Mar.20 (GMM) Davide Brivio may be in Bahrain this weekend, but he admits his role his changed significantly at Alpine. Last year, having switched from the world of MotoGP to help lead the Renault-owned Alpine team in Formula 1, rumours began to swirl that the Italian could be returning to two wheels. “I know there […]
Albon not surprised about Ferrari’s early pole
Mar.20 (GMM) Alex Albon is not surprised that Formula 1’s new era kicked off in Bahrain with pole position for Ferrari. The British-born Thai, now at Williams, was closely involved in Red Bull’s intense battle against Mercedes last year for the 2021 world championship. But while Red Bull has emerged with a fully competitive 2022 […]
‘White Ferrari’ claims are ‘ridiculous’ – Steiner
Mar.19 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says claims Haas’ 2022 car is actually just a ‘white Ferrari’ are “ridiculous”. In Bahrain practice, the small American team’s apparent huge leap into the prominent upper midfield was confirmed, with both Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen in the top ten. Some are even calling the car ‘Moby Dick’, in a […]
Wolff admits Hamilton dominance ‘not popular’
Mar.19 (GMM) Toto Wolff admits only Mercedes and its fans will be feeling down about the hierarchy shift in Formula 1. The German team ended its intense 2021 campaign with fury, hitting out at the subsequently-axed race director Michael Masi’s safety car decision in Abu Dhabi that handed victory to Max Verstappen. “These events, and […]
F1 CEO to ‘talk’ to drivers over Netflix boycott
Mar.19 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has vowed to “talk” to drivers threatening to snub Formula 1’s official Netflix series Drive to Survive. A growing number of drivers is siding with world champion Max Verstappen in sounding reluctant to play any ongoing role in the supposed annual documentary, arguing that producers are creating false narratives with clever […]
Practice showed struggling Mercedes ‘not bluffing’
Mar.19 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen has called Mercedes’ new car for 2022 “shitty”. Indeed, Lewis Hamilton confirmed on Friday that the German team was not bluffing or sandbagging over the winter, racing to the ninth quickest time in Bahrain practice. “We’ve got a lot of problems,” he said. Before that, Dutchman Verstappen didn’t appear […]
Hamilton pays ‘fine’ to chosen cause
Mar.19 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will pay a EUR 50,000 fine for snubbing last year’s FIA awards gala after losing the 2021 title to Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances. “There will be some sort of fine,” the seven time world champion confirmed in Bahrain. However, Hamilton met with new FIA president Muhammed bin Sulayem on the […]
Verstappen to reap sponsorship windfall – manager
Mar.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s manager says he is now reaping the international benefits of the 2021 championship triumph. Although the victory over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was highly controversial, Raymond Vermeulen reveals that it has led to a serious influx of interest from potential lucrative sponsors. “It has definitely taken off,” he told De Telegraaf newspaper. […]
F1 may ban ‘no sidepod’ concept for 2023
Mar.18 (GMM) Formula 1 should consider clamping down on Mercedes’-style ‘no sidepod’ innovations for 2023 and beyond. That is the view of Jan Monchaux, the technical boss at Alfa Romeo. Mercedes’ radical layout, including a controversial sidepod ‘top’ for the side mirrors that is arguably an aerodynamic wing, has been given the green light for […]
Magnussen a ‘danger’ for Schumacher – uncle
Mar.18 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s uncle is warning that the young German is facing a “danger” in the form of his eleventh-hour teammate for 2022. With Nikita Mazepin ousted over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Haas’ Schumacher will now be paired with highly experienced former team driver Kevin Magnussen. “He’s been out for a year obviously but with […]
Berger questions Aston Martin’s new F1 boss
Mar.18 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger is questioning whether Aston Martin has appointed the right team principal. Otmar Szafnauer switched camps for 2022, taking the Austrian sponsor BWT with him to Alpine and revealing that Lawrence Stroll wanted too much say in running Aston Martin. Berger seems to agree. “I’m not at all convinced about […]
F1 concerned about covid, inflation, Russia
Mar.18 (GMM) It’s not just the ongoing covid crisis that is endangering the 2022 Formula 1 season. All the race promoters got together in Bahrain last week to discuss the potential impact on the sport of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has already caused the cancellation of the Sochi race. “Yes, some countries are closer to […]
F1 cars no longer ‘incredible’ – Stroll
Mar.18 (GMM) Three Formula 1 drivers have opened their 2022 accounts by aiming fire at the sport’s highly anticipated new technical rules. Seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton fired his criticism at Pirelli’s new 18-inch tyres. “They slide more and the grip is worse than before,” the Mercedes driver said. Hamilton, 37, also said the […]
Ferrari’s engine has caught up – Binotto
Mar.18 (GMM) Ferrari has caught up with the other manufacturers in terms of engine performance, according to team boss Mattia Binotto. In 2019, an engine advantage became a major disadvantage for the Maranello team after it was accused of ‘cheating’ and forced by the FIA to make key design tweaks. Finally, that advantage appears to […]
Bottas gives thumbs-up to F1 rule reforms
Mar.18 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has given the thumbs-up to Formula 1’s reform process after the highly controversial 2021 season finale. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has kicked off the new season by rigorously denying ongoing claims that Max Verstappen’s success over Lewis Hamilton was “rigged”. “If I thought it was, I wouldn’t be here,” the Italian […]
Drivers call for end to F1’s covid era
Mar.18 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he’s feeling “fine” despite being sidelined for the season opening Bahrain GP this weekend. Just as Daniel Ricciardo returns to action after a week off with covid-19, quadruple world champion Vettel has succumbed to the same infection – and F1’s strict ‘no race’ policy that applies for the third season […]
Bottas admits Hamilton ‘better than me’
Mar.17 (GMM) After five years alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas has a frank admission. “We had a meeting at the factory in December 2021,” the Finn, who lost his seat for 2022 and has relocated to Alfa Romeo, told the Swiss newspaper Blick. “Everyone was there and I said it very loudly to […]
‘Porpoising’ will be short-lived in F1 – Binotto
Mar.17 (GMM) Mattia Binotto thinks all the fuss about so-called ‘porpoising’ will soon go quiet in Formula 1 circles. Actually, the aerodynamic phenomenon caused by the radical reversion to ground effect cars this year appears to have caught many teams by surprise – including Mercedes. “It seems like Red Bull and Ferrari have managed to […]
Verstappen title ‘also my success’ – Albon
Mar.17 (GMM) Alex Albon says he feels proud to have helped Max Verstappen become 2021 world champion. The British-born Thai is returning to the grid in 2022 after a gap-year as Red Bull’s official reserve and development driver, whilst racing in DTM. “It’s strange to suddenly do all the work in the simulator at the […]
2022 could be Hamilton’s last season – experts
Mar.17 (GMM) 2022 could be Lewis Hamilton’s final season in Formula 1. That is the suspicion of a couple of renowned experts – including a top official of the team whose driver beat the seven time world champion to the 2021 title. “Hamilton knows the opponent Max (Verstappen) has grown into,” Dr Helmut Marko told […]