Aug.29 (GMM) Max Verstappen is looking forward to Red Bull’s Honda-powered future. A fierce critic of the departing customer Renault engines, the Dutchman acknowledges however that he might need to wait a full year before Red Bull-Honda can charge for a title. “Looking at where they were, Honda has made remarkable strides,” the 20-year-old said. […]
Category: Recent stories
Monza set for F1 contract talks
Aug.29 (GMM) Italian grand prix boss Angelo Sticchi Damiani says Monza wants to “rethink” its contract with Liberty Media. It is believed the F1 rights holder and Hockenheim have agreed new terms for a race in 2019, but a darker cloud still lingers over the future of the Italian grand prix. Talks with Chase Carey […]
F1 agrees new German GP deal – report
Aug.28 (GMM) The German grand prix has been saved, according to the local Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper. Earlier, with Liberty Media’s plans for a Miami GP next year in tatters, talks about reviving a contract at Hockenheim began. FAZ says a deal has now been done, with Chase Carey agreeing to a lower race […]
FIA to study Halo after Leclerc incident
Aug.28 (GMM) Supporters of the controversial ‘Halo’ safety innovation say a crash at Spa vindicated the decision to introduce it. Tyre marks and damage to the Halo was visible on Charles Leclerc’s Sauber after a scary air-borne crash involving Fernando Alonso last Sunday. Some say the Halo obviously saved the Monaco-born rookie’s life. “I’ve never […]
Mercedes to consider ‘team orders’ after Monza
Aug.28 (GMM) Toto Wolff says Mercedes may soon need to consider imposing ‘team orders’. Lewis Hamilton is still leading the world championship, but the Mercedes driver ended the weekend at Spa wondering if Ferrari has a “trick” engine. Wolff played that down, saying he has “complete trust” in the FIA to enforce the technical rules. […]
McLaren ‘going backwards’ – Vandoorne
Aug.28 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says McLaren is “going backwards”. It looks more and more likely that the Belgian, dead last for most of his home race weekend at Spa, has fallen out with McLaren team bosses Zak Brown and Gil de Ferran. Vandoorne says he is disappointed with the car put at his disposal in […]
Russian driver could replace Stroll
Aug.28 (GMM) Williams could soon have an all-Russian driver lineup. Team boss Claire Williams has confirmed that the struggling Grove based team expects to lose Lance Stroll, after his father Lawrence bought Force India. “Undoubtedly, at some point Lance will move from our team to Racing Point Force India, but so far there’s no certainty […]
Only Red Bull to use new Renault engine
Aug.28 (GMM) It is possible that Red Bull will be the only team with Renault’s latest-specification power unit at Monza. Auto Motor und Sport claims that Renault itself might not even use the more powerful engine, because it requires a different installation. The report said the third generation 2018 engine is more powerful, particularly in […]
Vandoorne to stay in F1 next year ‘100pc’ – manager
Aug.27 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne’s manager has rated the Belgian driver’s chances of staying in F1 next year at “100 per cent”. It is rumoured not only that the McLaren driver could lose his seat at the end of the year, but as early as the next races in Monza or Singapore. Vandoorne had an abysmal […]
Hamilton wonders about ‘trick’ Ferrari
Aug.27 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton ended Sunday’s Belgian grand prix wondering if Ferrari had used technical “tricks” for victory. The Mercedes driver started from pole, but was easily passed by Sebastian Vettel who then raced to the win at Spa-Francorchamps. “They’ve got a few trick things going on in the car,” Hamilton alleged. “They’re able to […]
F1 ‘not a business’ under Ecclestone – Bratches
Aug.26 (GMM) Sean Bratches says formula one is working hard to improve. Last week, Liberty Media’s F1 commercial boss agreed with Fernando Alonso that a lack of track excitement was a big problem for the sport. But he says moves are afoot to get things right, after a long period of stagnation during Bernie Ecclestone’s […]
F1 heading for 2021 engine rules delay
Aug.26 (GMM) Plans for all-new engine regulations in 2021 appear to have been scrapped. Liberty Media’s F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn hinted at that earlier this weekend, and now team bosses are making similar noises. “I would agree that I think what formula one is trying to do for 2021 is extremely ambitious,” said Renault […]
Vandoorne 2018 seat safe for now – de Ferran
Aug.26 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne’s seat at McLaren could be safe at least for the rest of the year. It is rumoured that, last week at Woking, endangered Force India driver Esteban Ocon did a seat fitting. Standing at 186cm, it is believed the Frenchman did not fit in the 2018 McLaren. When asked about Ocon, […]
DTM ‘better than F1’ – Zanardi
Aug.26 (GMM) Alex Zanardi thinks the German touring car series DTM is better than formula one. The former F1 and Indycar driver will do some guest appearances in a hand-controlled DTM car this year. He told DPA news agency: “In my opinion, DTM is currently the best and most exciting series in the world. Better […]
Pirelli tipped to stay beyond 2019
Aug.26 (GMM) Pirelli looks set to stay in formula one even beyond 2019. The FIA has put out a tender for the 2020-2023 period, with a switch to 18-inch wheels not happening until 2021. But one insider thinks Pirelli is a shoo-in. “It’s basically not a tender,” the unnamed formula one team boss is quoted […]
Perez ‘already knows’ 2019 plans
Aug.26 (GMM) Sergio Perez is set to stay with Racing Point Force India next year. The fate of his teammate Esteban Ocon is much less certain, with reports suggesting Lance Stroll will do a seat fitting on Tuesday. Video footage of Ocon telling Sebastian Vettel that there is no place for him at Force India […]
No two-day race weekend format – Brawn
Aug.25 (GMM) Ross Brawn says formula one is not going to switch to a two-day race weekend format. As the calendar continues to expand, one idea under consideration has been dropping Friday practice day altogether. But Liberty Media’s F1 sporting director Ross Brawn declared: “We have come to the conclusion that three days is simply […]
McLaren’s de Ferran hints Vandoorne could lose seat
Aug.25 (GMM) McLaren has hinted that there might not be a seat for Stoffel Vandoorne for much longer. In fact, it is rumoured the Belgian could be a victim of a forthcoming driver shakeup. Lance Stroll is expected to join his billionaire father at Racing Point Force India within weeks — either in a few […]
Magnussen expects Haas announcement ‘soon’
Aug.25 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has given the strongest indication yet that he is staying at Haas in 2019. The future of his teammate Romain Grosjean, who has struggled in 2018, is much less clear, amid rumours he will be replaced by Charles Leclerc. But Dane Magnussen appears to be staying. “I have been in contact […]
Raikkonen admits 16 day drinking bender
Aug.25 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has admitted going on a 16 day drinking bender during his F1 career. The Finn’s former party lifestyle was not a secret, but in his new biography, ‘The Unknown Kimi Raikkonen’, he admitted that in 2012 he drank for 16 days between two grands prix. Asked if that behaviour would be […]