Mar.17 (GMM) Pierre Gasly thinks reports that Mercedes may not be in a winning position early in 2022 may be true. The Alpha Tauri driver revealed that he was able to practice some nose-to-tail racing with the new ground effect cars after coming across Lewis Hamilton on track in the Bahrain test. “I didn’t think […]
‘Green light’ for Canada GP return – promoter
Mar.17 (GMM) It will be a case of third time’s the charm for the Canadian GP in 2022. Both in 2021 and again when the pandemic broke out in 2020, Formula 1’s popular race in Montreal was cancelled. “I can confirm it to you,” Canada GP promoter Francois Dumontier told Le Journal de Montreal on […]
‘Progress’ in search for Uralkali replacement
Mar.17 (GMM) Gunther Steiner admits he is on the hunt for a new replacement sponsor for the axed Uralkali deal. Unwittingly embroiled in the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and subsequent western sanctions, Haas terminated its deal with Uralkali, headed by Nikita Mazepin’s father Dmitry. “Of course it leaves a big gap,” team boss Steiner […]
Tost wants Tsunoda to remain ‘wild’
Mar.17 (GMM) Franz Tost insists he doesn’t want to take the “wild” nature out of Yuki Tsunoda. Last year, when the diminutive Japanese made his F1 debut for Alpha Tauri, he eventually found himself rebuked for a series of accidents and incidents. But team boss Tost insists that Tsunoda, 21, had a much better start […]
Second F1 boss eyes budget cap increase
Mar.16 (GMM) A second Formula 1 team boss thinks the sport may need to pivot to adjust to the latest alarming global developments. Inflation, for instance, is sharply on the rise amid the post-covid era and the alarming situation in Ukraine, resulting in Russian oil and gas sanctions and skyrocketing prices. That’s bad news for […]
Bottas admits struggling with ‘dominant’ Hamilton
Mar.16 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas admits he struggled to compete with the “dominant” character of seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. After five successive one-year contracts at the dominant Formula 1 team, Finn Bottas is keeping his career alive at Alfa Romeo – where he finally has a longer term contract. “The most important […]
Masi successor facing ‘completely different’ F1 role
Mar.16 (GMM) Formula 1’s new race director faces a transition period as he adjusts to a “completely different” environment. Niels Wittich, the former DTM race director who will alternate the role with Eduardo Freitas this year with Herbie Blash’s advisory support, is someone former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher says he knows. “The two of us […]
Haas’ Ferrari ‘copy’ a ‘concern’ for F1 rival
Mar.16 (GMM) Haas will leap into the Formula 1 midfield thanks to racing a Ferrari “copy” in 2022. Indeed, throughout the 2021 season the small American team was busily setting up a location on the grounds of Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters in Italy. The result is the new white and red Haas car, which has proved […]
Szafnauer left Aston Martin over Stroll
Mar.16 (GMM) Otmar Szafnauer says he left Aston Martin because of interference from the team owner. The 57-year-old, who was at the helm throughout the Force India, Racing Point and Aston Martin transition, has switched over the winter to Renault-owned Alpine. When asked in Bahrain why that happened, Szafnauer answered: “Two Popes is not possible. […]
Four F1 drivers slam official Netflix series
Mar.16 (GMM) Four more drivers are speaking out about the latest edition of the official Netflix series about Formula 1. As the fourth season of Drive To Survive hits screens all over the world, Max Verstappen once again snubbed any active participation, describing Netflix’s narratives as “fake”. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz agrees. “The fans who […]
Ferrari’s Russian sponsor in political spotlight
Mar.16 (GMM) Ferrari has removed the logo of its Russian sponsor, the Moscow-based cybersecurity multinational Kaspersky Lab, from the front wing of its 2022 F1 car. The move comes after BSI, the German federal cybersecurity authority, warned of the “significant risk of an IT attack” due to Kaspersky’s operations in the west. “The actions of […]
Missing tyre tests hurt Williams in 2022 – boss
Mar.16 (GMM) As Formula 1 heads into the season opener in Bahrain, the pecking order is both close and unclear – but what is obvious is that Williams is at the back. Team boss Jost Capito thinks a major reason for that is because, for cost reasons while the struggling Oxfordshire based team transitioned to […]
F1 probes Mercedes’ ‘no sidepod’ innovation
Mar.16 (GMM) Formula 1 teams can be split into two camps in 2022 – those with “wide sidepods” and those with significantly trimmed down versions. The most extremely trimmed sidepod solution is Mercedes’ ‘no sidepod’ configuration, which F1’s technical advisory committee discussed at length on Tuesday in the hope of avoiding a new expensive innovation […]
Giovinazzi not focused on 2022 F1 opportunities
Mar.15 (GMM) Antonio Giovinazzi insists he is fully focused on his new racing adventure for 2022 – even though his name is linked with a return to Formula 1. The Ferrari-backed Italian lost his Alfa Romeo seat at the end of last year and moved instead to Formula E with the Dragon Penske team. However, […]
Hockenheim in talks to replace axed Russia GP
Mar.15 (GMM) Hockenheim has put its hand up as a potential replacement venue for the axed Russian GP. Actually, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has repeatedly expressed disappointment that, despite its automotive industry and deep Formula 1 history, Germany is not putting up the money for a grand prix at present. But former driver Christian Danner, […]
Norris ‘prepared’ to race Haas in 2022
Mar.15 (GMM) Haas could be about to leap off the very back of the grid and into Formula 1’s tightly-packed midfield. McLaren finished fourth overall behind the ‘big three’ teams last year, but boss Andreas Seidl admits it might be a struggle to repeat that in 2022. “We have no idea where exactly we stand,” […]
Grosjean would have turned down Haas return
Mar.15 (GMM) Romain Grosjean says he would have turned down the opportunity to return to Formula 1 this year with his former team Haas. When Nikita Mazepin and his Russian sponsor were suddenly ousted over the Ukraine conflict, several potential replacements were named but Haas’ Gunther Steiner says he made only one call – to […]
‘One week’ until 2022 hierarchy revealed – Sainz
Mar.15 (GMM) With mere days until engines fire up on the 2022 world championship in Bahrain, the Formula 1 world is scrambling to figure out the early pecking order. “We’ve waited months, why can’t we wait one more week before drawing conclusions?” smiled Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, tipped as a potential title contender. The early analyses […]
Vettel’s ‘no war’ helmet caused political ‘trouble’
Mar.14 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel waded into yet another political storm by using a special ‘No War’-themed helmet in Bahrain testing last week. The livery was bordered by strips of tiny national flags of the countries of the globe – including one for Northern Cyprus. Actually, Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey, with the rest […]
F1 should respond to inflation crisis – Horner
Mar.14 (GMM) A global inflation crisis that has been worsened by the Russia-Ukraine conflict is expected to have an impact on Formula 1. Red Bull boss Christian Horner thinks dramatically rising prices across the board will be “a real problem” for the sport under the rule of the $140 million budget cap. “We can already […]