Apr.14 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says he is not doubting his abilities, despite a difficult opening pair of races in 2017. The Belgian actually made his F1 debut in Bahrain a year ago, but 2017 is his first full season at McLaren-Honda. But in Australia and China, the obvious stand-out performer for the struggling team was […]
Category: Recent stories
Ferrari floor flex rumour swirls in Bahrain
Apr.14 (GMM) Paddock rumblings about a flexible Ferrari have made the trip from China to Bahrain. A week ago, former driver turned pundit Christian Danner said he had noticed aerodynamic parts of the impressive 2017 Ferrari flexing at speed. “If I was one of the other teams, I would want it checked,” he told RTL […]
Newey no guarantee of success – Ricciardo
Apr.14 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo says it should be no great surprise that Red Bull is having to fight back in 2017. Actually, many paddock insiders are shocked that, with a big rule change and Adrian Newey at the design table, Red Bull is over a second per lap off Mercedes and Ferrari’s pace. But Italy’s […]
Wehrlein hits back after injury speculation
Apr.14 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein has hit out at the media, as he returns from injury to contest this weekend’s Bahrain grand prix. The German sat out both Australia and China following his winter rollover crash at the race of champions. We reported this week that Wehrlein, 22, finally revealed that he had fractured three vertebrae […]
Ricciardo denies signing Ferrari contract
Apr.14 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has denied rumours he is lining up a switch to Ferrari for 2018. Last week, an Italian newspaper claimed the Red Bull driver had even signed some sort of agreement to replace Sebastian Vettel’s current teammate Kimi Raikkonen. But Australian Ricciardo told Italian television Sky: “I heard about it, but it’s […]
Ferrari ‘media blackout’ returns in Bahrain
Apr.14 (GMM) Ferrari’s ‘media blackout’ is back in Bahrain. Over the winter, and then at the season opener in Australia, it was obvious that Ferrari was taking an extraordinarily low profile when it came to speaking to the media. Team boss Maurizio Arrivabene defended the approach. “The thing is to find the balance,” he said, […]
Hamilton doesn’t want ‘team orders’
Apr.14 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he does not want ‘number 1’ status at Mercedes. Some have said that, even after just two races in 2017, the pecking order with triple world champion Hamilton ahead of new teammate Valtteri Bottas is already clear. “It (team orders) happens at Ferrari and it has for many, many years,” […]
‘No panic’ as Bottas builds confidence
Apr.14 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas says he is staying calm, despite being outperformed in his first two races since switching to Mercedes. The Finn, having replaced Nico Rosberg, is on just a one-year contract, and in both Australia and China he was narrowly but clearly behind incumbent Lewis Hamilton. “With Hamilton in the car, we are […]
Active suspension would spice up overtaking – Brawn
Apr.13 (GMM) Allowing ‘active suspension’ could be a neat way to spice up the overtaking spectacle in F1. That is the view of Ross Brawn, who is F1’s new sporting boss in the new Liberty Media era. In Australia, it seemed the faster 2017 cars had meant F1 has taken a step backwards in the […]
Salo hails Alonso’s Indy 500 move
Apr.13 (GMM) Former F1 driver Mika Salo has hailed McLaren-Honda’s decision to contest the fabled Indy 500 next month with Fernando Alonso. Notably struggling in F1, the great British team is teaming up with former McLaren driver Michael Andretti’s Indy operation to give Spaniard Alonso a one-off shot at one of the world’s most famous […]
Mick Schumacher ‘not ready for F1’ yet
Apr.13 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has admitted he is “not ready” to start thinking about the big step into formula one. The son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher turned 18 in March — the age of 2017 rookie Lance Stroll, and older than Max Verstappen was when he made his F1 debut. “They took the step […]
Indy 500 ‘not step away from F1’ – Alonso
Apr.13 (GMM) Fernando Alonso insists his decision to skip next month’s prestigious Monaco grand prix does not indicate his commitment to F1 is flagging. “No, it (Indy) is a single race,” said the Spaniard, after he and McLaren-Honda shocked the racing world on Wednesday by announcing they will contest the Indy 500 next month. The […]
Button not only option to replace Alonso
Apr.13 (GMM) Jenson Button appears in pole position to step in and contest next month’s Monaco grand prix for McLaren. It comes after the British team and Fernando Alonso shocked the motor racing world on Wednesday by announcing that the Spaniard will race a McLaren-Honda entry at the fabled Indy 500. The oval race coincides […]
Brawn wants teams to release data ‘secrets’
Apr.12 (GMM) New F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn wants to use secret team data to spice up the show for fans. Currently, the teams’ vast and impressive information-collecting abilities and technologies are almost entirely secret. But with Liberty Media having swept in to succeed the Bernie Ecclestone era, Brawn’s plan to add value for the […]
Turkey set for F1 return
Apr.12 (GMM) Turkey could be set to return to the F1 calendar. With its popular Hermann Tilke-penned circuit, Istanbul Park was on the schedule between 2005 and 2011, until the government decided not to proceed for cost reasons. But now, the Daily Sabah newspaper reports that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan met this week in […]
Marko tips Vettel to beat Hamilton in 2017
Apr.12 (GMM) Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko has tipped his former protege Sebastian Vettel to win the 2017 world championship. As head of the energy drink company’s driver programme, Marko brought the then teenaged Vettel into F1 a decade ago. He went on to win all four of his world championships with Red Bull, […]
Hamilton ‘right’ to respect Vettel battle more – Lauda
Apr.12 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton respects his new battle with Sebastian Vettel more than his acrimonious former scrap with now retired world champion Nico Rosberg, Niki Lauda has suggested. Ever since Rosberg decided to quit F1, Hamilton has been giving hints that he does not fully acknowledge the retired German’s talent. “Well, this is the first […]
Brown denies McLaren to build own engine
Apr.12 (GMM) Zak Brown has shot down rumours McLaren could solve its current engine crisis by building its own ‘power unit’. Currently, the once-great British team is struggling for the third consecutive year with works engine partner Honda. But reports emerged recently that, fresh from splitting with the Red Bull-Renault project, F1 engine guru Mario […]
Red Bull planning ‘new car’ for Barcelona
Apr.12 (GMM) Red Bull will take “a new car” to next month’s Spanish grand prix in Barcelona. That is the news from top team official Dr Helmut Marko, who said Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are doing the best possible “damage limitation” until then. “The drivers are our advantage at the moment,” he told Auto […]
Ricciardo, Verstappen ‘best’ in F1 – Marko
Apr.12 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Red Bull has “the best” overall driver lineup in formula one. The comments follow speculation in the Italian media that Ferrari might be lining up Daniel Ricciardo to replace Kimi Raikkonen next season. And Ricciardo’s current Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen, was also linked with a potential switch to […]