Mar.17 (GMM) So far, Red Bull is finding little support in its quest for immediate changes to the rules. Ferrari has already made clear it is content for now, particularly as it has leapfrogged Red Bull and Williams to be the second force behind dominant Mercedes. “Our job is to attack Mercedes on the track,” […]
Category: Recent stories
Girlfriend tips Alonso for Malaysia return
Mar.17 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s girlfriend says the Spaniard should be fit to return in Malaysia next weekend. After sitting out Melbourne as a result of his testing crash more than three weeks ago, the McLaren-Honda driver is reportedly travelling to Woking this week to work in the simulator. Team boss Eric Boullier also says a […]
German GP demise not Ecclestone’s fault – Lauda
Mar.16 (GMM) Germany’s F1 circuits, not Bernie Ecclestone, are to blame for the demise of the German grand prix. That is the view of formula one legend Niki Lauda, after the sport’s supremo Ecclestone declared the race essentially “dead” for 2015. It will end Germany’s six-decade run on the annual F1 calendar, and deprive Mercedes […]
Red Bull ‘right’ to complain – Ecclestone
Mar.16 (GMM) Red Bull is right to argue for rule changes after Mercedes utterly dominated the 2015 season opener, Bernie Ecclestone said on Monday. A report by the Reuters news agency said the F1 chief executive played down former champions Red Bull’s threats to quit formula one, not least because the team has committed to […]
Salo surprised as Ferrari overtakes Williams
Mar.16 (GMM) Ferrari on Sunday confirmed its return to better form after the struggle and turmoil of 2014. Although the gap to ultra-dominant Mercedes was in excess of half a minute, Sebastian Vettel began his new career in red with a podium finish. It appeared to confirm the appearance that, having struggled notably in the […]
Mercedes slams Red Bull after 2015 opener
Mar.16 (GMM) Mercedes chiefs have lashed back at those calling for immediate rule changes after the opening race of 2015. Amid a diminished grid and earlier courtroom dramas for F1, the Mercedes giant’s domination of 2014 then appeared only to have been extended further in Australia. Lewis Hamilton was 1.4 seconds clear of any rival […]
Ecclestone to bill Manor for F1 freight
Mar.16 (GMM) Manor survived an FIA investigation in Australia, but now faces the wrath of F1’s commercial chief Bernie Ecclestone. As the former Marussia team was summoned to the stewards in Australia, boss John Booth acknowledged the “scepticism” that Manor never actually intended to turn a wheel at the season opener. Ecclestone had already warned […]
Peter Sauber defends Kaltenborn after Melbourne saga
Mar.16 (GMM) Team founder Peter Sauber has defended Monisha Kaltenborn after the courtroom debacle of the team’s 2015 season opener. Ultimately, Indian-born Kaltenborn was smiling as the sun set on Sunday’s Melbourne paddock, as Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson scored more points in a single race than the Swiss team did in the whole of […]
Alonso says Malaysia return on track
Mar.16 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has suggested his return to action in Malaysia in two weeks is on schedule. As the teams packed up their equipment late on Sunday to be shipped directly to Kuala Lumpur, McLaren boss Eric Boullier was unable to confirm if star driver Alonso will also definitely be going to Sepang. “I […]
Marko already predicting ‘dull’ season
Mar.15 (GMM) At the very first race of the 2015 season, Dr Helmut Marko has predicted a “dull” world championship. “Mercedes superiority has become even stronger,” the Red Bull official said in Melbourne. “That means it will be a relatively dull season,” he told Germany’s Sport Bild. Marko said that while his Austrian compatriot Niki […]
Bottas will not race in Melbourne
Mar.15 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is out of the Australian grand prix. The Finn spent the night in the nearby Alfred hospital after suffering back pain during qualifying in Melbourne on Saturday. He is at Albert Park on Sunday, but was missing from the official driver group photograph on the grid and the subsequent driver parade. […]
Injured Bottas still in doubt for Australia GP
Mar.15 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas remains in doubt for Sunday’s Australian grand prix. The Finn spent the night in the local Alfred hospital, after he was seen receiving assistance to emerge from the cockpit of his Williams after qualifying. Bottas, 25, is at Albert Park on Sunday, but Williams confirmed he is suffering from a “bad […]
Newey comments show Red Bull-Renault divorce nigh
Mar.15 (GMM) Adrian Newey has joined fellow Red Bull officials in angrily pointing the finger at Renault. After Renault struggled at the start of the turbo V6 era last year, the formerly title-winning team is back in trouble one year later in Melbourne. Team figures have slammed Red Bull’s French partner for making apparently backwards […]
F1 stars worry about sport’s questionable ‘show’
Mar.15 (GMM) Local hero Daniel Ricciardo on Sunday admitted F1 had put on a questionable show for Australia. From courtroom battles to backmarkers stranded in the pits, cars breaking down before the race began and Mercedes’ enormous technical advantage, the actual race was then unspectacular and all but a few runners were lapped. “I feel […]
Vettel has upper hand already – Salo
Mar.15 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel already has the upper hand over friend and existing Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen. That is the view of former F1 driver Mika Salo, as the new Ferrari pairing went head-to-head for the first time in Melbourne. Salo’s Finnish countryman Raikkonen was slightly behind Vettel’s pace throughout the 2015 season opener, even […]
Marko confirms Renault in Toro Rosso takeover talks
Mar.15 (GMM) Talks are underway between Red Bull and Renault, regarding the sale of the Toro Rosso team. In the Melbourne paddock, high tension between officials of the energy drink company and its French partner is obvious. A divorce could be nigh. So according to Austria’s Salzburger Nachrichten, Renault has kicked off talks with Red […]
Sainz beats Verstappen hype on debut
Mar.15 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has kicked off his F1 career with a bang. Insisting he does not like to be called ‘Junior’, the 20-year-old was the only Toro Rosso rookie to reach Q3 in Melbourne — despite the hype surrounding his 17-year-old teammate Max Verstappen. “It is not a problem that people put him through […]
Furious Red Bull issues F1 quit threat
Mar.15 (GMM) Red Bull has threatened to quit formula one. “We are dissatisfied with the way formula one is governed,” Dr Helmut Marko was quoted on Sunday by Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. The 2010-2013 world championship-winning team is furious with its start to the new season, as engine partner Renault struggles and Mercedes extends […]
Schumacher son starts F4 career with a crash
Mar.15 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s new single seater career has kicked off with a crash. Newly switched from karting to F4, the 15-year-old son of the most successful grand prix driver of all time began his pre-season test programme at the Lausitzring by losing control at 160kph, the major German daily Welt reports. “The accident was […]
German GP demise ‘a shame’ – Hulkenberg
Mar.15 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg has lamented the apparent decline of the German grand prix. Officially, the FIA has scheduled a race for mid July, but Bernie Ecclestone had made clear commercial talks with the Nurburgring or alternative venue Hockenheim were faltering. Now, the 84-year-old F1 supremo has told The Independent: “The German grand prix is […]