Jan.24 (GMM) Italian and British Formula 1 hosts are hitting back after the sport vowed to ban the traditional flyovers of military aircraft before races in 2022. Billed as a sustainability measure, but amid suspicions the real motive is to limit the flexing of military muscle in unstable times, the news prompted Silverstone to clarify […]
Most loved F1 tracks looking ‘shabby’
Jan.24 (GMM) Some of Formula 1’s most historic and traditional grand prix circuits are “shabby”, according to Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. This year, Miami is joining a younger and younger tally among the 23 race hosts for 2022 – and that’s not good news for some of the most loved and respected older venues. “The […]
No radical car development in 2022 – Ferrari
Jan.24 (GMM) The days of ultra-intense car development in Formula 1 are over. That is the view of Ferrari’s sporting boss Laurent Mekies, who does however admit that the dawning of the 2022 rules this year will result in more upgrades than was seen during the covid-marred 2020 and 2021 seasons. “It will not be […]
Colombia eyes Formula 1 race
Jan.24 (GMM) Colombia, the country that produced Juan Pablo Montoya, could be making a bid to host a Formula 1 race. El Tiempo newspaper reports that Ivan Duque Marquez, the country’s president, is open-minded about Barranquilla mayor Jaime Pumarejo’s proposal to aim for a spot on the bustling annual F1 calendar. “As a team, we […]
Ferrari driver partnership still alive – Vasseur
Jan.24 (GMM) Alfa Romeo’s cooperation with Ferrari remains alive and well. That is the word from the Swiss-based team’s boss Frederic Vasseur, who bats away claims that replacing Antonio Giovinazzi with Alpine academy member Guanyu Zhou for 2022 indicates flagging relations with Ferrari. “The fact that we have gone for another option does not mean […]
Alpine may poach Aston Martin technical boss
Jan.24 (GMM) Along with Otmar Szafnauer and sponsor BWT, Aston Martin is reportedly preparing to lose yet another major player to the Renault-owned Alpine team for 2022. The Spanish sports daily Marca reports that Szafnauer, expected to shortly be unveiled as Alpine’s new boss, may be taking Aston Martin’s technical boss Andy Green with him. […]
Australia says F1 on board with mandatory vaccines
Jan.24 (GMM) Formula 1 and the Australian GP are on the same page regarding mandatory vaccination against Covid-19. That is the insistence of Andrew Westacott, the Melbourne race boss who is confident the April event will go ahead smoothly despite the recent saga surrounding the deportation of unvaccinated tennis number 1 Novak Djokovic. “The rules […]
Hamilton’s post-2021 silence ‘is not ok’ – report
Jan.24 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s almost total silence since losing the 2021 title showdown against Max Verstappen is “not ok”. That is the view of Bild newspaper correspondent Helmut Uhl, who also criticises world number 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic’s silence since he was deported by the Australian government. “It’s not ok,” Uhl told the major […]
2022 cars not slower than last year’s – Isola
Jan.21 (GMM) This year’s Formula 1 cars will not be significantly slower than the unprecedentedly-fast field of 2021. While some welcome news that the new ‘ground-effect’ generation of 2022 and beyond should usher in better racing, others worry about earlier predictions of up to 5-6 seconds of comparative laptime loss. But Mario Isola, boss of […]
Performance disparity possible in 2022 – Brawn
Jan.21 (GMM) Ross Brawn has moved to allay fears about the new generation of Formula 1 cars. “As soon as we presented the new regulations, they said we had been too restrictive,” the sport’s managing director is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint. F1’s main goal for the next generation of cars, which will be revealed by […]
Austin eases bumps with partial resurfacing
Jan.21 (GMM) The US GP venue in Austin has moved to eradicate serious problems with the track surface ahead of the 2022 season. Extreme bumps due to a subsiding sub-surface have been a problem for Formula 1 at the Circuit of the Americas for some years, but the world of MotoGP is even more concerned. […]
Red Bull would also feel ‘robbed’ – Albers
Jan.21 (GMM) Red Bull would have behaved “exactly the same” as Mercedes had the situation been reversed at the explosively contentious 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi. Lewis Hamilton and the German team were roundly criticised as ‘bad losers’ for so openly questioning and condemning race director Michael Masi’s actions surrounding the late-race safety car. […]
Sainz shows Leclerc no ‘wonder-boy’ – Marko
Jan.21 (GMM) Charles Leclerc may not be as good a driver as the early hype suggested, according to Dr Helmut Marko. Red Bull’s top Austrian official made the contentious claim whilst analysing how Carlos Sainz has fared since departing the energy drink company’s F1 program to race for Renault, McLaren and – now – Ferrari. […]
F1 bans military aircraft flyovers for 2022
Jan.20 (GMM) A decades-old tradition in Formula 1 has been banned for 2022 and beyond. Throughout the sport’s history, race promoters have collaborated with their nations’ respective governments to organise spectacular military aircraft flyovers while the pre-event grid proceedings are taking place. However, Formula 1 has now told the 23 race promoters ahead of the […]
Prost almost ran for FIA presidency
Jan.20 (GMM) Alain Prost – FIA president. It’s a tantalising name-and-title combination that just may have happened, with the 66-year-old Formula 1 legend admitting he considered trying to replace the recently-succeeded FIA president and fellow Frenchman Jean Todt. The actual new president of F1’s governing body is Mohammad Ben Sulayem, but quadruple world champion Prost […]
Marko slams Abiteboul-to-Red Bull rumours
Jan.20 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has slammed reports that former Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul could be about to join Red Bull’s Formula 1 program. The rumours suggest that, despite their bitter competitive rivalry of the past, talks have taken place between Dr Marko, Christian Horner and Frenchman Abiteboul, who was ousted as Renault team boss […]
Sprint races in doubt over money dispute
Jan.20 (GMM) Formula 1’s sprint race plans for 2022 remain up in the air – because of a dispute about money. The sport’s administration was happy with the three-race trial of the new sprint qualifying format in 2021, and intended to at least double the number of sprints this year. A title sponsor for the […]
Wolff reveals Hamilton’s ‘very deep’ wounds
Jan.20 (GMM) There are “very deep” wounds within Lewis Hamilton after the controversial finale to the ultra-intense 2021 title battle, Toto Wolff has revealed. Rumours are swirling that Hamilton, who has been completely silent and unseen for weeks, may even hang up his helmet before the start of the 2022 season. Mercedes team boss Wolff […]
Porsche teaming up with Red Bull – Brown
Jan.20 (GMM) Zak Brown, who says Porsche is set to team up in Formula 1 with Red Bull, admits that McLaren has also had discussions with another Volkswagen carmaker – Audi. The Woking based team officially denied rumours of a buyout late last year, but McLaren supremo Brown doesn’t rule out a collaboration with the […]
Melbourne GP boss says F1 drivers must vaccinate
Jan.19 (GMM) Every Formula 1 driver and team member will be “compliant” with border rules when they enter Australia for the first time since 2020 this April. That is the insistence of Melbourne race boss Andrew Westacott, who was asked if the city’s farcical Novak Djokovic situation could be repeated as Albert Park finally rejoins […]