Apr.19 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has finally put his back problems in the past. The Finn even had to sit out the Melbourne season opener with a torn disc, but he returned in Malaysia and China with a new seat and driving position. But despite being earlier hailed an absolute star of the new generation, 25-year-old […]
Category: Recent stories
F1 racing ahead for 2017 rule changes
Apr.19 (GMM) Technical change is coming to formula one. Days ago, Bernie Ecclestone told La Gazzetta dello Sport his ideal scenario would be to scrap the quiet, expensive and complex turbo V6s and replace them with 1000 horse power V8s. “The people would return, the show would return, the sponsors would return,” the F1 supremo […]
All eyes on unconfirmed Ferrari, Mercedes seats
Apr.19 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene says Kimi Raikkonen approached him to enquire about staying with Ferrari in 2016. In the Bahrain paddock, rumours are swirling about the possibility of a Ferrari ‘dream team’ for next year starring Sebastian Vettel alongside Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton’s contract negotiations with Mercedes appear terminally stalled, with a source at the German […]
Mattiacci to rebuild career in US
Apr.19 (GMM) Marco Mattiacci is set to rebuild his tattered career in America. Just a year ago, the 44-year-old was the highly respected chief executive of Ferrari’s North America unit when he was unexpectedly called up to replace axed team boss Stefano Domenicali. As well as causing a stir with his first paddock appearance wearing […]
Baku good ‘replacement’ for Monza – Ecclestone
Apr.19 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone on Sunday confirmed F1’s newest host nation is Azerbaijan. It was already known that the sport’s chief executive had inked a deal for a street race in Baku, the capital of the oil-rich former Soviet country. But earlier this week, it emerged that the Formula One Group had published a human […]
Rosberg ‘must turn around slump’ – Lauda
Apr.19 (GMM) Nico Rosberg’s downwards spiral has only worsened in Bahrain. With teammate Lewis Hamilton riding a wave of form and confidence, German Rosberg headed to the desert Kingdom determined to bounce back. But it backfired spectacularly in qualifying, as the 29-year-old slumped to third place, behind not only Hamilton but also Sebastian Vettel’s resurgent […]
Alonso aiming for Q3 in Barcelona
Apr.19 (GMM) For Fernando Alonso, the next target is Q3. The Spaniard’s new project with McLaren-Honda started literally at rock bottom, but in the space of a month he has powered from his hospital bed to the back of the grid and now a spot in the ‘Q2’ qualifying segment in Bahrain. “Although it is […]
Hamilton-to-Ferrari rumours fire in Bahrain
Apr.18 (GMM) As the long wait for his new Mercedes contract rolls on, rumours are filling the Bahrain paddock about Lewis Hamilton’s red-coloured future. It is suggested the reigning world champion, championship leader and two-time 2015 race winner has made contact with Ferrari about becoming Sebastian Vettel’s next teammate. “It would be great to see […]
Verstappen ‘best I’ve ever seen’ – Pujolar
Apr.18 (GMM) Experienced engineer Xevi Pujolar says 17-year-old sensation Max Verstappen is the best driver he has seen enter formula one. Although the young Dutchman’s 2015 debut initially attracted controversy and consternation, that is steadily being replaced by awe and admiration of his obvious talent and promise. Many are beginning to compare him with the […]
Mercedes bracing for Ferrari battle in Bahrain
Apr.18 (GMM) Mercedes is bracing for another Malaysia-style battle with Ferrari this weekend in Bahrain. After losing to Sebastian Vettel in the Sepang sun, Mercedes hit back in cooler China last weekend with a one-two victory. But Ferrari began its Bahrain race weekend in the best possible way, as the red cars set the fastest […]
Alonso happy with ‘challenge of my life’
Apr.18 (GMM) Fernando Alonso insists the McLaren-Honda project remains “exciting” rather than depressing. At the sharp end of the grid, rumours are linking Lewis Hamilton with a move from F1 pacesetter Mercedes to the increasingly resurgent Ferrari. But Spaniard Alonso – who according to some is the very best driver in F1 today – left […]
Senna-Berger is like Hamilton-Rosberg – Berger
Apr.18 (GMM) Gerhard Berger sees a similarity between his own F1 career and the crossroad now reached by Nico Rosberg. The F1 legend has compared Rosberg’s new struggle to keep up with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton with his own scrap with the great Ayrton Senna some 25 years ago. Berger, now 55, won grands prix […]
Red Bull ‘unfair’ to former drivers – Alguersuari
Apr.18 (GMM) Jaime Alguersuari has accused Red Bull of being “unfair” to some of its former F1 drivers. The Spaniard made his debut amid some fanfare in 2009, as at the time he was the youngest ever grand prix driver. But by the end of 2011 he, like teammate Sebastien Buemi, was dropped by the […]
Chairman Ghosn approves F1 revival for Renault
Apr.18 (GMM) Carlos Ghosn, the chairman and CEO of Renault, has reportedly green-lighted a major push for the French carmaker to bounce back in formula one. Mere weeks ago, the marque’s F1 boss, Cyril Abiteboul, admitted that after a tumultuous start to the turbo V6 era, the carmaker is considering its options for the future […]
Vettel escapes Bahrain grid penalty
Apr.18 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has escaped a grid penalty ahead of the Bahrain grand prix. During Friday practice at Sakhir, the German collided with Force India’s Sergio Perez at the first corner, just after emerging from the pitlane. Stewards looked into the crash but did not apportion blame. “I hit the brakes but suddenly there […]
Vettel would prefer day race in Bahrain
Apr.17 (GMM) It may be a glistening, floodlit spectacle, but Sebastian Vettel would prefer if the sun did not set on this weekend’s Bahrain action. The island Kingdom is suitably hot for the 2015 Ferrari package, which in the searing Malaysian sun was able to power the German driver to victory. In cooler Melbourne and […]
Rosberg wishes he kept complaints quieter
Apr.17 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has acknowledged he may have kicked an own goal by hitting out at his teammate Lewis Hamilton after the Chinese grand prix. The accusations about Hamilton’s tactical trickery caused a global media stir and opened the door for the reigning world champion to claim the psychological edge and the moral high […]
Massa’s glass is half full in 2015
Apr.17 (GMM) For Felipe Massa, 2015 so far is like a glass half-full. The empty half is that Williams – last year a main rival to title-winner Mercedes – has fallen behind the resurgent Ferrari. “Last year we managed to beat Ferrari with a smaller budget,” said Massa’s teammate Valtteri Bottas in China. “I see […]
Alonso plays down Twitter insult saga
Apr.17 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has played down the controversy about an insulting ‘tweet’. After a presenter for the Italian broadcaster attacked the Spaniard with a derogatory comment on Twitter, Alonso reportedly refused to take questions from Sky Italia last weekend in China. Reportedly, the presenter, Paola Saluzzi, was suspended. “I do not feel attacked by […]
Historic Monza must pay for F1 privilege – Ecclestone
Apr.17 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has repeated his warning that Monza risks falling off the F1 calendar. “It’s very simple,” he told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. “There is a contract for the race this year, but not for the future.” The F1 supremo has called the financial terms of the current deal a “disaster”, even […]