May 12 (GMM) Fernando Alonso will get a tweaked power steering system for Monaco and beyond, as the two-time champion continues his re-adaptation to Formula 1. After two years out, the Spaniard has struggled to get up to speed this season alongside Esteban Ocon. But Alpine is clearly focusing on preparations for 2022, with Alonso […]
Kubica works on 2022 innovation in post-race F1 test
May 12 (GMM) Alfa Romeo gave a sneak peak of a likely technical innovation for 2022 whilst testing Pirelli’s 18-inch tyres in Barcelona this week. Robert Kubica was at the wheel of the car on Tuesday when it featured the sort of aerodynamic wheel covers that were commonplace a decade ago in Formula 1 until […]
Ocon ‘afraid’ of Mazepin incidents
May 12 (GMM) Esteban Ocon has admitted he is “afraid” of Nikita Mazepin when he comes across the Russian rookie on the Formula 1 circuit. Mazepin, 22, has had a tumultuous start to his F1 career both on and off the circuit, but he claims he is learning a lot. “As a rookie driver, you […]
Hamilton didn’t learn much about Verstappen – Doornbos
May 12 (GMM) Robert Doornbos doubts Lewis Hamilton learned much about his 2021 title rival simply by driving behind Max Verstappen in Barcelona. Before winning the race, Hamilton spent considerable time behind the Red Bull last Sunday and said afterwards: “I learned a lot about Max today – perhaps more than all the other races […]
Third in 2021 ‘out of reach’ for Aston Martin
May 12 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel admits that Aston Martin will miss its target of finishing third overall in the 2021 constructors’ world championship. Indeed, despite developing what was known last year as the ‘pink Mercedes’, the Silverstone based team has scored just 5 points so far – and none of them by the quadruple world […]
Racing with Schumacher name ‘normal’ for young cousins
May 12 (GMM) Carrying the Schumacher surname around the Formula 1 circuits of the world is “normal” for both Mick and David, according to Ralf Schumacher. Ralf, a former F1 winner and the brother of seven time world champion Michael Schumacher, is also the father of 19-year-old David Schumacher, who has just begun his second […]
Turkish media says Istanbul race cancelled
May 12 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has expressed concerns amid rumours about the next tweaks to the 2021 Formula 1 race calendar. Turkish media, including the sports broadcaster S Sport, claim that the decision to axe Canadian GP substitute Istanbul Park from the calendar has now been taken. It was rumoured Turkey’s loss could be compensated […]
FIA responds to Red Bull ‘bendy’ wing story
May 12 (GMM) F1’s governing body has responded to accusations Red Bull may be benefitting from a “bendy” rear wing. The “bendy” claim was made by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton last weekend in Barcelona, but Red Bull boss Christian Horner suspects Toto Wolff was actually behind the accusation. “The FIA is completely satisfied with our car […]
F1 needs ‘simple solution to track limits – Binotto
May 11 (GMM) Formula 1 should seek a “simple solution” to the controversy about so-called track limits, according to Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto. The issue has been prominent in 2021 so far, with FIA officials now regularly accused of being too harsh, too lenient or too inconsistent with their rulings and penalties. Some believe […]
Budkowski surprised Alonso return ‘so difficult’
May 11 (GMM) Marcin Budkowski admits he did not expect Fernando Alonso’s return to Formula 1 to turn out to be “so difficult” for the Spaniard. The two-time champion is not the only driver struggling so far in 2021 – in fact, every top driver who has moved teams over the winter is taking time […]
Zandvoort cannot be F1 ‘ghost race’ – Mol
May 11 (GMM) The Dutch GP cannot take place as a ‘ghost race’, according to well-known Dutch commentator Olav Mol. The recent messages from the race organisers at Zandvoort have been similar, as covid continues to cause cancellations like Montreal and now even endanger the recently scheduled Canadian GP replacement venue in Istanbul. As for […]
Is Verstappen really better than Gasly, Albon, Perez?
May 11 (GMM) Sergio Perez’s performance so far in 2021 is highlighting a problem that has affected all of Max Verstappen’s most recent Formula 1 teammates. That is the view of former Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin, referring to the fact that Mexican Perez qualified almost a second behind Verstappen in Barcelona in an identical Red […]
Former F1 driver slams Spanish GP TV coverage
May 11 (GMM) A former Formula 1 driver has hit out at the live television coverage of last weekend’s Spanish GP. “I’ve never seen such bad TV coverage of Formula 1 in my whole life,” Christjan Albers, a former Minardi driver, told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “I don’t know who was pushing the buttons, […]
Wolff wants more than another one-year Hamilton deal
May 11 (GMM) Toto Wolff wants Lewis Hamilton to sign more than another one-year contract. Last weekend in Barcelona, 2021 world championship leader Hamilton indicated that he doesn’t want his forthcoming contract talks with Mercedes boss Wolff to drag on as long as they did last year and winter. And now Wolff admits that he […]
Hamilton is beating Verstappen ‘easily’ – Ecclestone
May 11 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will “easily” beat Max Verstappen to the 2021 title, according to former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. When the new season kicked off in Bahrain, Red Bull appeared to have the edge over Mercedes. But after Hamilton won his second consecutive race last Sunday, which was his third victory out of […]
Red Bull facing long wait for engine staff – Wolff
May 10 (GMM) It will be “a long time” before many of Red Bull’s new engine department recruits can start work. That is the word from Toto Wolff, as Mercedes reels from the loss of at least 15 members of its ultra-successful F1 engine operations at Brixworth. “Some of them cannot to go the new […]
Red Bull’s ‘bendy’ rear wing is legal – Horner
May 10 (GMM) Red Bull’s new rear wing is perfectly legal, according to team boss Christian Horner. In Barcelona, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton referred to a new “bendy wing” on the Red Bull that supposedly gave Max Verstappen a straight-line advantage. Red Bull’s Horner suspects the idea might have been planted in the world championship leader’s […]
Undervaluing Ferrari progress ‘a shame’ – Binotto
May 10 (GMM) Mattia Binotto on Sunday lashed out at those who are minimising Ferrari’s progress as a team since the stark competitive slump of 2020. The Maranello team’s boss said he had been told that after the live broadcast of the Spanish GP, a Sky Italia commentator praised Charles Leclerc’s fourth place but said […]
Barcelona kneeling not for Black Lives Matter – Mazepin
May 10 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin stunned many observers before Sunday’s Spanish GP by joining those drivers electing to kneel during the pre-race grid procedure. However, the embattled Russian rookie clarified that it wasn’t a gesture in solidarity with Lewis Hamilton, who instigated the practice last year amid the Black Lives Matter protests. “I decided to […]
F1 not ruling out Barcelona chicane axe
May 10 (GMM) Formula 1 is not ruling out approving a major modification to the Barcelona layout in order to spice up the racing action. When heading into the Spanish GP weekend, new Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director George Russell suggested bypassing the slow chicane that in 2007 replaced the final two sweeping right-handers. “We […]