Oct.12 (GMM) F1 needs to get back to basics in order to spice up the show, according to Alain Prost. Now a Renault advisor, the F1 legend and quadruple world champion is an avowed ‘purist’ who thinks the sport was better when the rules and cars were simpler. “The engine rules are the most complicated,” […]
Category: Recent stories
Vettel-Ferrari collapse ‘incomprehensible’ – Doornbos
Oct.12 (GMM) Former F1 driver Robert Doornbos has joined those who are critical of Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s handling of their 2018 title quest. Now with just four races to go, winning the championship seems like an impossible task for German Vettel, despite recently having the best car in the field. Doornbos, a former Red […]
Webber hopes Indycar move right for Alonso
Oct.12 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he still has not decided what he will be doing in 2019. Frustrated with modern F1 and the top teams’ apparent refusal to sign him, the double world champion is quitting the sport at the end of the year. The Le Mans winner in 2018, Alonso is reportedly now weighing […]
Abiteboul understands Mercedes team orders
Oct.11 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul understands why Mercedes has imposed ‘team orders’ at the tail end of the 2018 world championship. Some think that, given Lewis Hamilton’s lead over Sebastian Vettel, the Mercedes driver does not need the ‘number 2’ backing of teammate Valtteri Bottas. But Abiteboul, the boss at Renault, understands Toto Wolff’s call. “When […]
Wehrlein turned down Formula E for F1 hopes
Oct.11 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein looks to be focused on returning to formula one in 2019. The German lost his seat at Sauber at the end of last year, and now he is escaping from his Mercedes contract in a move interpreted as preparation for a potential Toro Rosso drive. Wehrlein recently tested the Formula E […]
James Key exit hurt Toro Rosso – Gasly
Oct.11 (GMM) The departure of technical boss James Key hurt Toro Rosso this year. That is the admission of Pierre Gasly, the Toro Rosso driver who is switching to the senior Red Bull team for 2019. It has been an odd season for Toro Rosso, as Honda steadily worked on its engine in anticipation for […]
McLaren ‘hit the bottom’ in 2018 – Sainz
Oct.11 (GMM) Carlos Sainz is confident McLaren will put itself back on track in 2019. Flavio Briatore, who is a manager of retiring McLaren driver Fernando Alonso, says the once great British team’s car has been “disastrous for years”. Replacing the Spaniard from next year is another Spaniard, Carlos Sainz. “I think they are doing […]
Alonso retirement ‘sad’ but ‘normal’ – Bell
Oct.11 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s F1 exit is “sad”, but it’s just part of the regeneration of the sport. That is the view of Bob Bell, a top Renault official who was also with the French works team when it won titles with Alonso over a decade ago. “It’s very sad that Fernando is leaving formula […]
Red Bull says ‘no’ to MotoGP test for Verstappen
Oct.11 (GMM) Red Bull has said ‘no’ to a MotoGP test for Max Verstappen. The newly 21-year-old has admitted that early in 2018, he successfully passed his motorbike license exam. He told De Telegraaf newspaper that he is now a Harley Davidson owner. “I have asked the team if I can try a MotoGP bike,” […]
F1 points system not changing
Oct.11 (GMM) F1’s points system is not changing for now. Earlier, Liberty Media proposed changing the current system so that the top 15 all score points, rather than just the top 10 like today. It was put to a vote of the team bosses, but F1 race director Charlie Whiting told Speed Week it was […]
Modern F1 ‘too predictable’ – Grosjean
Oct.11 (GMM) Romain Grosjean thinks modern formula one is too boring. “As a young person, I wouldn’t watch,” the Haas driver admitted to Auto Motor und Sport. “It’s too predictable. Who will win? Hamilton or Vettel. Who else is on the podium? Bottas or Kimi. Who is behind them? The Red Bulls,” Grosjean added. “Before […]
New favourite emerges for Toro Rosso seat
Oct.10 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted that Pascal Wehrlein is on the list of contenders to be Daniil Kvyat’s teammate at Toro Rosso next year. Pierre Gasly is moving on to Red Bull Racing, but Brendon Hartley’s place at the energy drink company’s junior outfit is not secure for 2019. “The results don’t exactly […]
‘Years’ until Renault title success – Hulkenberg
Oct.10 (GMM) It will take Renault a “few years” to be ready for a world title bid. That is the admission of Nico Hulkenberg, who next year will be joined at the French works team by Red Bull superstar Daniel Ricciardo. At the Paris motor show, the German driver admitted that Renault’s performance has tapered […]
Vettel had wrong approach in 2018 – Briatore
Oct.10 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel did not have the right approach to be world champion in 2018. That is the view of former title-winning Benetton and Renault team boss Flavio Briatore. Ferrari’s Vettel is being roundly criticised for mistakes that, despite earlier having the better car, have dropped him far behind championship rival Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes’ […]
Wolff not counting Hamilton’s title chickens yet
Oct.9 (GMM) Although Lewis Hamilton has reached his first ‘match point’ of 2018, his boss Toto Wolff insists it is not over yet. It might be said that, because Mercedes’ Hamilton can actually race into mathematical certainty for his fifth crown in Austin next weekend, he already has ‘one hand on the trophy’. Mercedes’ Wolff […]
Vettel ‘accepts he cannot win’ – Villeneuve
Oct.9 (GMM) Former world champions Jacques Villeneuve and Mika Hakkinen disagree about the fatal mistake committed by Sebastian Vettel at Suzuka. Some think the Ferrari driver collided with Max Verstappen at exactly the wrong moment, as it might now be seen as the final nail in the coffin of his title assault. But others think […]
Italian press savages Vettel, Ferrari
Oct.9 (GMM) The Italian press has savaged Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel as the Maranello team’s 2018 title falls apart. After Suzuka, it might be said that the final nail in the coffin of Vettel’s championship charge was hammered in. And given that Ferrari at one stage looked the favourite with the best car in the […]
Vandoorne wants ‘favourable conditions’ for F1 return
Oct.8 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says he will only agree to return to formula one if he is offered “favourable conditions”. The Belgian has lost his place at McLaren and acknowledges that his chances of finding another seat are basically “zero”. Rather, Mercedes’ new works team in Formula E is expected to name him as a […]
Vettel rules out leaving Ferrari
Oct.8 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is not going to leave Ferrari just because his 2018 title campaign is in tatters. Not long ago, the German looked set to use his superior red car to claw back ground against Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. But in Monza, Singapore, Russia and now Japan, not only did Ferrari’s mistakes […]
F1 struggling to explain Ferrari decline
Oct.8 (GMM) The F1 paddock is scratching its head about the strange and sudden decline of Ferrari’s 2018 championship assault. Some think Sebastian Vettel’s struggle is because the FIA installed a second sensor in his car’s controversial battery layout. Asked if he could explain what the sensor is for, F1 race director Charlie Whiting answered: […]