Mar.20 (GMM) Max Verstappen has confirmed expectations that Red Bull will touch down in Australia this week with several improvements for the 2017 car. The energy drink owned team had a low profile winter, obviously behind Mercedes and Ferrari but amid suggestions Adrian Newey was planning a ‘miracle upgrade’ for Melbourne. Asked how the Melbourne-spec […]
Category: Recent stories
Boss sure ‘year two’ easier for Haas
Mar.20 (GMM) Team boss Gunther Steiner is confident F1’s notorious ‘second year syndrome’ will not strike Haas. So often, a new team has a much tougher time in F1 in year two, but Steiner is sure life on the grid will actually be easier for Haas in 2017. “Compared to 2016, everything is calmer,” he […]
Briatore not excited by Ferrari test form
Mar.20 (GMM) Flavio Briatore’s big hope for 2017 is that Mercedes will be challenged for the world championship. The controversial former team boss was asked by F1 insider Leo Turrini if, like many Italians, he is excited by rumours that Ferrari’s title drought could finally end in 2017. “I do not share this optimism surrounding […]
Unclear if more teams will buy F1 – Lauda
Mar.20 (GMM) It is still not clear if more teams will join Ferrari in buying into formula one. Recently, it emerged that after Liberty Media made an offer to the teams, Ferrari had taken possession of shares in the company. Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda now tells Handelsblatt: “As far as I know, there is […]
McLaren engine switch rumours hard to believe – Sainz
Mar.20 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says he cannot imagine McLaren deciding to dump Honda and switch to customer Mercedes engine power in the near future. Last week, the beleaguered British team did not outright deny speculation its situation is so bad it had been in contact with Mercedes about a last-minute engine switch. “It would be […]
Sainz flattered by Prost praise
Mar.20 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says he is flattered by the praise coming from F1 legend and Renault team advisor Alain Prost. It is believed Renault tried to sign the contracted Toro Rosso driver for 2017, while Prost said the 22-year-old was also good enough to drive for Ferrari. “For me, that someone like Prost says […]
Canamasas eyes F1 test role for 2017
Mar.20 (GMM) Formula 2 driver Sergio Canamasas is looking for a role in the F1 paddock for 2017. It appears likely the long-time GP2 driver, who is 28, will stay in the category this year as it transitions to become ‘Formula 2’. “At the moment I have done the tests,” Canamasas told Spain’s El Mundo […]
21 races ‘the maximum’ for F1 – Brawn
Mar.20 (GMM) Ross Brawn says there are enough races on the F1 calendar already. When Liberty Media took over the sport, reports circulated that new chief executive Chase Carey saw potential on the schedule for 25 or more races. Brawn, the new F1 sporting chief, agrees that some of the new races could be in […]
Alonso to ‘lose his patience’ – Ramirez
Mar.20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will eventually “lose his patience” with McLaren-Honda. That is the view of the famous British outfit’s former long-time team manager Jo Ramirez. The Mexican declared recently that, given McLaren-Honda’s winter testing form, he predicts a dire season for the team. “Look, I want to be a little more optimistic,” Ramirez told […]
Ecclestone not done with F1
Mar.20 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is not yet done with formula one. That is despite the fact that he was ousted as the sport’s chief executive by Liberty Media, and insists he has “no idea” what his new title ‘chairman emirates’ really means. “I’d like some rules and regulations so I know what I am supposed […]
Teams wanted ‘shark fins’ for sponsors – Lauda
Mar.17 (GMM) Niki Lauda has suggested Mercedes backed Red Bull’s push to ban the ‘shark fin’ engine cover appendages before they were ever launched in 2017. Some believe the large stabilising fin, and the antennae-like ‘T wings’ also seen in winter testing, have ruined the otherwise aggressive look of the wider and faster new cars. […]
Brawn to create new F1 overtaking group
Mar.17 (GMM) F1 will look into producing rules that encourage more overtaking without resorting to artificial measures like DRS. That is the claim of the sport’s new sporting boss Ross Brawn, who is one of the new chiefs in the post-Bernie Ecclestone era. Brawn told the French magazine Auto Hebdo he supports the much faster […]
Magnussen distances himself from Haas ‘brake problems’
Mar.17 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen has distanced himself from the reported ‘brake problems’ at his new F1 employer Haas. Last year, but then again as the American team tested its all-new car for the 2017 season, Romain Grosjean complained about braking issues relating to Haas’ current supplier Brembo. Brembo is an Italian brake manufacturer that comes […]
Wehrlein settles for ‘patience’ over top F1 seat
Mar.17 (GMM) Pascal Wehrlein says Mercedes did not sign him up for 2017 in order to safeguard the longevity of his F1 career. German Wehrlein, 22, is the senior member of Mercedes’ driver development programme and was therefore a favourite when Nico Rosberg announced his shock decision to quit F1 late last year. But ultimately, […]
Hulkenberg waiting until 2019 for Renault title
Mar.17 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says he is willing to wait a couple of years before gunning for the world championship with Renault. If he does not make it into the top 3 race finishers by Monza in September, the 29-year-old German will take over from Adrian Sutil as the most experienced F1 driver without a […]
Sainz tells son to forget Renault for now
Mar.17 (GMM) Carlos Sainz’s father has advised the Toro Rosso driver to forget about rumours linking him with Renault for now. It is believed the French works team made moves to sign the impressive Red Bull-contracted Spaniard for 2017, with Renault advisor Alain Prost still interested in the 22-year-old. But Carlos Sainz Snr says his […]
Ferrari had best test season ever – Marc Gene
Mar.17 (GMM) Ferrari test driver Marc Gene says the Maranello team is heading into the 2017 season in a particularly bullish mood. Most observers believe the Italian marque is close to or even ahead of the formerly-dominant Mercedes team’s pace after recent Barcelona testing. Spaniard Gene agrees: “I’ve been at Ferrari for 13 years and […]
McLaren not denying Mercedes engine rumours
Mar.17 (GMM) McLaren have not denied media speculation the British team is considering dumping its hapless works engine partner Honda. With a dire test season now over, most observers agree that the once-great British team will enter the year faster only than Sauber. The blame is being pinned squarely on Honda, who in three years […]
No tension between Hamilton-Bottas yet – Lauda
Mar.16 (GMM) Niki Lauda says he has been impressed with how Valtteri Bottas is getting up to speed at Mercedes. Recently, comments attributed to the Mercedes team chairman indicated the Finn is struggling to match the pace set by his teammate Lewis Hamilton. But Lauda told the Austrian broadcaster ORF that he is in fact […]
Wolff applauds F1 social media changes
Mar.16 (GMM) Toto Wolff has applauded the tweaks already made in F1’s post-Bernie Ecclestone era. Since Liberty Media’s buyout was completed and F1 supremo Ecclestone was ousted, former paddock and pitlane restrictions on the use of social media for instance have already been notably relaxed. Asked if that was an important step, Mercedes chief Wolff […]