May 19 (GMM) Toto Wolff has continued to narrow his focus on formula one with Mercedes. Since taking over as the German giant’s team boss, the 43-year-old has been diluting his shareholding in the rival Williams team. And on Tuesday it emerged that Wolff has sold his significant stake in HWA, the Mercedes-linked company involved […]
Category: Recent stories
Sainz ‘even faster’ than Verstappen
May 19 (GMM) Five races into his F1 career, Carlos Sainz has made an impression. The 20-year-old arrived at Toro Rosso this year as the reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion, but was totally overshadowed by his teenaged teammate Max Verstappen. But Sainz has also been quick in 2015, earning the praise this week of Jenson […]
Ecclestone still pushing for ‘power unit’ axe
May 19 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is continuing to rail against F1’s modern-day engine formula. The F1 supremo has always been opposed to the turbo V6 ‘power units’, particularly since their mild sound, fuel restrictions and huge cost to struggling small teams became clear. Alan Kinch, finance director at Williams, told F1 business journalists Christian Sylt […]
Alonso eyes first points in Monaco
May 19 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has renewed his claim that McLaren-Honda is now on the cusp of scoring its first points of 2015. The Spaniard had headed into Barcelona recently with a similar prediction, but ultimately the race was so disappointing that teammate Jenson Button momentarily broke ranks and declared that the Woking team may […]
Audi not interested in F1 ‘problems’
May 19 (GMM) Audi has taken a step back from speculation it is contemplating a foray in formula one. Off the back of the ever-burgeoning rumours, the VW brand’s chief Rupert Stadler admitted last week that entering F1 is “an option for Audi”. But on Monday, Stadler was back-pedalling, indicating that the current state of […]
F1 ‘not centre of universe’ – Lopez
May 19 (GMM) When it comes to the last couple of years in formula one, Gerard Lopez admits to a couple of regrets. The Luxembourger, owner of the Lotus team, has kept a low profile in the first quarter of the 2015 season, but he says he has simply been busy with his other businesses. […]
India not poised for F1 return
May 19 (GMM) India is not poised to return to the F1 calendar any time soon, according to a source. After three editions, the New Delhi race was scrapped after 2013 for reportedly financial and bureaucratic reasons. Officials always said they were hopeful the formerly Jaypee-promoted event might return, but when the provisional 2016 calendar […]
Merhi keeps Manor seat for Monaco
May 19 (GMM) Manor is heading into the Monaco grand prix with an unchanged driver lineup. There has been speculation that, as Roberto Merhi does not bring significant sponsorship, his race-by-race deal with the former Marussia team could end now. The 24-year-old rookie remains committed to his Formula Renault 3.5 team Pons, and this weekend […]
F1 and Le Mans ‘not that different’ – Hulkenberg
May 19 (GMM) There is “not much difference” between Nico Hulkenberg’s two cars, according to the German. The Force India driver is heading into a very busy time in his personal 2015 calendar. He races in Monaco this weekend, then heads straight to the pre-Le Mans test, then back to his F1 cockpit in Canada, […]
Ferrari sure upgraded car is better
May 19 (GMM) Ferrari will try again with its new bodywork package in Monaco this weekend, former double world champion Mika Hakkinen believes. The resurgent-in-2015 team had headed to Spain with the significant upgrade and high hopes, only to find that the gap to Mercedes only blew out. “We need to understand if it is […]
Mexico confirms 2015 grand prix sold out
May 19 (GMM) An official of November’s Mexican grand prix has confirmed reports the 2015 race is already sold out. We reported last week that while other races, like the Red Bull-promoted Austrian grand prix, are struggling to sell tickets, Mexico sold out “within hours”. After a 23-year absence from the calendar, F1 is returning […]
F1 changes yet to clear hurdles
May 18 (GMM) Time will tell how much last Thursday’s meeting of the Strategy Group will actually change the direction of formula one. The group – featuring the top teams, Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA – met in England amid ever-loudening voices calling for urgent measures to turn around flagging audiences, disinterested sponsors and struggling […]
Red Bull struggling to sell Austria GP tickets
May 18 (GMM) Red Bull is struggling to sell tickets for next month’s Austrian grand prix, official Dr Helmut Marko admits. Last year, the sport’s return to the rejuvenated ‘Red Bull Ring’ was a widely-proclaimed success. But as the energy drink company now complains loudly about the sport’s current regulations, Marko revealed: “Although we are […]
Tyre debate returns to F1 paddock
May 18 (GMM) After a low-profile period for F1’s official supplier, suddenly “tyres” and “Pirelli” are being talked about again. Following the days of tyre explosions and disintegrations a couple of years ago, Pirelli chief Paul Hembery admitted last week that he is enjoying not being the “bad guy” anymore. But beneath the surface, discontent […]
Verstappen welcomes Strategy Group decisions
May 18 (GMM) Former F1 driver Jos Verstappen has backed the decisions taken last week by the Strategy Group. Comprised of the top teams, Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA, the decision-making body last week responded to calls for change by announcing a raft of proposals to make the cars faster and louder and the races […]
CVC ‘worst thing ever’ for F1 – journalist
May 18 (GMM) According to one of the longest-serving and most influential F1 journalists of all time, the great Gilles Villeneuve would have “hated” the sport today. Five races into his new formula one career, Manor rookie Roberto Merhi said recently that, unlike the other category he races in – Formula Renault 3.5 – competing […]
‘No plans’ yet for Button’s McLaren future
May 18 (GMM) Just five races into 2015, attention is already returning to the issue of Jenson Button’s future. Kimi Raikkonen may be a few months older, but 35-year-old is the oldest driver on the grid. Last year, he survived McLaren’s protracted dithering over its driver choice for 2015, but it is believed the British […]
Verstappen heads to Monaco with bruised backside
May 18 (GMM) Max Verstappen is heading to Monaco with a bruise on his backside. With F1 taking a weekend off between the Spanish and Monaco grands prix, the Toro Rosso driver headed to Valkenburg in his native Holland to participate in a Red Bull-sponsored soap box derby. The 17-year-old sat at the wheel of […]
Honda engineer admits no F1 wins in 2015
May 18 (GMM) One Honda engineer has broken ranks and admitted the Japanese marque will not power a McLaren driver to victory in 2015. Despite the difficult, uncompetitive and unreliable birth in 2015 to the new works McLaren-Honda alliance, the ‘graphite-grey’ outfit has been a near-perfect picture of optimism. Drivers and bosses are refusing even […]
Ferrari not only attractive team – Bottas
May 18 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has played down talk of an impending switch to Ferrari, by insisting driving for other teams in F1 is also attractive. The impressive Finn is increasingly linked with the fabled Italian outfit, who have already warned existing driver Kimi Raikkonen that he will only race in 2016 if he performs […]