Nov.3 (GMM) Haas is a good first team for likely 2021 rookie Mick Schumacher. That is the view of Bernd Maylander, who is Formula 1’s long-time safety car driver. Speaking to Sport1, he was commenting on what is now regarded as an open secret – that Ferrari will place Michael Schumacher’s son at Ferrari-powered customer […]
Wolff thinks ‘tired’ Hamilton will stay in F1
Nov.2 (GMM) Toto Wolff remains confident that Lewis Hamilton will eventually sign a new Mercedes contract for 2021 and beyond. After winning at Imola, and celebrating Mercedes’ seventh consecutive world championship, Hamilton caused a stir by saying there is “no guarantee” he will stay in Formula 1 beyond next month’s Abu Dhabi finale. The six-time […]
Kvyat out but Marko gives Albon more time
Nov.2 (GMM) While one Red Bull-contracted driver’s exit appears set in stone, another still has a few races to prove he still belongs in Formula 1. Although driving for the energy drink company’s second team Alpha Tauri, Daniil Kvyat thinks he easily outperformed the struggling Alex Albon at Imola. “From the very beginning of the […]
F1 should move to ‘rotating’ races idea – Seidl
Nov.2 (GMM) Andreas Seidl has admitted his opposition to the trend for longer Formula 1 calendars made possible by the likely introduction of Imola-like two-day race weekends. Just as news of the unprecedentedly long 2021 calendar featuring 23 races broke, Formula 1 descended on the much-loved former San Marino GP venue Imola for a novel […]
Covid threatens tail-end of 2020 season – Wolff
Nov.2 (GMM) The rest of this year’s makeshift Formula 1 calendar is in “the hands of the national authorities”. That is the view of Toto Wolff, whose Mercedes team on Sunday wrapped up the constructors’ championship at Imola – one of the stand-in events for the permanent races that had to be cancelled this year […]
Ferrari boss Binotto to skip next race in Turkey
Nov.1 (GMM) Laurent Mekies will step up and serve as Ferrari’s acting team boss at the next race in Istanbul. The rumour at Imola was confirmed by team boss Mattia Binotto, who said he will stay at Maranello instead of travelling to Turkey before missing “a few more” of the remaining four races after that. […]
Kvyat slams ‘bulls**t’ track limits at Imola
Nov.1 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat has slammed the strict enforcement of ‘track limits’ this weekend as Imola makes an otherwise highly popular return to Formula 1. “Jesus Christ! We don’t need white lines, we just need old-school gravel. Then we can get rid of this bulls**t,” the Russian driver is quoted by Sport1. Many drivers have […]
Renault hopes FIA allows ‘young driver’ test for Alonso
Nov.1 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul is hoping the FIA might step in to allow Fernando Alonso to take part in the end-of-season ‘young driver test’ in Abu Dhabi. As a 39-year-old two-time world champion, the Spaniard is definitely not a ‘young driver’, but Renault was hoping the other teams would regard his two-year sabbatical as a […]
Todt ‘concerned’ about F1’s ongoing corona crisis
Nov.1 (GMM) Jean Todt admits he is “very concerned” about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Although Formula 1 is up and racing again with its ‘covid-safe’ protocols including ghost races, social ‘bubbles’ and mandatory mask-wearing and testing, a new wave of the virus and lockdowns are currently sweeping through Europe and the world. “Everyone who contributed […]
Todt admits to seeing Schumacher ‘regularly’
Nov.1 (GMM) FIA president Jean Todt says he still goes to visit Michael Schumacher “regularly”. The pair remained close friends after their ultra-successful time together at Ferrari, but almost nothing is known about Schumacher’s health in the wake of a late 2013 skiing fall that caused brain injuries. “His fight continues, along with his family […]
Haas asked Alfa Romeo to delay driver news
Nov.1 (GMM) It is now obvious that Mick Schumacher will step up to Formula 1 next year with Haas. Earlier, it appeared that the 20-year-old German and F2 points leader would indeed get his promotion for 2021, but it had not been decided whether it would be with Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo or Haas. At Imola, […]
‘Definitely’ no F1 race seat in 2021 – Kubica
Nov.1 (GMM) Robert Kubica says he will “definitely” not be returning to Formula 1 as a race driver in 2021. The Pole is at Imola this weekend in his capacity as Alfa Romeo’s reserve driver, after his sponsor Orlen switched from Williams to the Swiss-based team this year. Alfa Romeo is keeping Kimi Raikkonen and […]
Marko all but confirms 2021 exit for Kvyat
Nov.1 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has all but officially confirmed that Daniil Kvyat will not keep his seat at Alpha Tauri beyond the end of 2020. It comes after Pierre Gasly said he was “surprised” that Red Bull only re-signed him for 2021 on the basis that he will lead the second team rather than […]
Ferrari, Renault reject Red Bull engine freeze
Nov.1 (GMM) Both Ferrari and Renault say they will not support Red Bull’s push to see engine development frozen from 2022. With Honda departing at the end of next year, Red Bull has said it would like to take over the Japanese manufacturer’s engines and operations – but only if engine development is halted. Mercedes’ […]
‘Delicate’ driver salary cap not decided yet
Oct.31 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says news that his salary could be capped from 2023 caught him by “surprise”. The $30 million per team cap was agreed by the teams during Monday’s key meeting of the F1 Commission. “Nothing has been decided yet, but we are happy to start working on the issue and understand what […]
Ferrari CEO plays down Aldo Costa rumours
Oct.31 (GMM) Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri has played down suggestions the Italian team could reunite with its former car designer Aldo Costa. The Maranello team slumped badly in 2020, but Camilleri told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he is “convinced” Ferrari will win again before long. “It won’t happen in the blink of an eye […]
F1 bosses defend controversial Saudi Arabia race
Oct.31 (GMM) Top F1 team bosses have defended the decision to add a new race in Saudi Arabia to the sport’s unprecedented 23-round schedule for 2021. After news of the as-yet unpublished provisional calendar leaked, Amnesty International slammed Formula 1 for apparently allowing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to “sports-wash” its human rights record with […]
Covid crisis ‘becoming more difficult’ for F1
Oct.31 (GMM) Formula 1 is still nervous about the ongoing impact of coronavirus, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits. As it emerges that George Russell’s trainer is in isolation with symptoms, F1 was already digesting the news that a limited crowd of 13,000 spectators per day have now been excluded from this Imola race weekend. “Yes, […]
Marko insists he has ‘nothing against Gasly’
Oct.31 (GMM) Red Bull needs Pierre Gasly to lead the Alpha Tauri team from the cockpit, according to Dr Helmut Marko. Although already signed up for 2021, Frenchman Gasly expressed surprise that he was never in contention to replace Alex Albon at Red Bull Racing next year. “I’m not disappointed, at most I’m a little […]
No room in F1 for entire Ferrari rookie trio – Binotto
Oct.31 (GMM) Only one of the trio of top Ferrari ‘academy’ rookies will make it into Formula 1 next year. Earlier, it was believed that Mick Schumacher might replace Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo while Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman move to Haas. However, Alfa Romeo is keeping its full 2020 lineup next year while […]