Mar.11 (GMM) Gerhard Berger has played down Mercedes’ claim it will be challenged for victory early in 2015. Team chairman and F1 legend Niki Lauda warned this week that, contrary to suggestions the German marque is well clear of any rivals, Mercedes is not expecting to dominate in Australia and beyond. “The competition with be […]
Category: Recent stories
Van der Garde denies being ‘unprepared’ for Sauber seat
Mar.11 (GMM) Giedo van der Garde on Wednesday declared himself “happy, fit and ready to drive” this weekend in Melbourne. A local court has ruled that the Dutchman can take his place at Sauber this year, after the Swiss team signed him but then replaced him with Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr. The ruling is […]
Rosberg vows to improve wheel-to-wheel skills
Mar.11 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has identified wheel-to-wheel combat as his main weakness alongside reigning world champion and teammate Lewis Hamilton. With their dominant 2014 Mercedes, the pair duelled intensely for last year’s title but Briton Hamilton ultimately won in the championship finale. Rosberg did secure F1’s new ‘pole position trophy’ of 2014, but acknowledged that […]
Newey’s ‘step back’ not too big – Ricciardo
Mar.10 (GMM) Adrian Newey’s “step back” has not been too noticeable so far, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo said on Tuesday. Team technical boss Newey is no longer full time in the team’s F1 offices at Milton-Keynes, as he gets involved in other design projects including the America’s Cup bid of top British sailor Ben […]
Schumacher ski story is ‘tragedy’ – Ecclestone
Mar.10 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone has described the fate of F1 legend Michael Schumacher as a “tragedy”. 15 months ago, the seven time world champion fell whilst skiing with his son Mick in the French alps, suffering serious brain injuries. “I know nothing about his current condition,” F1 chief executive Ecclestone, who has known the now […]
‘Too early’ for Lotus podiums – Grosjean
Mar.10 (GMM) Romain Grosjean has played down the prospect of early podiums this year for Lotus. After proving F1’s fourth force in 2012 and 2013, the Enstone team’s performance plummeted last year but it is looking to bounce back with a top Mercedes engine in 2015. Indeed, Grosjean and teammate Pastor Maldonado have hailed the […]
Bianchi family not ready to close Suzuka chapter
Mar.10 (GMM) Jules Bianchi’s father has not ruled out taking action against those “responsible” for the horror crash at Suzuka five months ago. Little has been heard from the French driver’s family in the past weeks, but Philippe Bianchi says that is because there has been little to report. “Jules is still in a coma,” […]
New McLaren ‘better than it seems’
Mar.10 (GMM) It has been a tumultuous winter for the fledgling McLaren-Honda collaboration. The MP4-30 has been unreliable and uncompetitive, and now star driver Fernando Alonso is on the sidelines after his mysterious testing crash. But team boss Eric Boullier insists: “The package is better than it seems.” As things stand, not everyone believes that. […]
Ferrari link for Hamilton ‘nonsense’ – Lauda
Mar.10 (GMM) Niki Lauda has scoffed at reports Lewis Hamilton could switch to Ferrari rather than sign a new Mercedes contract beyond 2015. Briton Hamilton is conducting his own negotiations with the German marque, and has reportedly hit a snag in his demands for $1.5 million per week. Team boss Toto Wolff has already slammed […]
Vettel ‘did not exist’ in Italy – Briatore
Mar.10 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has giggled at the new ‘Sebastian Vettel fever’ at Maranello. The former Renault boss was commenting on Ferrari’s public delight at having secured the quadruple world champion to replace Fernando Alonso. Briatore still oversees the management of Alonso, who has switched to McLaren-Honda. “In Italy it’s amazing,” he told Italy’s Sky […]
Williams to challenge Mercedes in 2015 – Lauda
Mar.10 (GMM) Niki Lauda is not expecting Mercedes to utterly dominate in 2015. While rival teams say the German camp has kept its 2014-like advantage over the winter, Mercedes team chairman Lauda told the German broadcaster RTL that Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will be joined in their battle for this year’s title. “After the […]
Briatore wants McLaren, FIA to explain Alonso crash
Mar.10 (GMM) Fernando Alonso’s mentor Flavio Briatore has revealed the Spanish driver’s mysterious testing crash was “very strange”. McLaren-Honda’s star driver has been notably quiet since his hospitalisation and ongoing recovery, while rampant speculation about the Barcelona crash saga rages. “It does not add up,” former F1 driver David Coulthard told the Guardian. “You can […]
Merhi may not keep Manor race seat
Mar.10 (GMM) Manor has completed the Melbourne grid by signing Spanish rookie Roberto Merhi. Before the official announcement, it emerged in the Spanish press that the former Marussia team had applied to the FIA for a super licence for the 23-year-old. Merhi has travelled to Australia for his grand prix debut this weekend, but his […]
Familiar faces lining up at Haas
Mar.10 (GMM) Familiar faces are beginning to line up at the 2016 entrant Haas. Team boss Gunther Steiner, formerly of Jaguar and Red Bull, has appointed former Marussia chief Dave O’Neill to be team manager. Former Red Bull man Rob Taylor will be chief designer, and aerodynamics boss Ben Agathangelou comes straight from technical partner […]
Mercedes rivalry more intense in 2015 – Lauda
Mar.10 (GMM) Mercedes will continue to let its drivers fight hard for the title, boss Toto Wolff insists. Earlier, former champion Jacques Villeneuve said he hopes the German team dominates again in 2015, because if rival teams are too close, Mercedes might impose team orders. But Wolff said letting Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg enjoy […]
Alonso ‘giving everything’ for Malaysia return
Mar.10 (GMM) McLaren on Tuesday confirmed that Fernando Alonso is on course to return in Malaysia. The Spanish driver is being replaced by Kevin Magnussen in Melbourne this weekend after his mysterious Barcelona testing crash. In a race preview provided by the British team, Alonso was quoted as saying while he is “disappointed” to not […]
Button denies Olympic bid reports
Mar.10 (GMM) Jenson Button has hit back at reports he contemplated quitting F1 for the Olympics. The Mirror newspaper had quoted the McLaren driver as saying amid McLaren’s dithering last year, the 35-year-old thought instead about launching a bid to contest the 2016 Olympic triathlon in Brazil. “I did think about Rio and then decided […]
Van der Garde drive would be ‘dangerous’ – Sauber
Mar.9 (GMM) Sauber has argued that letting Giedo van der Garde race in Melbourne would be a safety risk. On Monday, Dutch driver van der Garde’s case against the Swiss team was heard by the supreme court in Melbourne. Both sides acknowledge that the 29-year-old has a valid contract to race this year, but Sauber […]
Nurburgring ‘not willing to pay fee’ – Ecclestone
Mar.9 (GMM) The fate of the 2015 German grand prix is a simple matter of “the fee”. That is the claim of Bernie Ecclestone, who is set to imminently decide if the country will be removed from the F1 calendar for the first time in decades. Officially, the Nurburgring is scheduled to host the July […]
McLaren not ‘covering up’ Alonso crash truth – Wolff
Mar.9 (GMM) Toto Wolff on Monday sided with McLaren-Honda amid the ongoing saga surrounding Fernando Alonso’s crash and recovery. The Mercedes chief said he does not believe the conspiracy theories that suggest McLaren is “covering up” what happened on February 22 and beyond. “And the FIA has its eye on it,” Wolff told the Austrian […]