Oct.8 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is coping well with a difficult end to his 2018 campaign. That is the news from Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, after the Sochi-Suzuka double header in which Finn Bottas was clearly playing the ‘number 2’ role in support of runaway championship leader Lewis Hamilton. Some have suggested Mercedes may try […]
Category: Recent stories
Ocon vows to stay in F1 paddock in 2019
Oct.7 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says he will stay in the F1 paddock next year even if he is not racing. The Frenchman looks set to lose his seat at Force India, and despite Mercedes’ best efforts, other teams like Renault and McLaren did not accommodate him. “No, I don’t blame them,” he told RMC Sport. […]
Kvyat does not make too many mistakes – Todt
Oct.7 (GMM) Jean Todt says he is happy to see Russian driver Daniil Kvyat back in F1. Kvyat lost his place in the Red Bull programme last year and has since been a Ferrari development driver. He will replace Pierre Gasly at Toro Rosso in 2019. “He is a very talented driver which he has […]
McLaren has ‘same car from 2017’ – Alonso
Oct.7 (GMM) McLaren has not developed its car since the opening few races of the season. That is the news from both of the struggling British team’s drivers. “We have not had improvements since Spain,” said Fernando Alonso. “We can see in photos and on the track that the rest of the teams in the […]
Vettel laments direction of modern F1
Oct.7 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has lamented F1’s direction of the past years. Previously, formula one was the clear pinnacle of motor sport, but it now appears that only the wealthiest and most well-connected can make it to the top. “Karting has become something a normal family can no longer afford, so many talents will fall […]
Arrivabene furious as Vettel title falls apart
Oct.7 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene was furious with his own team after Ferrari’s bungled qualifying at Suzuka. Sebastian Vettel’s chances were already in tatters, but a P9 qualifying in Japan looks to be one of the final nails in the coffin. “Is it still a battle?” Max Verstappen said on Saturday when asked if his P3 […]
Mistakes cost Vettel, Ferrari 2018 title – Marko
Oct.6 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks former protege Sebastian Vettel’s 2018 title chances are basically over. The Red Bull official thinks both Ferrari and Vettel, who won all of his titles with the energy drink owned team before switching to Ferrari, made mistakes that have probably cost them the championship. “I considered Vettel to be […]
Ericsson eyes Indycar move
Oct.6 (GMM) Marcus Ericsson has admitted his next move could be out of formula one and into Indycar. The Swede has been signed up to stay at Sauber next year as reserve driver, but he is quoted by Brazil’s Globo as indicating he also wants to keep racing. “We’re also talking to teams in other […]
Arrivabene angry amid ‘second sensor’ talk
Oct.6 (GMM) An angry Maurizio Arrivabene has lashed out after reports emerged that a second FIA sensor has been added to the 2018 Ferrari. Following suspicions about the legality of the Maranello team’s power unit, some believe the second sensor is the reason Ferrari’s recent performance has slumped. “That’s right, there’s an extra sensor,” team […]
McLaren, Williams plight saddens Hamilton
Oct.5 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is sad that two of F1’s most famous names are now struggling at the back. The quadruple world champion and Mercedes driver started his career at the then-powerful McLaren team. “I’m sad that they’re so far behind,” Hamilton told Belgium’s F1 Journaal. “I’m just as sorry that a team […]
Gasly helmet to be analysed after Sochi incident
Oct.5 (GMM) Pierre Gasly was lucky to escape injury during the Russian grand prix a week ago. Germany’s Bild newspaper has published an exclusive close-up photo of the damage done to the visor of the Frenchman’s helmet after a sizeable chunk of carbon fell off a rival’s car. Years ago, Red Bull official Dr Helmut […]
Arrivabene denies Ferrari exit rumours
Oct.5 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene has played down suggestions he is about to leave Ferrari and formula one. The Maranello team’s boss has been linked with a move to Juventus, the Italian football club connected to the Ferrari-linked Agnelli family. “I’ve been a member of the board of directors for years, before taking on this role […]
Hamilton ‘surprised’ by Ferrari team orders stance
Oct.5 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is “surprised” Ferrari has not played more of a team game in the fight for the 2018 world championship. The world championship leader defended his own team, Mercedes, after Valtteri Bottas was controversially ordered aside in Russia a week ago. “Formula one is a team sport,” Hamilton said in […]
Sirotkin wants to stay at Williams
Oct.5 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin says he would like to stay at Williams in 2019. Days ago, the boss of the Russian driver’s major sponsor, SMP Bank, said he is not sure if the backing of the struggling British team will continue. And at Sochi, Sirotkin’s management was spotted in conversation with Dr Helmut Marko, triggering […]
Ricciardo not expecting podium in 2019
Oct.5 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has admitted that he is unlikely to score even podiums in 2019. The Australian surprised the F1 paddock with his decision to switch from Red Bull to Renault. An alarming twist for Ricciardo is that Honda, Red Bull’s next engine supplier, is apparently speeding ahead of Renault in the horse power […]
Red Bull stopped Sainz deal – Abiteboul
Oct.4 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul says Red Bull blocked Renault’s efforts to re-sign Carlos Sainz. Sainz was merely ‘on loan’ from Red Bull this year, but the Spaniard will instead move to McLaren for 2019. “It was strange,” Russia’s Championat quotes Renault boss Abiteboul as saying. “In the end it was easier for us to sign […]
Bottas ‘more disciplined than Barrichello’ – Todt
Oct.4 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas handled the team orders saga of Sochi last weekend admirably. That is the view of FIA president Jean Todt. Back in the Ferrari heyday, former Ferrari boss Todt famously ordered Rubens Barrichello aside for Michael Schumacher, triggering the ire of the fans and a team orders ban. But the practice is […]
2019 rules no overtaking ‘fix’ – Tombazis
Oct.4 (GMM) FIA technical official Nikolas Tombazis has admitted the 2019 rule changes will not ‘fix’ formula one. There is widespread scepticism about claims the car design tweaks for next year will make overtaking easier. “Honestly, after our work in the simulator and the wind tunnel, we do not believe it will become easier to […]
No ‘Q4’ qualifying for 2019 – Brawn
Oct.4 (GMM) F1’s plans to tweak the qualifying system for 2019 appear to have failed for now. Liberty Media proposed adding a ‘Q4’ to the existing format, shortening all of the segments so that drivers have less time to perfect their laps. But Auto Motor und Sport reports that the teams did not unanimously vote […]
F1 should slash car weight – Abiteboul
Oct.4 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul thinks F1 should think seriously about slashing the weight of the cars. The Renault boss says it is an alarming development that, year on year, the cars get heavier and heavier. “Next year it will be 850 kilograms in the race,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “Even in Singapore the […]