Mar.8 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has received a ringing endorsement from Ferrari’s former sporting director Massimo Rivola. Rivola now heads Aprilia’s MotoGP team, but in conversation with Italy’s Il Foglio magazine he named Spaniard Alonso as perhaps the most impressive athlete he has worked with. “I’ve never seen anyone read a race like he did,” he […]
Gasly not ruling out leaving Red Bull
Mar.8 (GMM) Pierre Gasly says 2023 could be his last chance to return to the front of the grid with Red Bull. Now 26, the Frenchman was promoted from the energy drink company’s second F1 team to the plum Red Bull seat some three years ago – but he was soon demoted once again as […]
Jerez could replace axed Russian GP
Mar.8 (GMM) Jerez has emerged as a leading candidate to replace the axed Russian GP in September. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Spanish circuit has been in touch with the FIA over the matter and is now waiting for an answer. “This is great news,” said Juan Marin, vice president of the Andalusia […]
Aston Martin will avoid BMW-like mistakes – boss
Mar.8 (GMM) New Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack admits he must work to avoid the mistakes made by his former Formula 1 employer – BMW-Sauber. On the surface, the situations at Aston Martin and BMW-Sauber appear similar, with large corporate structures and rapid expansion plans added to existing smaller racing teams. In BMW’s case, […]
Axed Russian GP not ruling out ‘legal steps’
Mar.8 (GMM) Russian GP organisers are not ruling out “legal steps” following Formula 1’s “unilateral” decision to axe country’s place on the annual grand prix calendar. Alexey Titov, head of the promoter Rosgonki, says the situation “rapidly” escalated from suspension of the 2022 race to full extirpation from the sport, as the private sector joined […]
Team’s ‘door open’ to Claire Williams – Capito
Mar.8 (GMM) Claire Williams has not been shut out by the Formula 1 team that bears her surname. That is the claim of Jost Capito, who took over at the helm after the sale of the Oxfordshire based team and the death of former boss Claire’s founding father Sir Frank Williams. It was believed the […]
Haas plays down crisis as test delay looms
Mar.8 (GMM) Haas’ pre-season problems continue to mount, as it emerges that a cargo plane breakdown means the American team is likely to miss the start of the final test in Bahrain. The 2022 cars, one of which is to be driven by Pietro Fittipaldi after the expulsion of title sponsor Uralkali and Nikita Mazepin […]
Alfa, McLaren asked to give up F1 weight advantage
Mar.7 (GMM) Formula 1 appears to be making an eleventh-hour move to increase the minimum weight of the all-new cars for 2022. Last week, we quoted Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko as declaring that only one 2022 car – believed to be Alfa Romeo’s – had successfully met the 795kg car-plus-driver weight limit. We also […]
New boss wants Vettel to sign 2023 contract
Mar.7 (GMM) Aston Martin’s new team boss says he wants to convince Sebastian Vettel to sign a new contract for 2023 and beyond. German Mike Krack, whose working relationship with Vettel dates back to his BMW days, has been drafted back into Formula 1 by Aston Martin to replace Alpine-bound Otmar Szafnauer. “I hope that […]
Leclerc eyes ‘five wins’ for 2022 season
Mar.7 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has responded to claims that Ferrari is a dark horse for the 2022 title by setting a goal for the start of the new era of regulations. “Five wins would be great,” he told the French broadcaster Canal Plus. Some believe Ferrari’s striking new car, the result of a full season […]
Schumacher ‘happy’ despite Mazepin ‘turbulence’
Mar.7 (GMM) Mick Schumacher insists he is “happy” at Haas – even though yet another pre-season controversy is affecting his preparations for a second consecutive year. “We’ve tried to keep the focus on racing,” said the German, whose Russian teammate Nikita Mazepin and the team’s title sponsor Uralkali have been kicked out over the Ukraine […]
Red Bull ‘not half a second behind’ in 2022
Mar.7 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has hit back at early analyses suggesting Ferrari and Mercedes may already be leaving Red Bull behind in 2022. A reporter for the Austrian newspaper Osterreich claims that, based on the Barcelona test, Red Bull appears to be half a second behind the top cars. “We’re not half a second […]
Russian athletes ‘paying for Putin’s war’ – Perez
Mar.7 (GMM) Sergio Perez is not so sure Formula 1 is on the right track by pushing Nikita Mazepin off the 2022 grid because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The American team Haas has severed its ties with title sponsor Uralkali, a Russian fertiliser company, whose figurehead is Mazepin’s father Dmitry. 22-year-old Mazepin’s “driver contract” is […]
German legend doubles down on scathing F1 rebuke
Mar.4 (GMM) A motor racing legend has doubled down on his scathing opinion about modern Formula 1. Immediately after the 2021 championship finale between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton ended in high controversy, German two-time rally world champion Walter Rohrl vowed to not “waste a minute” watching any more grands prix. “I can save time […]
Verstappen mega-contract ‘not rocket science’
Mar.4 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is not commenting on speculation about Max Verstappen’s new annual retainer other than to admit the Dutchman is “satisfied”. Reports suggest the 24-year-old Dutchman and reigning world champion has been retained on a five year, $50-plus million per season retainer to remain at Red Bull at least until the end […]
Alonso sets up driver management agency
Mar.4 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is branching into the world of race driver management. The two-time world champion already has a kart circuit, museum, academy and karting team in his native Asturias, but he has now told Spanish media that he is launching ‘A14 Management’. It will be a driver management agency to help drivers “achieve […]
Haas set for ‘complete separation’ from Russia
Mar.4 (GMM) Haas is about to execute “complete separation” from Nikita Mazepin, according to former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher. Australia’s motor racing federation is reportedly joining UK Motorsport in bucking the FIA’s decision to let the 22-year-old Russian race in 2022. “The matter is under review in consultation with federal authorities and the Australian […]
Hamilton ‘behaviour’ led to Masi axe – Marko
Mar.3 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s “behaviour” contributed to ousted F1 race director Michael Masi being “sacrificed”. That is the view of Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, whose driver Max Verstappen became world champion last year after a highly controversial call by Masi in the dying moments of the 2021 season. Austrian Marko, 78, claims Mercedes’ Hamilton […]
F1 ‘all talk’ on female inclusion – Florsch
Mar.3 (GMM) Sophia Florsch has accused premier motor racing including Formula 1 of being all talk and little action when it comes to promoting female talent. The 21-year-old German rose to prominence at the iconic Macau GP in 2018, when she suffered a huge crash and was launched into a photographers’ bunker, fracturing her spine. […]
Mercedes taking ‘closer look’ at Red Bull sidepods
Mar.3 (GMM) Mercedes is vowing to “take a closer look” at top Formula 1 rival Red Bull’s “interesting” sidepod solution for the all-new 2022 regulations. While many expected this year’s field to all look similar, certain areas of more design freedom – including the sidepods – have led to a surprisingly diverse 2022 grid. For […]