Oct.1 (GMM) Formula 1 is confident Turkey’s Istanbul circuit will be in better shape than last year. Amid the new covid era of frequent race cancellations, the sport is heading back to Turkey next weekend amid memories of the treacherous state of the newly resurfaced track. Max Verstappen summed up the unusually slippery nature of […]
Qatar joins F1 calendar amid controversy
Oct.1 (GMM) Qatar has emerged as the official replacement for this year’s axed Australian GP. But the deal, which had been expected, could actually be a long-term blow for the beleaguered Melbourne race, with Australia struggling amid a deep covid-related political crisis and facing an uncertain future on the calendar. Formula 1 has announced that […]
Ferrari helping Haas to help Schumacher – Piero Ferrari
Sep.30 (GMM) Ferrari is helping Mick Schumacher to speed up in Formula 1. That is the word of Piero Ferrari, the only living son of the great Maranello marque’s iconic founder Enzo. Ferrari, 76, is Ferrari’s vice chairman, and he admitted that the Italian team is helping to give Schumacher – the son of great […]
2021 to be Zhou’s ‘last season in F2’
Sep.30 (GMM) Guanyu Zhou is confident 2021 will be his “last season in Formula 2”. Reportedly with $30 million in Chinese backing, the 22-year-old Alpine junior is strongly linked with Antonio Giovinazzi’s seat at Alfa Romeo for 2022. Team boss Frederic Vasseur says the arrival of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas next year gives him extra freedom […]
Saudi in ‘race against clock’ for first F1 GP
Sep.30 (GMM) Grand prix organisers are in a “race against the clock” to prepare for Saudi Arabia’s first Formula 1 race in December. Also revealing images of the construction site that will be the all-new Jeddah circuit, French news agency AFP quoted an unnamed insider who has concerns. According to the source, Saudi authorities are […]
Perez wins $2.8m after sponsor court battle
Sep.30 (GMM) Sergio Perez will be happy after a lucrative round of court proceedings. The Red Bull driver’s management had sued state-owned Mexican oil company Pemex through its private subsidiary MGI Asistencia Integral, according to local sources Reforma and AM. Perez’s corner had argued in federal court that Pemex owed millions following termination of a […]
‘Fun’ to watch Wolff get ‘upset’ in 2021 – Horner
Sep.30 (GMM) Red Bull boss Christian Horner says it’s “fun” to witness the discomfort of his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff in 2021. The pair are nominally at the top of the title-charging top teams in the heat of the ultra-intense world championship battle – but Horner says their roles differ fundamentally. “There’s a lot of […]
2021 contenders have ‘nobody beats me’ attitude
Sep.30 (GMM) Formula 1’s hard-charging championship contenders both have a “nobody beats me” attitude to their trade. That is the view of Norbert Haug, who got an early insight into the foundation of Lewis Hamilton’s unprecedented career success when he was Mercedes’ motorsport chief at McLaren. “Ten years ago, nobody would have imagined that Michael […]
VW’s Audi, Porsche likely to enter F1 in 2026
Sep.29 (GMM) Formula 1 is likely to welcome one or even two Volkswagen Group manufacturers to the grid in 2026. That is the confident prediction of Michael Schmidt, the F1 editor for the highly respected German specialist magazine Auto Motor und Sport. It comes after the latest series of meetings between the existing teams, the […]
New F1 practice rules ‘very good news’ – Shwartzman
Sep.29 (GMM) Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman has welcomed moves to make the running of young drivers in official Formula 1 practice sessions mandatory. At Sochi, McLaren boss Andreas Seidl told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he is “fully supportive” of the plan to make running young drivers mandatory in at least two practice sessions in […]
Bottas ‘brainwashed’ by Verstappen at Sochi
Sep.29 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas may have been the victim of Max Verstappen’s “brainwashing” tactics ahead of last Sunday’s Russian GP, according to a F1 legend. Many were surprised with how easily Red Bull’s championship charger scythed past Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at Sochi – amid rumours Mercedes sent Bottas tumbling down the grid with an engine […]
Verstappen immune to Hamilton ‘mind games’
Sep.29 (GMM) Max Verstappen is immune to title rival Lewis Hamilton’s “mind games”. That is the claim not only of Red Bull boss Christian Horner, but one of his most prominent former drivers – Formula 1 veteran and now broadcaster David Coulthard. However, Coulthard thinks Mercedes’ Hamilton can also handle the psychological pressure of their […]
Masi, Latifi, refuse to condemn Mazepin
Sep.28 (GMM) F1 race director Michael Masi is refusing to condemn Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin’s driving style. The controversial Russian’s latest on-track dispute was with Yuki Tsunoda at Sochi, where race officials showed him the black and white flag for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Masi agrees that Mazepin made his defensive move on the charging, DRS-assisted Alpha […]
Hamilton admits F1 Ferrari snub ‘amazing’
Sep.28 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says it’s “amazing” to consider that he will probably hang up his helmet as a Formula 1 driver without ever having worn Ferrari red. The seven time world champion admits that he is routinely asked by the ‘Tifosi’ to think about a switch to the fabled Maranello marque. “For years, whenever […]
McLaren to blame for Norris’ lost win – Schumacher
Sep.28 (GMM) McLaren, not Lando Norris, is to blame for the lost victory at Sochi, according to a former grand prix winner. Norris, having started the Russian GP from his first ever pole, was en route to victory until the Sochi skies began to open. Radio messages from the 21-year-old indicated that Norris had simply […]
F1 season ‘fatigue’ leading to mistakes – Binotto
Sep.28 (GMM) “Fatigue” could be partly to blame for team mistakes at Sochi, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto admits. He is delighted that Carlos Sainz raced to the podium by making “no mistakes” in a difficult weekend. “Too bad for Charles,” Binotto added. Charles Leclerc headed into the Russian GP weekend with Ferrari’s long-awaited 2022 engine […]
Mazepin to complete military training in summer
Sep.28 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin says he is committed to completing his mandatory military training in Russia. In June, we reported that the Russian rookie and his father and Haas title sponsor Dmitry were upset that the government was insisting that Mazepin, 22, should not be exempt from the military requirements. Part of that service involves […]
‘Not clear’ if Hamilton needs new engine – Honda
Sep.28 (GMM) It’s “not exactly clear” if Lewis Hamilton will need a new Mercedes engine before the end of the season. That is the view of Honda’s technical boss Toyoharu Tanabe, after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had to scythe through the field at Sochi after taking engine penalties. As far as team official Dr Helmut […]
Seidl insists Norris did not ignore McLaren call
Sep.27 (GMM) Lando Norris did not simply refuse to comply with McLaren’s instructions in the dying laps of what could have been his first grand prix win on Sunday. The McLaren driver, having secured pole a day earlier at slippery Sochi, was holding off Lewis Hamilton for the victory when the Russian skies opened once […]
Russell leaving Williams in ‘great shape’
Sep.27 (GMM) George Russell says he will settle down in the cockpit of a works Mercedes next year in “great shape”, thanks to three years helping to pull Williams off the back of the grid. The 23-year-old is just the latest example of top Formula 1 teams installing similarly young and promising young chargers in […]