Mar.6 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel made the right choice in deciding to leave Red Bull for Ferrari. That is the view of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who said it became clear last year that despite winning four titles with the energy drink marque, the Vettel era at Red Bull was over. “There was this young […]
Category: Recent stories
Aus GP denies boycott threat
Mar.6 (GMM) Australian grand prix organisers insist next weekend’s 2015 season opener in Melbourne will not be boycotted. German reports had suggested teams had safety concerns about racing in light of the mysterious circumstances of Fernando Alonso’s recent testing crash. But Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief Andrew Westacott played down the claims. “We’re talking to […]
V6 rules going nowhere – Todt
Mar.6 (GMM) Jean Todt sounds unlikely to agree to any major revisions to F1’s current engine regulations. F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has led the charge for the quiet and controversial turbo V6s to be scrapped. And even Niki Lauda, team chairman of the ultra-dominant Mercedes team, thinks the technical regulations need to be revamped. He […]
Ferrari talks began in 2008 – Vettel
Mar.5 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel on Thursday admitted his first hint of a future Ferrari deal came many years ago. In 2012, the German was in the glowing midst of his title-winning run at Red Bull, but the “dream” of one day wearing red was already strong. “In the winter between 2012 and 2013 I went […]
Manor still in race to reach Melbourne
Mar.5 (GMM) Manor must still clear high hurdles as it bids to return to F1 this year. While the former Marussia team’s quest for Melbourne was officially launched at an event in London on Wednesday, the backmarker does not currently have a car cleared to race. According to Italy’s Omnicorse, Manor is currently headed to […]
McLaren-Honda wants to win ‘soon’ – Boullier
Mar.5 (GMM) McLaren-Honda is determined to reach the top step of the podium “as soon as possible”. That is the claim of team boss Eric Boullier, after a troubled winter for the new British-Japanese collaboration. McLaren-Honda has struggled simply to run its new MP4-30, and now its star driver Fernando Alonso has been sidelined with […]
F4 season costing Mick Schu ‘100,000 euros’
Mar.5 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s move into single seater racing is costing EUR 100,000 euros. That is the claim of the major German daily Bild, following confirmation the great Michael Schumacher’s 15-year-old son will drive this year in German formula 4. The report said the season is costing the Schumacher family, or the kart driver’s sponsors, […]
Manor heads for Melbourne with $92m budget
Mar.5 (GMM) Set to race as ‘Manor Marussia’, the backmarker almost collapsed but will return with a $92 million budget in 2015, it emerged on Wednesday. At a launch event in London, the team confirmed it has won its race to make it to Melbourne thanks to the personal investment of Stephen Fitzpatrick, who heads […]
Williams expecting fight with Ferrari
Mar.5 (GMM) A close group of challengers is forming up behind dominant Mercedes ahead of the 2015 season. Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne this week revealed he thinks the team’s new SF15-T is now “on par” with Red Bull, the 2014 runner-up. But also in that battle, it seems, is Williams, who ended last season with […]
King denies eyeing Ecclestone’s job
Mar.5 (GMM) Justin King on Wednesday played down suggestions his new role at Manor is a stepping stone to F1’s top job. Already last year, the former Sainsbury’s chief was named as a potential successor to Bernie Ecclestone. Now, he has surfaced at the reborn Manor Marussia, not having bought into the team but serving […]
McLaren doctor stopped Hakkinen return
Mar.5 (GMM) Not one but two potential comebacks for double world champion Mika Hakkinen never transpired. It was already known that, three years after his 2001 retirement, the Finn was linked with a return to formula one with Williams. But now it emerges that McLaren, for whom the now 46-year-old competed so successfully between 1993 […]
No more Monaco hamburgers with Hamilton – Rosberg
Mar.5 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has fired the opening salvo as his rivalry with teammate Lewis Hamilton is set to recommence. The pair, once boyhood karting friends, endured a tetchy relationship last year as they battled alone at the front of the grid for the 2014 title. Briton Hamilton ultimately won the day, but only after […]
2015 Pirelli tyres ‘not spectacular’ – Hamilton
Mar.5 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has admitted his ongoing concerns about Pirelli’s F1 tyres. In 2013, drivers were bemoaning the quality and high degradation of the Italian supplier’s product, but last year Pirelli was accused of being too conservative. In pre-season testing, however, the cars of 2015 have proved significantly quicker than last year. “We’ve seen […]
Ericsson says old feud with Nasr now over
Mar.5 (GMM) Marcus Ericsson says he healed old wounds with Felipe Nasr once it become clear they would be F1 teammates this year. The pair will line up as Sauber’s new drivers in 2015, but Swede Ericsson, 24, revealed this week that he was never friends with Brazilian Nasr. In 2012 and 2013, they were […]
Mercedes still ‘hungry’ for titles – Zetsche
Mar.5 (GMM) Mercedes remains “hungry” for F1 success in 2015, the German carmaker’s chief executive Dieter Zetsche insists. “We are hungry and not yet satisfied,” he reportedly said at the Geneva Motor Show, echoing team boss Toto Wolff’s claim that Mercedes wants to prove it is in Ferrari and Red Bull’s league by winning multiple […]
Politics stops Monza GP rescue bid
Mar.5 (GMM) A cloud hanging over the future of Monza’s iconic Italian grand prix is growing darker. The latest ominous development is on the political front, where on Wednesday it emerged that a move to exempt the fabled Autodromo Nazionale from new laws had failed. The news will reportedly cost Monza EUR 20 million in […]
Ecclestone wants ‘glamorous ladies’ on grid
Mar.5 (GMM) A letter to Cyril Abiteboul has revealed the grid strategy of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. A photo of the signed document emerged on social media on Wednesday, dating back to 2013, when Frenchman Abiteboul was boss of Caterham. It reads: “Dear Cyril. “Please be reminded that where possible, grid access passes should be […]
Van der Garde forcing Sauber to give him 2015 seat
Mar.5 (GMM) Giedo van der Garde has commenced legal action in Australia as he bids to force Sauber to let him race next weekend. The Dutchman spent 2014 as the Swiss team’s reserve, but when Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson were named as the race drivers for 2015, van der Garde claimed he had been […]
Hamilton wants Mercedes to ‘dominate even more’
Mar.5 (GMM) Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has bad news for his rivals, as he intends to “dominate even more” in 2015. With Mercedes and his teammate Nico Rosberg, the silver-clad outfit utterly dominated last season, but the new W06 car has also appeared unbeatable in winter testing. “It’s an evolution,” Hamilton, who has been […]
Teams threatening boycott over Alonso crash – report
Mar.5 (GMM) F1 teams are threatening to boycott unless clearer information about Fernando Alonso’s mysterious testing crash is revealed. That is the claim of the German magazine Sport Bild, after McLaren-Honda’s star driver was sidelined for next weekend’s season opener in Melbourne. McLaren insists Alonso is completely uninjured, but he will sit out Australia after […]