Mar.22 (GMM) It is not yet clear if Sebastian Vettel will be returning to his Aston Martin cockpit this weekend in Saudi Arabia. Nico Hulkenberg, who replaced the quadruple world champion on short notice in the Bahrain season opener, says he will “definitely” be in Jeddah. “I won’t know until Thursday or Friday if Seb […]
Jeddah attacks won’t stop F1 race – organisers
Mar.22 (GMM) Organisers of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP have played down suggestions the Formula 1 race may need to be cancelled. With Sochi already axed over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, many have suggested that Iran-linked attacks on the Saudi capital city Jeddah – where the race is taking place – should trigger a similar cancellation. […]
Sainz ‘almost there’ with Ferrari contract extension
Mar.21 (GMM) Carlos Sainz will be staying at Ferrari beyond the end of his current contract this year. That is the news straight from the mouth of team boss Mattia Binotto, after the Spaniard finished second behind Bahrain GP winner and teammate Charles Leclerc. Sainz, 27, was actually disappointed with his pace relative to Leclerc […]
F1 did not apologise for Abu Dhabi – Hamilton
Mar.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1 authorities did not apologise as they handed down the full report of the post-Abu Dhabi finale investigation. The length report said the axed Michael Masi acted in “good faith” but “human error” was part of the explanation for the controversial decisions surrounding the late and decisive safety car […]
Wurz ‘100pc convinced’ by new 2022 rules
Mar.21 (GMM) Formula 1 has set itself up for a strong future with the all-new 2022 regulations. Bahrain was the opening round of the sport’s new era, with former driver, GPDA director and motorsport consultant Alex Wurz declaring: “I am 100 percent convinced it will bring the teams closer together in the long term.” “Firstly […]
F1 ‘monitoring’ instability in Saudi Arabia
Mar.21 (GMM) A dark cloud has moved above this weekend’s second round of the new 2022 world championship. As Ferrari were racing to a popular 1-2 at the Bahrain season opener, reports were breaking about Saudi forces fighting off a “hostile air target” that had set its sights on the capital city Jeddah. Jeddah is […]
‘No more doubts’ about Ferrari in 2022 – Alesi
Mar.21 (GMM) Jean Alesi says he has “no more doubts” that Ferrari can go all the way and win the 2022 world championship. The former Ferrari driver was speaking as the Maranello ended two years in the doldrums with a 1-2 from pole position at the Bahrain season opener. “I have no more doubts,” Frenchman […]
Villeneuve names Sainz as 2022 title favourite
Mar.20 (GMM) 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has made a surprising prediction about who will win this year’s Formula 1 title. Ferrari kicked off the sport’s all-new regulations era with pole position for Charles Leclerc – and his teammate Carlos Sainz third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. When asked for his 2022 title pick, Villeneuve […]
Lance Stroll has thinking to do – Schumacher
Mar.20 (GMM) Lance Stroll has a lot of think about after the first qualifying session of 2022. That is the view of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, who noted that despite his eleventh-hour call-up to replace the ill Sebastian Vettel, Nico Hulkenberg still managed to out-qualify the Aston Martin regular. “It’s an understatement to say […]
Brivio admits F1 role at Alpine has changed
Mar.20 (GMM) Davide Brivio may be in Bahrain this weekend, but he admits his role his changed significantly at Alpine. Last year, having switched from the world of MotoGP to help lead the Renault-owned Alpine team in Formula 1, rumours began to swirl that the Italian could be returning to two wheels. “I know there […]
Albon not surprised about Ferrari’s early pole
Mar.20 (GMM) Alex Albon is not surprised that Formula 1’s new era kicked off in Bahrain with pole position for Ferrari. The British-born Thai, now at Williams, was closely involved in Red Bull’s intense battle against Mercedes last year for the 2021 world championship. But while Red Bull has emerged with a fully competitive 2022 […]
‘White Ferrari’ claims are ‘ridiculous’ – Steiner
Mar.19 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says claims Haas’ 2022 car is actually just a ‘white Ferrari’ are “ridiculous”. In Bahrain practice, the small American team’s apparent huge leap into the prominent upper midfield was confirmed, with both Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen in the top ten. Some are even calling the car ‘Moby Dick’, in a […]
Wolff admits Hamilton dominance ‘not popular’
Mar.19 (GMM) Toto Wolff admits only Mercedes and its fans will be feeling down about the hierarchy shift in Formula 1. The German team ended its intense 2021 campaign with fury, hitting out at the subsequently-axed race director Michael Masi’s safety car decision in Abu Dhabi that handed victory to Max Verstappen. “These events, and […]
F1 CEO to ‘talk’ to drivers over Netflix boycott
Mar.19 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has vowed to “talk” to drivers threatening to snub Formula 1’s official Netflix series Drive to Survive. A growing number of drivers is siding with world champion Max Verstappen in sounding reluctant to play any ongoing role in the supposed annual documentary, arguing that producers are creating false narratives with clever […]
Practice showed struggling Mercedes ‘not bluffing’
Mar.19 (GMM) World champion Max Verstappen has called Mercedes’ new car for 2022 “shitty”. Indeed, Lewis Hamilton confirmed on Friday that the German team was not bluffing or sandbagging over the winter, racing to the ninth quickest time in Bahrain practice. “We’ve got a lot of problems,” he said. Before that, Dutchman Verstappen didn’t appear […]
Hamilton pays ‘fine’ to chosen cause
Mar.19 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will pay a EUR 50,000 fine for snubbing last year’s FIA awards gala after losing the 2021 title to Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances. “There will be some sort of fine,” the seven time world champion confirmed in Bahrain. However, Hamilton met with new FIA president Muhammed bin Sulayem on the […]
Verstappen to reap sponsorship windfall – manager
Mar.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s manager says he is now reaping the international benefits of the 2021 championship triumph. Although the victory over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was highly controversial, Raymond Vermeulen reveals that it has led to a serious influx of interest from potential lucrative sponsors. “It has definitely taken off,” he told De Telegraaf newspaper. […]
F1 may ban ‘no sidepod’ concept for 2023
Mar.18 (GMM) Formula 1 should consider clamping down on Mercedes’-style ‘no sidepod’ innovations for 2023 and beyond. That is the view of Jan Monchaux, the technical boss at Alfa Romeo. Mercedes’ radical layout, including a controversial sidepod ‘top’ for the side mirrors that is arguably an aerodynamic wing, has been given the green light for […]
Magnussen a ‘danger’ for Schumacher – uncle
Mar.18 (GMM) Mick Schumacher’s uncle is warning that the young German is facing a “danger” in the form of his eleventh-hour teammate for 2022. With Nikita Mazepin ousted over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Haas’ Schumacher will now be paired with highly experienced former team driver Kevin Magnussen. “He’s been out for a year obviously but with […]
Berger questions Aston Martin’s new F1 boss
Mar.18 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger is questioning whether Aston Martin has appointed the right team principal. Otmar Szafnauer switched camps for 2022, taking the Austrian sponsor BWT with him to Alpine and revealing that Lawrence Stroll wanted too much say in running Aston Martin. Berger seems to agree. “I’m not at all convinced about […]