May 26 (GMM) Red Bull is not expecting to burst back into podium contention after a stronger weekend in Monaco. Just behind the top three on Sunday was the Red Bull duo of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo — a clear step forward for the former champions after a bad start to the season. “I […]
Schumacher began ‘modern driver’ era – Ecclestone
May 26 (GMM) It was Michael Schumacher who kicked off the era of the ‘modern driver’. That is the view of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, following his widely-published comments about Nico Rosberg not being as ‘good for business’ as the more flamboyant Lewis Hamilton. Indeed, Hamilton’s latest press coverage is expected to thrill the 84-year-old […]
Hamilton ‘more dangerous’ after Monaco saga – Rosberg
May 26 (GMM) Nico Rosberg admits he needs to up his game in order to beat teammate Lewis Hamilton to the 2015 title. The German was ecstatic on Sunday after winning a third consecutive Monaco grand prix, and it was also his first ever back-to-back win in his long career. On the fact of it, […]
Rookie Nasr joins criticism of Verstappen
May 26 (GMM) Felipe Nasr has joined the chorus of criticism of F1 teenager Max Verstappen. Since controversially debuting as a 17-year-old this year, Verstappen has on one hand been hailed for his talent but simultaneously condemned for his age and lack of experience. Bernie Ecclestone, however, has been a vocal supporter. “It is like […]
Wolff hopes ‘grid girls’ return
May 26 (GMM) F1 does not need to make a habit of replacing the traditional ‘grid girls’. That is the view of Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, after Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel admitted his surprise on Sunday at having pulled up to find “George or Dave” holding his grid board. “I’ll speak with Bernie (Ecclestone) […]
No ‘gift win’ to repay Hamilton – Wolff
May 26 (GMM) Toto Wolff has ruled out taking drastic measures as Mercedes analyses what went wrong in Monaco. The German giant’s team boss has already said those responsible for Sunday’s strategy blunder will not pay with their jobs. And now he says Lewis Hamilton will not be paid back for losing the prestigious Monaco […]
Alonso aiming for championship bid in 2016
May 25 (GMM) Fernando Alonso was not too disappointed to miss out on his first points of the season in Monaco. Actually, the honour of becoming the first points scorer in the new McLaren-Honda era on Sunday went to teammate Jenson Button, who finished eighth. “This is a great stepping stone to winning in the […]
Vettel no fan of Monaco ‘grid boys’
May 25 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel was no fan of the ‘grid boy’ concept that debuted on Sunday’s Monaco grid. Normally, when F1 drivers pull into their grid hatching ahead of a race, they are greeted by a ‘grid girl’ holding a placard with their name and number. “What was that?!” Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel asked […]
Boss Arrivabene gives Raikkonen ‘homework’
May 25 (GMM) Maurizio Arrivabene sent Kimi Raikkonen away from the Monaco grand prix with some “homework”. Finn Raikkonen is already on notice to keep up his rate of improvement in 2015 if he wants the Ferrari boss to take up the 2016 ‘option’ in his contract. But amid swirling rumours Valtteri Bottas is in […]
Red Bull ‘not bad losers’ – Marko
May 25 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko insists he is just as critical of the current regime in F1 even after a better showing in Monaco this weekend. The Austrian had warned that, as the ‘power unit’ era stopped Red Bull’s run of titles, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz could now pull out of formula one. But […]
No heads to roll after Hamilton strategy howler
May 25 (GMM) No heads will roll after the catastrophic team error that cost Lewis Hamilton an easy win in Monaco. But that doesn’t mean an exhaustive post-race investigation, prompted immediately by furious Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda on Sunday, has not already found some heads to at least point at. “Our chief strategist James […]
Crash criticism for ‘Mad Max’ Verstappen
May 25 (GMM) The F1 press corps was quick to name the teenaged Dutchman ‘Mad Max’ Verstappen after his huge crash on Sunday. Initially, the Toro Rosso driver blamed Romain Grosjean for ‘brake-testing’ him on the run to Ste Devote, which sent Verstappen into the barrier at a terrifying speed. “Clearly you could see Grosjean […]
Mercedes on track to master ‘four engine’ rule
May 25 (GMM) Mercedes is right on track to master the tough new ‘four engines per driver’ rule in 2015. There had been moves recently to increase the controversial allocation to five engines, but in truth, dominant Mercedes could probably make do with just three turbo V6 ‘power units’ apiece for Lewis Hamilton and Nico […]
Champions unhappy with stewards after Monaco clashes
May 25 (GMM) Two champions left Monaco on Sunday admitting their displeasure with the FIA stewards. McLaren’s Fernando Alonso said he was unhappy for being given a five-second timed penalty for his collision with Nico Hulkenberg. The clash ended Hulkenberg’s race, but the Force India driver said: “For me, it’s racing. “That’s just first-lap fighting, […]
Red Bull ‘not leaving F1’ – Horner
May 24 (GMM) For now, the tension between Red Bull and Renault remains. The explosive criticism of earlier in 2015 has now subsided, but it was Red Bull wanting to take all the credit on Saturday for a much better qualifying outing in Monaco. “What we saw was that Red Bull has sorted out our […]
Pirelli ready to push for 2017 contract
May 24 (GMM) Pirelli has confirmed its intention to try to stay in formula one beyond next year. F1’s governing body has now officially launched the 2017-2019 tender, and it appears that Pirelli – the sport’s sole supplier since 2011 – will face off for the privilege against Michelin. The early rumour is that the […]
F1 racing into ‘customer cars’ future
May 24 (GMM) F1 appears to be racing headlong into its ‘customer cars’ future. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport reports that four teams – Lotus, Force India, Sauber and Manor – are in dire and almost immediate danger of collapsing mid-season. It would explain why Bernie Ecclestone is pushing so hard to introduce his “one […]
Bottas’ Ferrari link ‘flattering’ – Williams
May 24 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is shaping up as the star player in this year’s ‘silly season’. The annual round of speculation and counter-rumour regarding the movement of drivers within the paddock has got off to an early start, as talk of the Finn’s potential switch from Williams to Ferrari will just not go away. […]
Hamilton right to be ‘angry’ – Wolff
May 24 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is right to be “angry” after Mercedes cost him the Monaco win. That was the admission of team boss Toto Wolff after a catastrophic strategic mistake in the dying laps of Sunday’s race through the fabled streets. Days after re-signing with the German giant, Hamilton was cruising to victory when […]
Mercedes to let drivers race in Monaco
May 24 (GMM) When asked how Ferrari expects to fare in Monaco with the ‘super soft’ tyre, Sebastian Vettel grinned early this weekend: “I hope super-good!” The Italian team struggled a fortnight ago in Barcelona with its new upgrade package. Some wondered whether the ‘fuel flow issue’ was to blame. The FIA has clamped down […]