Jun.4 (GMM) Honda still has its sights on the podium in 2015. After a highly unreliable and uncompetitive start, the new works collaboration with McLaren netted its first points last time out in Monaco. McLaren-Honda is openly expecting to struggle on Montreal’s long straights this weekend, but the collaboration is also pushing ahead with improvements. […]
Category: Recent stories
Ferrari could take on Mercedes in Canada – Surer
Jun.4 (GMM) F1 pundit Marc Surer thinks Ferrari could be set to take on Mercedes this weekend in Canada. Reports this week suggested an engine performance upgrade for the Italian team could move it within 15 horse power of dominant Mercedes. And Speed Week separately reports that Ferrari’s works oil partner Shell has developed a […]
Ex-Diageo chief walks away from F1
Jun.4 (GMM) A supposed threat to Bernie Ecclestone’s reign appears to have ended. Late last year, reports began to emerge that Paul Walsh, the former Diageo chief, was being lined up as the sport’s new chairman. The reports speculated that Walsh intended to “marginalise” 84-year-old Ecclestone, or at least “rein in” the diminutive Briton. To […]
Slump due to ‘technical’ reasons – Maldonado
Jun.4 (GMM) Pastor Maldonado says “technical” reasons explain his current slump. Earlier, as the Venezuelan struggles to finish races in 2015 and throw off his growing reputation as a ‘crasher’, Lotus chief Matthew Carter warned that Maldonado’s millions in PDVSA backing do not make him “untouchable”. The 30-year-old is among just four drivers who are […]
F1 still in talks with key broadcaster
Jun.4 (GMM) Crucial negotiations between Bernie Ecclestone and Germany’s free-to-air F1 broadcaster appear to have advanced. We have reported recently that, with the German grand prix already gone in 2015, the country’s terrestrial television broadcaster RTL may also be eyeing the F1 exit. The Hamburger Morgenpost and Kolner Express newspapers claimed talks were underway as […]
F1 more lucrative than World Cup – report
Jun.3 (GMM) F1 has been more lucrative than the FIFA World Cup in the past fifteen years. That is the finding of F1 business journalist Christian Sylt, writing for Forbes. He said the pinnacle of motor sport’s revenue has been $16.2 billion, compared to FIFA’s $14.5 billion in the same period since 1999, he said. […]
Sauber still looking to improve in 2015
Jun.3 (GMM) Sauber is not resting on its laurels, having recovered from its disastrous 2014 season. “Yes, 2014 was a disaster,” admitted team boss and co-owner Monisha Kaltenborn. 2015, though, also began disastrously for the small Swiss outfit, as Kaltenborn faced down the prospect of jail at the Melbourne season opener over the Giedo van […]
Renault expecting two penalties per car in 2015
Jun.3 (GMM) Every engine manufacturer in F1 has been busy preparing upgrades for its 2015 ‘power units’. Ferrari and Honda have traded in the very first in-season performance ‘tokens’ in the days between Monaco and Canada, while Mercedes is taking a reliability upgrade to Montreal. And the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, closely following the early […]
Russia GP plays down bankrupt promoter reports
Jun.3 (GMM) The Russian grand prix has hit back at reports that its promoter is bankrupt. Early this week, a Russian court declared that the government-owned ‘Formula Sochi’ company is bankrupt, even though a contract to host the race through 2020 is still in place. But race organisers have hit back, insisting that the actual […]
Ferrari closing power gap to Mercedes – report
Jun.3 (GMM) Ferrari’s token-upgraded engine will bring it just 15 horse power short of dominant Mercedes’ turbo V6. That is the claim of Germany’s Sport Bild as the world of F1 begins to descend on Montreal ahead of the Canadian grand prix. The report said the upgrades have added 20 to 30 horse power, bringing […]
Verstappen to see FIA doctors on Thursday
Jun.3 (GMM) Max Verstappen has a date with the doctor ahead of the weekend’s Canadian grand prix. Because of the magnitude of his huge head-on shunt into the Ste Devote barriers in Monaco, the 17-year-old rookie must now be cleared fit to race in Canada. According to Speed Week, that FIA medical check will take […]
Ex-Toro Rosso driver Bourdais slams F1
Jun.3 (GMM) French driver Sebastien Bourdais has slammed formula one. The 36-year-old arrived in F1 late last decade with an impressive pedigree on America’s premier open wheeler scene. But his relationship with Toro Rosso soured spectacularly after just a season and a half. Bourdais is now back in the US, where on Sunday he won […]
Maldonado not ‘untouchable’ despite millions – Carter
Jun.3 (GMM) Pastor Maldonado’s millions do not guarantee his place on the grid. That is the claim of Lotus chief executive Matthew Carter, as pressure continues to pile on the shoulders of the Venezuelan driver who wears number 13. This week, a ‘mockumentary’ starring Maldonado emerged on social media, chronicling the notorious driver’s string of […]
McLaren set to crash-test ‘short nose’ – rumour
Jun.3 (GMM) McLaren on Wednesday confirmed it is bringing a significant package of aerodynamic upgrades to the MP4-30 car in Austria. Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button left Monaco recently expecting the Honda-powered car to struggle on the long straights of Canada this weekend. But then it emerged the team’s Japanese ‘power unit’ partner has for […]
Alonso still highest paid driver in 2015
Jun.3 (GMM) Fernando Alonso remains the highest paid driver in formula one this year. That is the claim of the latest edition of Business Book, having published a detailed salary ranking of every driver on the 2015 grid. Spaniard Alonso is yet to score a single point this season following his switch to McLaren-Honda, but […]
Symonds says Massa ‘incredible’ driver
Jun.3 (GMM) Williams appears more than happy with Felipe Massa. In recent weeks, the star of the early 2016 ‘silly season’ has been Valtteri Bottas, who is strongly linked with a potential move to Ferrari. Also on Ferrari’s shortlist to possibly replace Kimi Raikkonen, according to Italy’s Autosprint, is frustrated Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo. […]
Juncadella among handful of Mercedes sim drivers
Jun.3 (GMM) Dani Juncadella is just one of a handful of drivers who work for reigning champions Mercedes in the sophisticated Brackley simulator. Last year a reserve driver for Force India, the Spaniard is now focused mainly on racing for Mercedes in the German touring car series DTM. Less known is that he spends two […]
F1 tyre war ruled out until 2020
Jun.3 (GMM) A tyre war has been ruled out in formula one at least for the next four seasons. Pirelli and, it seems, Michelin have both put their names forward for the newly-announced tender process to identify the sport’s official supplier beyond 2016. And according to Pirelli’s Paul Hembery, the tender document says F1 “will […]
Canada GP partly for sale – report
Jun.2 (GMM) The Canadian grand prix is partly for sale, the Montreal daily La Presse reports. The newspaper said promoter Francois Dumontier, with a new ten-year race contract with Bernie Ecclestone in his pocket, is having talks with potential investors regarding his company Octane Racing Group. La Presse said Dumontier is open to selling “up […]
F1 engine ‘tokens’ spent for Canada
Jun.2 (GMM) Engine manufacturers are finally preparing to deploy in-season performance ‘tokens’ in 2015. Until now, although Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda had made modifications to their ‘power units’ on reliability grounds, none had traded in any ‘tokens’ to make outright performance gains under the engine freeze rules. Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda departed Monaco […]