Aug.28 (GMM) Sunday might be Belgium GP day, but Monday’s meeting of the contract recognition board in Geneva could be high octane fuel for the 2023 ‘silly season’. If, as is now expected, the FIA’s contract disputes process clears the path for Oscar Piastri to dump Alpine and head to McLaren, the next dominoes should […]
Bottas puts hand up for 2026 Audi seat
Aug.28 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is getting in early by putting his hand up for a works Audi race seat in 2026. The VW-owned German carmaker has finally announced that it will enter Formula 1 under the newly-confirmed next set of engine rules – but the partner team has not yet been named. Gunther Steiner says […]
Verstappen jokes porpoising rule ‘very bad’ for Red Bull
Aug.28 (GMM) Max Verstappen could only giggle when asked if the FIA’s clampdown on ‘porpoising’ had hurt Red Bull. “Yes, that technical directive has been very, very bad for us,” the Dutchman laughed to De Telegraaf newspaper. Indeed, Formula 1’s other two top teams – Ferrari and Mercedes – have been left aghast by Verstappen’s […]
Marko expects Ferrari to ‘react’ at Spa
Aug.27 (GMM) Both of F1’s championship protagonists for 2022 will slide down the Spa-Francorchamps grid as a result of unscheduled engine changes. Both Red Bull and Ferrari have separately decided to take the grid penalties at the fabled Belgian GP circuit, where overtaking is easier than at most other circuits. “It was difficult to finish […]
Belgian GP admits ‘complicated’ 2023 talks
Aug.27 (GMM) Vanessa Maes, boss of the Belgian GP promoter Spa Grand Prix, admits she is in “complicated” negotiations with Formula 1 over a new contract for 2023. The feeling in the paddock is that this weekend is F1’s last trip to the fabled Ardennes region for now, although Stefano Domenicali warned that talks are […]
Works Audi race seat would be ‘nice’ – Schumacher
Aug.27 (GMM) Audi CEO Markus Duesmann hopes the VW-owned carmaker’s decision to enter Formula 1 in 2026 triggers a German revival. If Mick Schumacher fails to secure a race seat for 2023 following Sebastian Vettel’s retirement, there will be no German drivers or even a German GP on the grid. But Duesmann said at Spa-Francorchamps […]
Leclerc expects Verstappen fight to get ‘more tense’
Aug.27 (GMM) Charles Leclerc thinks his world championship battle with Max Verstappen could become “much more tense” in this second half of the 2022 season. This week, reigning world champion and runaway championship leader Max Verstappen said he and Red Bull are enjoying their fight with Ferrari and Leclerc much more than the ultra-intense battle […]
Alpine focus was ‘Piastri, Piastri, Piastri’ – Alonso
Aug.27 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he decided to leave Alpine for 2023 because he had the impression the Renault-owned team’s focus for the future was clearly on Oscar Piastri. Ultimately, when the 41-year-old Spaniard announced his impending move to Aston Martin, Alpine swiftly promoted 21-year-old Piastri for 2023 – before the Australian announced that he […]
Audi reveals Porsche will also enter F1 in 2026
Aug.27 (GMM) Audi CEO Markus Duesmann on Friday let the cat out of the bag with regards to fellow VW-owned German carmaker Porsche’s reported plans to also enter Formula 1. Along with an Audi-liveried show car, it was finally revealed officially at Spa-Francorchamps that the Ingolstadt-based marque will enter F1 along with the new engine […]
Vettel not ruling out non-driving F1 role
Aug.26 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel is not ruling out stepping into a non-driving role in Formula 1 once he hangs up his helmet at the end of 2022. Shortly after the quadruple world champion recently announced his decision to retire, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said he would talk to Vettel to find out “if he is […]
Angry farmers do not want to stop Dutch GP
Aug.26 (GMM) Dutch GP organisers have played down suggestions next weekend’s Formula 1 race at Zandvoort could be affected by protests. The event is already locked in a running battle with environmental protesters who continue to challenge the viability of the Dutch GP in the court system. And now, reports suggest that the widespread protests […]
Ocon tips France for F1 race comeback
Aug.26 (GMM) Esteban Ocon thinks the embattled French GP could make a comeback at Le Mans. This week, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told international journalists that Paul Ricard would not feature on the 2023 calendar, but that a 2024 return as part of a race rotation scheme was possible. “We remain in discussions with the […]
Mick Schumacher plays down Alpine link
Aug.26 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has played down a new link between himself and the Renault-owned works Formula 1 team Alpine. Some think the 23-year-old German could potentially rescue his F1 career if he is ousted by Haas by moving to Alpine – especially as the two sides reportedly now follow one another on social media. […]
Vettel scolds F1 CEO over ‘meteorite’ remarks
Aug.26 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel thinks F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was being insensitive when he played down the chances of a female driver in Formula 1 in the near future. Domenicali spoke to international journalists ahead of the Belgian GP this week and was asked if he thought a woman could be going wheel-to-wheel with F1’s […]
Haas lukewarm about Ricciardo for 2023
Aug.26 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he may be left without a race seat on the 2023 grid. For many in the paddock, while the Australian’s newly-terminated McLaren contract for next year may have involved Zak Brown writing him a big pay-off cheque, Ricciardo’s demise is sad news. “Maybe I have too much empathy for […]
Alonso ‘sad’ about Piastri conspiracy theory
Aug.26 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he is “sad” to be implicated in a sort of conspiracy surrounding the ongoing Oscar Piastri affair. The FIA’s contract recognition board is scheduled to hear the matter about 21-year-old Piastri’s next move in Formula 1 within days, as McLaren clears the way for him by terminating Daniel Ricciardo’s contract. […]
Domenicali hopes for German F1 revival
Aug.25 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali is not giving up on reviving Germany’s place in Formula 1. It’s not just that Hockenheim and the Nurburgring don’t have the money to compete with new hosts like Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas, there may not even be a single German on the grid next year. Indeed, Mick Schumacher is […]
Russell wants Mercedes seat for ‘ten years’
Aug.25 (GMM) George Russell is in for the long haul at Mercedes, as he played down his disappointment at not immediately having a race or title-winning car after switching from Williams. But as the Brackley based team takes a back seat to title chargers Red Bull and Ferrari this year, 24-year-old Russell has at least […]
‘Loud’ Andretti may not provide ‘value’ – F1 CEO
Aug.25 (GMM) Formula 1 is still reluctant to open the sport’s paddock gates to a new American team headed by Michael Andretti. Even this week’s big news of a new global headquarters for ‘Andretti Global’ in Indiana are not enough to pique the interest of F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. “At the moment we don’t see […]
Reports of Belgian GP axe premature – Domenicali
Aug.25 (GMM) Reports that fabled Spa-Francorchamps will definitely lose its Formula 1 race after this weekend’s Belgian GP are premature. That was the word on Wednesday from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, who also said discussions are ongoing with promoters in Monaco and France. “I read somewhere that it will be the last time in Belgium,” […]