Jul.31 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted he is “concerned” about Red Bull’s pace in Hungary. The championship leaders headed into the weekend confident that the pendulum of competitiveness would swing clearly back in their favour on the tight, twisty Hungaroring layout. However, while Max Verstappen was fastest in opening practice, both Mercedes sped ahead […]
Mazepin slams Schumacher tension ‘speculation’
Jul.30 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin has slammed speculation that Haas may need to separate him from current teammate Mick Schumacher for 2022 due to escalating tension. “You found the right word – speculation,” the controversial Russian rookie said in Hungary. It has been a tumultuous 2021 season for the 22-year-old so far, amid widespread criticism of […]
Other engines ‘miles ahead’ of Ferrari – Vasseur
Jul.30 (GMM) Two other Formula 1 engines are “miles ahead” of Ferrari in 2021. That is the admission of Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur, even though he confirmed that the Swiss-based team will continue to be powered by the Maranello-built engine in 2022. “We are happy with the engine we use and have a good […]
Hamilton, Vettel slam new Hungarian laws
Jul.30 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have taken a clear stance against Hungary’s so-called “anti-LGBT laws”. As they made their first public appearances at the Hungaroring on Thursday, the multiple world champions made clear they are opposed to Hungary’s outlawing of LGBT promotion aimed towards children, which passed through parliament in June. Aston Martin’s […]
Half-capacity Monza crowd gets ‘green’ light
Jul.30 (GMM) The ‘Tifosi’ is heading back to Monza in September. Multiple authoritative Italian sources, including La Gazzetta dello Sport and Autosprint, say government authorities have given the green light for a 50 percent capacity crowd, after the spectator-free ‘ghost race’ of 2020. “It won’t be a Monza as packed as in 2019, but it […]
Gasly still ‘talking’ about Red Bull return
Jul.30 (GMM) Pierre Gasly is still not ruling out a return to Red Bull for 2022. That is despite the fact that the energy drink company’s top Austrian F1 official, Dr Helmut Marko, indicated this week that there would be no surprises once the Red Bull and Alpha Tauri lineups for next year are announced. […]
Red Bull would ‘walk through fire for me’ – Verstappen
Jul.30 (GMM) Max Verstappen says the saga following his 51G crash at Silverstone has only reinforced his notion that “I’m on the right team”. The championship leader’s comments come as the FIA on Thursday rejected the arguments made by Red Bull about the penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton for the highly contentious British GP incident. […]
Suzuka delays ticket sales, Spa to welcome F1 crowd
Jul.29 (GMM) Fears about the viability of October’s Japanese GP have proved to be well founded. On Monday, following weeks of speculation, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admitted: “I won’t hide that the situation in Japan is under observation.” He is referring, of course, to Formula 1’s ongoing covid-related calendar crisis, and the fact that Japan […]
Imola aims for three-year F1 race deal
Jul.29 (GMM) Imola is aiming for a multi-year deal to secure a permanent spot on the Formula 1 calendar. Last year and also in 2021, the former San Marino GP venue in Italy stepped in at short notice to fill calendar gaps in the covid-marred sport. And now, regional Emilia-Romagna president Stefano Bonaccini admits he […]
Honda engine survived 51G Verstappen crash
Jul.29 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s Honda engine appears to have survived the huge 51G crash that left him briefly hospitalised after contact with Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone. “Thank God the engine can be used again,” Red Bull top official Dr Helmut Marko revealed to RTL. The team has estimated the damage bill at between EUR 750,000 […]
Red Bull to present ‘new facts’ in Thursday protest
Jul.29 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko is confident Red Bull will be able to put Max Verstappen’s Silverstone crash “in a different light” during an FIA hearing on Thursday. The championship leaders are challenging Lewis Hamilton’s in-race, 10-second penalty for the clash that still enabled him to win the British GP. Top official Dr Marko says […]
Experts expect 2021 title battle to intensify
Jul.29 (GMM) Formula 1 is relishing the intense head-to-head between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in 2021. Their rivalry for this year’s world championship came to a contentious crescendo at Silverstone, when Verstappen was briefly hospitalised after a 51G crash following high-speed contact with his Mercedes challenger. Nico Rosberg, who won a similarly-intense battle with […]
Red Bull to keep all four F1 drivers for 2022
Jul.29 (GMM) Red Bull is shaping up to retain the driver lineups of its two Formula 1 teams for 2022. At the junior outfit Alpha Tauri, Pierre Gasly is clearly the lead driver and looks set to be definitely staying in that seat beyond this season. “We talked in Austria over lunch and we discussed […]
‘Loyal’ Russell rules out Red Bull move
Jul.28 (GMM) George Russell has ruled out moving into the Red Bull camp for 2022. Although his promotion to Valtteri Bottas’ seat at the works Mercedes team recently seemed set in stone, it now appears that Lewis Hamilton may have succeeded in talking boss Toto Wolff out of changing the status quo. “It is clear […]
Hungary will not be Monaco repeat for Ferrari – Sainz
Jul.28 (GMM) Carlos Sainz doubts Ferrari can in Hungary this weekend repeat the sort of pole-setting and podium-getting form demonstrated by the Italian team in Monaco. In late May, Charles Leclerc emerged on top in qualifying on the streets of his home Principality, while teammate Sainz went on to finish just 9 seconds behind race […]
Verstappen set to testify in Red Bull protest
Jul.28 (GMM) F1’s governing body will on Thursday hear a protest lodged by Red Bull against the lenient penalty imposed on Lewis Hamilton by stewards at Silverstone. Max Verstappen saw his championship lead slashed when he crashed at flat-out Copse corner on the opening lap of the recent British GP. “I’m a little bruised of […]
Saudi Arabia could host two races in 2021
Jul.27 (GMM) Saudi Arabia has put up its hand as a potential alternate Formula 1 venue in the covid-marred 2021 season. The first-ever Jeddah street race is already scheduled to take place in early December – just a fortnight after the re-scheduled and now cancelled Australian GP was due to happen. Qatar and Bahrain have […]
‘Event’ ban does not apply to Dutch GP – organisers
Jul.27 (GMM) Dutch GP organisers are continuing to fend off the doubters and push ahead with preparations for a full house of 105,000 spectators per day in early September. That is despite the fact that government authorities, concerned about rising covid numbers, have now reiterated the widespread ban on multi-day festivals until at least September […]
Formula E leader de Vries linked with Williams seat
Jul.27 (GMM) Nyck de Vries has emerged as a contender for the Williams race seat in 2022. It is rumoured that Mercedes-powered Williams could be on the lookout for a highly-respected driver to replace George Russell, who is linked with a promotion to the works Mercedes team. Also mentioned in connection with that seat are […]
Perez ‘hasn’t lived up’ to Red Bull role – van de Grint
Jul.27 (GMM) Sergio Perez “still hasn’t lived up” to his role in support of teammate Max Verstappen’s world championship campaign in 2021. While Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas has now openly stepped into a subservient role to Lewis Hamilton, one missing ingredient for Red Bull is a similar service by Mexican Perez. That is the view of […]