May 18 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says it would be better if teams could select even softer tyres at each grand prix. The Red Bull driver said the recent Spanish grand prix was a perfect example of when an even softer compound would have spiced up the action. “I don’t understand why we can’t have the […]
Category: Recent stories
Toro Rosso can win with Honda – Key
May 18 (GMM) Toro Rosso remains happy with its new relationship with Honda. James Key, the junior Red Bull team’s technical boss, said that unlike McLaren in the past three years, Toro Rosso is enjoying working with the Japanese manufacturer. “The honeymoon is long over,” he told Speed Week. “The relationship has already become much […]
Todt hits back at complaining drivers
May 17 (GMM) Jean Todt has hit back at top drivers who say they want more say about the rules in formula one. In Barcelona, Sebastian Vettel called the 2019 rule changes designed to boost overtaking “comical”. “Not to say that we know everything, but we know how the cars feel,” said the Ferrari driver. […]
Selfish Mercedes approved 2019 rules – Marko
May 17 (GMM) Mercedes backed the rule changes for 2019 because it suits them and hurts rivals, Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko claims. Many were surprised when the changes, featuring a completely different front wing that should make overtaking easier, were voted through by teams who traditionally struggle to agree. Auto Motor und Sport […]
McLaren looking at series outside F1 – Brown
May 16 (GMM) If F1 budgets go down, McLaren will consider entering teams in other racing series. That is the claim of Zak Brown, whose top driver Fernando Alonso is already splitting his time between F1 and the world endurance championship this year. Last year the Spaniard also did the Indy 500, with American Brown […]
Renault power deficit ‘frustrating’ – Jos Verstappen
May 16 (GMM) Jos Verstappen says Renault’s continuing engine struggles are “frustrating”. Currently, Red Bull is considering switching from Renault to Honda power for 2019. And it seems that Jos, the former F1 driver and father of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, is pushing for the move. “I think the car has more potential than […]
Pirelli right to tweak tyres for Barcelona – Vettel
May 16 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has diluted the conspiracy theory about why Pirelli’s tyres suddenly changed ahead of the Spanish grand prix. Some, including Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, mused openly that Mercedes successfully lobbied to have the tread of the tyres made thinner. The result was Ferrari suddenly struggling last weekend in Barcelona, while […]
Advisor says Williams aerodynamics ‘stalling’
May 16 (GMM) Alex Wurz says the aerodynamics on Williams’ 2018 car are basically “stalling”. The once-great British team is now among the absolute slowest on the grid, as young drivers Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin struggle to drive the 2018 car. “We lose downforce to the diffuser,” once team driver and now Williams advisor […]
Pirelli could stay in F1 after 2019 – boss
May 16 (GMM) Pirelli boss Marco Tronchetti Provera says the Italian brand wants to stay in formula one. Currently, the tyre company is under contract to be F1’s sole supplier until the end of 2019. “We remain willing to be in formula one, if the economic conditions are the same,” Pirelli CEO Tronchetti Provera is […]
Todt tips Ferrari to drop F1 quit threat
May 16 (GMM) Jean Todt thinks Ferrari’s F1 ‘quit threat’ will eventually recede. Indeed, team president Sergio Marchionne recently eased the threat, saying the latest negotiations with the FIA and Liberty Media over the future were more fruitful. “Ferrari is an iconic brand,” FIA president Todt, himself a former Ferrari chief, said in Barcelona. “There […]
Renault to start Red Bull talks after Monaco
May 16 (GMM) Renault would cope with the loss of Red Bull as a customer. That is the claim of Cyril Abiteboul, boss of the French carmaker’s F1 project. Currently, it is unclear whether Red Bull will stick with Renault power for 2019 or switch to Honda. Renault imposed a May 15 deadline on Red […]
Rivals could protest Ferrari battery – report
May 16 (GMM) A protest threat could mar next weekend’s grand prix in Monaco. Already this year, there have been allegations Ferrari is pushing the limits of legality with regards to the oil consumption and mirrors of its 2018 car. But now, rivals are considering lodging official protests against the Ferrari battery next time out […]
Boss defends Grosjean amid new career crisis
May 15 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has defended under-fire Haas driver Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman is having a bad start to 2018, and is yet to score a single point compared to his on-form teammate Kevin Magnussen’s 19. Not just that, Grosjean crashed out during the safety car in Baku, and in Barcelona was given a […]
Verstappen can win in Monaco – father
May 15 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father thinks the young Dutchman can finally win again next time out at Monaco. The Red Bull driver had a bad start to the 2018 season, but he put the criticism behind him in Barcelona with a solid third place. “I understand that everyone likes the podium, but we want […]
Wolff slams Marko over tyre conspiracy
May 15 (GMM) Toto Wolff has slammed Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko for alleging that Mercedes is receiving special treatment by F1 tyre supplier Pirelli. Already, Sebastian Vettel has suggested the new, thinner tyre tread supplied by Pirelli in Barcelona was a cause of Ferrari’s sudden struggle. “You don’t have to be a genius to […]
Marko plays down Wehrlein to Toro Rosso rumour
May 15 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein is linked with a return to formula one. After losing his Sauber seat, the Mercedes junior returned to the German touring car series DTM for 2018. But a rumour says Red Bull is interested in signing up the 23-year-old to replace underperforming Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley. Bild newspaper claims […]
McLaren plans mid-season Alonso talks
May 15 (GMM) McLaren will open talks with Fernando Alonso about 2019 around the middle of the season. That is the news from team executive Zak Brown, acknowledging the rumours that the Spanish driver may not stay in formula one or at McLaren beyond this year. Alonso, 36, did the Indy 500 last year and […]
Leclerc ‘definitely’ a future champion – Pujolar
May 15 (GMM) Charles Leclerc is “definitely” world champion material. That is the view of Xevi Pujolar, an experienced engineer who works with the Monaco-born rookie at Sauber. “He is a potential champion. Definitely,” he told El Mundo Deportivo newspaper. “The way he is very demanding with himself, I’ve seen in other drivers like him. […]
Ricciardo in no hurry to sign 2019 contract
May 15 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo insists he is still not in a hurry to sign a new contract for 2019. Having entered F1 as a Red Bull junior, the Australian is now an undisputed top driver and looking at a potential move to Ferrari or Mercedes. But Red Bull wants an answer by the summer. […]
FIA to investigate first on-track Halo incident
May 14 (GMM) The FIA will investigate the first incident that may have prevented the injury of a driver due to the controversial ‘Halo’ concept. In Barcelona, a clash of wheels during the F2 race saw the car of a rival strike against the Halo of Japanese driver Tadasuke Makino. Photos of the Makino car […]