Mar.11 (GMM) Juan Pablo Montoya was the first to tell Haas boss Gunther Steiner about Kevin Magnussen’s talent. Magnussen joined the American team after stints at McLaren and Renault. But Haas boss Steiner says he first heard about the Danish driver from former F1 winner Montoya. “Kevin is friends with Juan Pablo,” Steiner told BT […]
Category: Recent stories
Ericsson put on 7kg since leaving F1
Mar.11 (GMM) Marcus Ericsson is disappointed F1’s driver weight rule change arrived a year late for him. The Swede, whose 2018 teammate Charles Leclerc progressed from Sauber to Ferrari for 2019, has switched to Indycar this year after losing his F1 seat. He admits to putting on some weight. “My height was always a handicap […]
Only top 10 eligible for fastest lap point
Mar.11 (GMM) Only the top ten finishers will be eligible for F1’s new point-for-fastest-lap system. We reported last week that Liberty Media is introducing a system whereby the driver with the fastest lap of the race also gets a point. “They think it will increase the tension to the end of the race,” said Roger […]
Verstappen unsure over 2019 title tilt
Mar.11 (GMM) Max Verstappen is not ready to declare himself a real challenger for the 2019 title. His boss at Red Bull, Dr Helmut Marko, has named the Dutchman alongside Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel as the main three contenders this year. When asked if he agrees, Verstappen told Ziggo Sport: “It’s just so difficult […]
Hamilton ‘thinking about’ MotoGP switch
Mar.11 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is “thinking about” a switch to two wheels. Before travelling to Australia, the five time world champion spent a day in Qatar to watch the MotoGP action. Hamilton even tested a high performance racing motorcycle recently, and is now targeting a MotoGP test. “Switching to two wheels? I’m […]
‘Calm’ Ferrari can win 2019 title – Brawn
Mar.11 (GMM) Ross Brawn thinks a “calmness” that has descended over Ferrari could deliver the world title in 2019. Sebastian Vettel made mistakes last year, but Liberty’s F1 sporting director insists that the German is “more than capable” of winning again. “With the calmness the team now have, they have every chance this year,” he […]
Silverstone future still in doubt – Brawn
Mar.11 (GMM) Silverstone’s F1 future remains in doubt. Rolling the dice on renegotiating their contract with a lower annual fee, organisers of the British grand prix have terminated the deal. “We want to find a solution,” Ross Brawn, Liberty Media’s F1 sporting boss, said. “But we are differing in our views of what’s reasonable. We’re […]
2019 rule changes ‘no harm’ – Brawn
Mar.11 (GMM) Ross Brawn says F1 has taken the right step forward by tweaking the aerodynamic rules for 2019. Currently, paddock opinions are divided over whether the changes, including to the front wings, will make overtaking easier. But Brawn, Liberty Media’s F1 sporting boss, says the critics are missing the point. “If we had done […]
Driver with fastest lap to get point in 2019
Mar.8 (GMM) Liberty Media is contemplating a significant rule change for 2019. Roger Benoit, a veteran correspondent for the Swiss newspaper Blick, revealed: “Liberty Media wants to award a point for the fastest race lap from 2019. “They think it will increase the tension to the end of the race,” he said. Benoit, though, is […]
Bottas gets Hamilton engineer for 2019
Mar.8 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas new a new race engineer for 2019. The Mercedes driver struggled last year, and for 2019 has emerged with a determined attitude and a new beard. The Finn also has a new race engineer. “My preparation has not really changed,” he told Bild newspaper. “What is new is that I have […]
Ross Brawn backs Mick Schumacher
Mar.8 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has won the backing of Liberty Media’s F1 sporting boss, Ross Brawn. Brawn was the technical boss at Ferrari during the Italian team’s ultra-successful Michael Schumacher era. Now, Michael’s 19-year-old son is the top member of the Ferrari development ‘academy’, and is being advised by Nicolas Todt, the son of FIA […]
Mercedes must not do ‘too much’ to catch Ferrari – Wolff
Mar.8 (GMM) Toto Wolff says Mercedes can fight back in 2019. Based on winter testing, it appears that the reigning world champions are trailing both Ferrari and Red Bull-Honda. “We estimate that we are two, three tenths behind Ferrari and two tenths ahead of Mercedes,” Dr Helmut Marko, a top Red Bull official, told APA […]
Hakkinen applauds Alfa Romeo for 2019 car
Mar.8 (GMM) Mika Hakkinen has applauded Alfa Romeo for its daring 2019 car. The 1998 and 1999 world champion admits he was among those who were surprised when the wraps came off the former Sauber outfit’s new single seater. “I said ‘The car looks different’,” the Finn is quoted by the Finnish broadcaster MTV. “It […]
Marko warns Gasly after two testing crashes
Mar.8 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has warned Pierre Gasly to drive more cautiously. Marko is the top Red Bull official under team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and he is targeting “a minimum of five wins” in the first Honda-powered year. “I believe we also have a certain chance of the world championship,” he told APA news […]
Boss ‘not surprised’ by Leclerc’s pace
Mar.8 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says Ferrari is “not surprised” about the testing performance of team newcomer Charles Leclerc. In winter testing, most agreed that 21-year-old Leclerc, who replaces Kimi Raikkonen, looked a match for Sebastian Vettel. “We are not surprised with what we saw from him,” new team boss Binotto said. However, he has said […]
Raikkonen hoping for Lotus-like season in 2019
Mar.8 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen is quietly hoping for a race win in 2019. The Finn has left Ferrari after a long career with the Maranello marque, and now drives for the Ferrari-linked Sauber team — now known as Alfa Romeo. In 2012, the now 39-year-old Raikkonen returned to F1 following a rallying and Nascar sabbatical, […]
Rumour – Williams to supply Pirelli test car
Mar.8 (GMM) Williams appears to have been nominated as the supplier of a Pirelli test car for 2021. Earlier, we reported that F1’s official supplier was seeking a test car to conduct development of the 18 inch tyres for 2021 later this year. “One of the biggest problems at the moment is to find a […]
Webber says two drivers ‘best’ in 2019
Mar.8 (GMM) Mark Webber has named two drivers as “the best” on the current F1 grid. The former F1 driver says he has been following Barcelona testing and reading the news ahead of the 2019 season opener in Australia next week. “There’s a lot of shadow-boxing going on,” he told the Australian Financial Review. The […]
Marko predicts ‘three way battle’ for drivers’ title
Mar.7 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is predicting a “three-way battle” for the 2019 world championship. Most predictions after winter testing agree that Ferrari is leading Red Bull-Honda and Mercedes as the sport heads to Australia. That is despite the fact that some observers say the new Red Bull-Honda works collaboration is a “question mark”. But […]
Paddy Lowe leaves Williams
Mar.7 (GMM) Paddy Lowe has left Williams. The struggling team, whose 2019 car was delayed to the point that Robert Kubica said he is only “20pc” prepared for Australia, is calling it a “leave of absence for personal reasons”. But it is clear that Lowe, a highly regarded engineer from his earlier time at McLaren […]