Apr.27 (GMM) Roberto Merhi has confirmed his F1 future is clouded beyond next weekend’s Spanish grand prix. The rookie has only been racing for the resurrected Marussia team on the basis that he may be replaced at any time once a suitable ‘pay driver’ is found. So Merhi, 24, kicked off his Formula Renault 3.5 […]
Category: Recent stories
European investigation into F1 unlikely – source
Apr.27 (GMM) F1 teams must lodge a formal complaint or the European Commission will not launch an investigation into the sport. That is the claim of F1 business journalist Christian Sylt, following reported concerns about the fairness of the income distribution to the smaller teams, and their lack of representation in the powerful Strategy Group. […]
F4 figure questions Vettel ‘patron’ role
Apr.27 (GMM) DTM driver Timo Scheider has questioned Sebastian Vettel’s new role as a ‘patron’ of the Formula 4 series. “I’m pleased to make a contribution to increasing the attraction of Formula 4,” said Vettel, who knows not only F4 newcomer Mick Schumacher but also his teammate Harrison Newey, the son of Red Bull designer […]
Perez expects to ‘suffer’ in Barcelona
Apr.27 (GMM) Sergio Perez is expecting Force India to struggle in Spain next weekend. Having earlier admitted the Silverstone based team’s lack of competitiveness was affecting his motivation, Mexican Perez then had a good weekend in Bahrain, finishing eighth. But Perez is not expecting a similar weekend in Barcelona. “Definitely we will suffer a lot […]
Montezemolo denies calling for Ecclestone axe
Apr.27 (GMM) Luca di Montezemolo has denied calling for Bernie Ecclestone to step down as F1 supremo. The former Ferrari president had been quoted by German monthly Manager Magazin last week as urging F1 owner CVC to “engage a management team” that prioritises “finance, marketing and the digital world”. Some publications interpreted the Italian’s comments […]
Schumacher’s son wins Formula 4 race
Apr.27 (GMM) Mick Schumacher won a race during his debut weekend in the FIA-sanctioned German Formula 4 series. “It’s just amazing to win a race in my first ‘formula’ event,” the shy 16-year-old son of the legendary Michael Schumacher said at Oschersleben. The victory will only ramp up the already huge media interest in the […]
Williams reveals more than $50m loss
Apr.27 (GMM) Williams has revealed it recorded a more than $50 million loss in 2014. The Grove team, listed on the Frankfurt stock exchange, enjoyed a surge in performance last year following a long slump, but took a financial hit due to “lower revenue and higher costs”. In a statement, Williams explained that it had […]
Todt unhurt in Nepal earthquake
Apr.27 (GMM) FIA president Jean Todt has emerged unscathed from a massive earthquake that killed thousands in Nepal on Saturday. The Frenchman was heading the governing body’s Asia-Pacific Regional Congress in the capital Kathmandu when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck. “All members of the FIA party and congress delegates are safe and accounted for,” said the […]
Manor ‘not worthy of F1’ – Villeneuve
Apr.25 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve has joined Bernie Ecclestone in admitting his opposition to the Manor team. In Bahrain last week, when asked if he is happy the former Marussia team resurrected itself over the winter, F1 supremo Ecclestone admitted: “Not particularly.” Now Villeneuve, the world champion of 1997, has admitted he also doubts Manor belongs […]
Honda move may have blown Alonso’s career – Villeneuve
Apr.25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso might have blown his chance of ever winning a third title by switching to McLaren-Honda this year. That is the claim of 1997 world champion, who said Spaniard Alonso’s “early years at Ferrari” was the best driving he has ever seen in formula one. But he lost patience with the Italian […]
German GP demise good for Austria – Lauda
Apr.24 (GMM) Niki Lauda insists he has no sympathy for organisers of the now-defunct 2015 German grand prix. After a six-decade run for the key German market on the F1 calendar, neither Hockenheim nor the Nurburgring could agree a deal with Bernie Ecclestone for this year. “We would have accepted 50 per cent of the […]
Sparks can ‘dazzle’ drivers – Sainz
Apr.24 (GMM) Not everyone loves F1’s new sparks. Last year, also to beef up the safety of the cars, F1 decided to return to its spark-laden past by adding titanium to the skid blocks in 2015. So far, the result has been spectacular — particularly under the night skies and floodlights in Bahrain. “Loving the […]
Hamilton at Mercedes for next three years – Lauda
Apr.24 (GMM) Niki Lauda has issued a “guarantee” that Lewis Hamilton is staying at Mercedes. The reigning world champion’s talks over a contract beyond 2015 have been publicly long and repeatedly delayed, but team chairman Lauda said earlier this week that the saga will have come to an end by the forthcoming Spanish grand prix. […]
Verstappen feels ‘respect’ of F1 drivers
Apr.24 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he is steadily earning the respect of his fellow F1 drivers. When the season began, the sport was collectively sceptical of the 17-year-old Dutchman as he smashed the record to become the youngest ever grand prix driver. But in his first four grands prix, Verstappen has also become the youngest […]
No title charge until 2017 – Boullier
Apr.24 (GMM) It will be 2017 before McLaren is ready to charge for the title. That is the admission of team boss Eric Boullier, who said that despite a difficult start for the new McLaren-Honda collaboration, he retains the support of team supremo Ron Dennis. “Ron knows what I have done, he knows also what […]
Maldonado ‘refused’ to sit out Friday practice
Apr.24 (GMM) Pastor Maldonado is refusing to budge as Lotus attempts to accommodate ‘Friday’ driver Jolyon Palmer. In China and Bahrain, Maldonado’s race teammate Romain Grosjean sat out Friday practice sessions so that Briton Palmer could drive his black and gold car. “This is not ideal for the racing drivers as we lose an hour […]
Merhi could focus on 3.5 title after Barcelona
Apr.24 (GMM) Roberto Merhi will contest the forthcoming Spanish grand prix. That is the claim of the Spanish daily El Mundo Deportivo, reporting that Manor has now unofficially confirmed the news. “Whether he stays beyond that will be decided after the race in Spain” next month, the newspaper added. Part of the decision may be […]
Bottas not sure Williams can catch top teams
Apr.24 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has joined team engineer Rob Smedley in playing down Williams’ chances of chasing down Ferrari in 2015. Team deputy Claire Williams admitted in Bahrain that the Grove team had hoped to build on its promise of last year and take on champions Mercedes in 2015. “That’s what we wanted to do […]
Sainz believes he can beat ‘new Senna’ Verstappen
Apr.24 (GMM) Carlos Sainz is confident he can hold his own against his highly-rated teammate Max Verstappen. The pair both made their debuts for Toro Rosso this year, but it is only the 17-year-old Verstappen who is being compared with the sport’s greats. “They say that he is the new Senna,” Spaniard Sainz, 20, said […]
Force India proposes ‘free choice’ for Pirelli tyres
Apr.24 (GMM) Force India has come up with a proposal to spice up formula one. Sporting director Otmar Szafnauer thinks the races would be more exciting if more of Pirelli’s four compounds are being used throughout the field. Currently, the F1 tyre supplier selects two compounds to take to each race. “Pirelli has four different […]