects moves to block Miami race
Nov.11 (GMM) Efforts to organise a grand prix in Miami have received a reprieve following a recent setback. The plans for a race mainly on the grounds of the Hard Rock Stadium were dealt a blow recently at the Miami-Dade commission. Amid a local outcry from local groups, it was decided recently that road closures […]
Former manager thinks Schumacher will recover
Nov.11 (GMM) Michael Schumacher’s former manager thinks the F1 legend will recover from his brain injuries. Willi Weber who brought Schumacher into the sport in 1991, and worked with the seven time world champion until his less successful comeback in 2010. But he told Kolner Express newspaper that he was completely shut out by the […]
Renault plays down F1 quit rumours
Nov.11 (GMM) Renault has played down rumours it might quit Formula 1. Last week, reports suggested that amid on and off-track scandals, poor results and the loss of engine customers Red Bull and McLaren, new Renault CEO Clotilde Delbos might be poised to pull the carmaker out of F1. But a Renault spokesperson told f1only.fr […]
Team owner has ‘doubts’ about Haas future
Nov.11 (GMM) Team owner Gene Haas has “doubts” about the American team’s future in Formula 1. That is the admission of team boss Gunther Steiner, who says he had to discuss the team’s more-than-difficult 2019 season with owner Gene Haas in Austin. “The biggest problem he has is with our performance,” Steiner told Racer magazine. […]
Brawn admits F1 engine ‘freeze’ possible
Nov.11 (GMM) Ross Brawn has admitted that engine development in Formula 1 may be frozen. While the regulations are changing markedly for 2021, the hybrid ‘power units’ will not. “We know exactly where we are on 2021,” said Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul. “But fuel, bio-fuel, freeze, partial freeze, progressive freeze, complete freeze? In our opinion […]
2021 rules ‘a starting point’ – Brawn
Nov.11 (GMM) Ross Brawn suggests he doesn’t mind if the F1 teams see the newly-published regulations for 2021 as a draft. With the Maranello team having earlier expressed big concerns about the direction of the rules, the paddock was shocked recently when Ferrari voted in favour of them. But CEO Louis Camilleri then said: “What […]
2020 F1 debut ‘not realistic’ – Mick Schumacher
Nov.11 (GMM) Mick Schumacher says a 2020 Formula 1 race debut is not “realistic”. As reigning European F3 champion, the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher, who is also a Ferrari academy driver, made his Formula 2 debut this year. But Schumacher, 20, looks set to finish the season just twelfth overall. “It was not […]
Female champion rules out 2020 Williams seat
Nov.11 (GMM) A female driver has dismissed suggestions she is a contender to step up to Formula 1 in 2020. 21-year-old Jamie Chadwick, a 21-year-old Briton, won the inaugural all-female W Series this year. She is also a Williams development driver. But after winning her title, Chadwick admits to thinking her F1 debut is actually […]
Frank Williams still supporting daughter as team boss
Nov.11 (GMM) As Williams’ abysmal 2019 season races on, boss Claire Williams is still insisting she will not quit. The daughter of founder Sir Frank Williams told Yahoo Sport that she has “of course” thought about giving up as the iconic team struggles to recover under her leadership. “I wasn’t prepared to give up because […]
Alonso in talks with Andretti about Indy 500
Nov.8 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is in talks with Michael Andretti’s Indycar outfit. In 2017, Alonso was charging for Indy 500 victory in an Andretti-prepared McLaren entry when his Honda engine failed. But last year, as McLaren went it alone without Andretti Autosport’s support, Alonso failed even to qualify. So it is interesting that according to […]
Dutch GP ‘proud’ to fend off environmental attacks
Nov.8 (GMM) Jan Lammers says he is “proud” that Dutch GP organisers have so far fended off strong environmental opposition to next year’s Zandvoort race. The former F1 driver is the spokesman of the Zandvoort organisers, who have managed to repel the legal and bureaucratic hurdles put in their path so far by environmental groups. […]
Raikkonen not worried about slower cars in 2021
Nov.8 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is not worried about Formula 1 being slower in 2021. Some have expressed fears that the 3-4 seconds per lap drop to accommodate cars that are easier to overtake with is a step backwards for the sport. But 40-year-old Raikkonen told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “It doesn’t matter if in 2021 […]
Vettel ‘not worthy quadruple champion’ – Irvine
Nov.8 (GMM) Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine thinks the Maranello team should make Charles Leclerc its number 1 driver. Irvine said at the start of the year that he thinks Vettel would be “a sitting duck” now that Leclerc is his teammate. “I thought Leclerc had a good chance of beating him because I don’t […]