Jun.14 (GMM) McLaren supremo Zak Brown insists that expanding into the new electric off-road series Extreme E will not hurt the Formula 1 team. With the Woking based outfit locked in a tight battle for third place in the constructors’ championship with Ferrari, McLaren announced that it is expanding beyond F1 and Indycar into Extreme […]
Hamilton hopes to retire by 40
Jun.14 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is hinting once again that his retirement from Formula 1 lies not too far around the next corner. “I really hope that I am no longer racing at the age of 40,” the seven time world champion, who turned 36 in January, told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. “That would […]
No ‘retrospective’ penalty for Mazepin – Steiner
Jun.11 (GMM) Mick Schumacher has now calmed down after accusing his Haas teammate of a potentially fatal move at the chequered flag of the recent Baku race. After the controversial Nikita Mazepin jinked to the right at top speed just as the sister Haas was passing him on the last lap, Schumacher exclaimed on the […]
Mazepin hits back at Hamilton’s ‘billionaire’ jibe
Jun.11 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s complaint that Formula 1 has become a “billionaire kids’ club”. The seven time world champion was clearly referring to the likes of Mazepin, Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi and other current drivers whose fathers are all famously wealthy. When asked about his own privilege as the […]
Vettel ‘number 1 at Stroll’s team’ – Marko
Jun.11 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has re-emerged as the ‘number 1’ at Aston Martin, according to the German’s former boss Dr Helmut Marko. As head of Red Bull’s notorious driver program, Marko actually brought Vettel into Formula 1 as a teenager before the now 33-year-old left for Ferrari as a quadruple world champion. The Ferrari adventure […]
Insider hopes new Ferrari CEO prioritises F1
Jun.11 (GMM) Well-known Italian F1 insider Leo Turrini hopes Ferrari’s new CEO puts Formula 1 to the top of the fabled Maranello marque’s priority list. After the shock death of Sergio Marchionne in 2018, Louis Camilleri took over – but he stepped down for personal reasons at the end of last year. John Elkann, the […]
Mazepin didn’t mean to ‘scare’ Schumacher
Jun.10 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin says he had no intention of giving his Haas teammate a “scare” with his defensive driving in the final moments of the Baku GP. After slipstreaming past his teammate at the chequered flag of last Sunday’s race, Mick Schumacher fumed on the radio: “Does he want to kill us?” Schumacher was […]
Verstappen now faster than ‘older’ Hamilton – Irvine
Jun.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen has performed an overtaking manoeuvre to stand alone as “the fastest driver” on the 2021 grid. That is the view of Eddie Irvine, who says Red Bull’s Dutch championship leader reminds him of when he was paired at Ferrari with the great Michael Schumacher. “Verstappen is definitely the fastest driver out […]
Expert expects no covid restrictions for Dutch GP
Jun.10 (GMM) A well-placed journalist is now very confident that Formula 1 will race in front of packed grandstands at Zandvoort in September. With many races either postponed, cancelled or under a covid-shaped cloud, Dutch GP organisers have made it clear that their race model is designed solely for a full crowd of over 100,000 […]
Bottas must ‘find his form again’ – Berger
Jun.10 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas will play “an important role” in the Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen head-to-head battle for the 2021 world championship. With George Russell clearly waiting in the wings, the pressure on Bottas to keep his place at Mercedes beyond 2021 raised to fever pitch with his poor weekend at Baku. Former F1 […]
Marko rejects Gasly-to-Alpine reports
Jun.10 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has dismissed rumours that Pierre Gasly could be on the way to Alpine. Frenchman Gasly, 25, has been pushing for a return to Red Bull’s premier team, and his 2021-2022 contract is designed so that he can theoretically race either for the top outfit or Alpha Tauri. But Marko told […]
F1 ‘laughing’ at Wolff’s anti-Bottas bias – Popov
Jun.10 (GMM) Toto Wolff’s double standard in relation to his two drivers at Mercedes has become amusingly obvious, according to a Formula 1 commentator. It is becoming ever more clearer that Valtteri Bottas’ seat is in serious doubt for 2022, as George Russell waits impatiently in the wings. But according to Alexey Popov, the commentator […]
Pirelli ‘understands’ Verstappen’s tyre-kicking anger
Jun.10 (GMM) Mario Isola says he can “completely understand” Max Verstappen’s anger which culminated in the Dutchman kicking his shredded Pirelli tyre after a high-speed blowout at Baku. The incident cost Red Bull’s top driver the win and an expanded championship lead, with Verstappen immediately and correctly predicting that Pirelli would blame debris rather than […]
Marko indicates Perez’s seat safe for 2022
Jun.10 (GMM) Sergio Perez’s win at Baku appears to have cemented his place at Red Bull beyond his one-year contract. When asked if the Mexican is now doing enough to justify his position alongside championship leader Max Verstappen, Dr Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport: “Yes. “He is integrating in the team very well. […]
F1 hits back at Rosberg over ‘scary’ Baku
Jun.9 (GMM) F1 race director Michael Masi has hit back at Nico Rosberg, after the 2016 world champion said an aspect of the Baku circuit design is fatally dangerous. Even before Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen suffered high-speed crashes on the long, fast stretch of the city layout prior to the pit entrance, 2016 world […]
Rosberg not interested in being ‘next Toto Wolff’
Jun.9 (GMM) Nico Rosberg is racing away from any suggestion that he is eyeing a Toto Wolff-like future. Prior to rising to prominence as one of the most successful Formula 1 team bosses of all time, 49-year-old Wolff was a driver and motorsport investor. Today, since telling Wolff in late 2016 that he was suddenly […]
‘Time’ to put Russell in Bottas’ car – media
Jun.9 (GMM) The latest buzz on the Formula 1 rumour mill is that Valtteri Bottas remains in danger of losing his Mercedes seat – perhaps even within 2021. The Finnish driver struggled notably both at Monaco and Baku, with boss Toto Wolff even suggesting he was to blame for his stuck wheel-nut at the former […]
Alarmed Wolff won’t turn 2022 car plans ‘upside down’
Jun.9 (GMM) Mercedes is holding firm even after boss Toto Wolff declared that the overall performance of the reigning champion team recently has been “unacceptable”. The Austrian’s latest comments come as it emerges that Honda will supply an updated version of its engine to championship leaders Red Bull at Paul Ricard next weekend. Auto Motor […]
Mazepin deserved penalty for ‘life-threatening’ move
Jun.8 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin should have been severely penalised for his near-incident involving Mick Schumacher at Baku. That is the view of Mick’s uncle and former F1 winner Ralf, after Mazepin swerved at over 300kph to defend his position from a late-charging Schumacher at the end of Sunday’s race. “Does he want to kill us?” […]
F1 denies two-lap Baku restart only for ‘show’
Jun.8 (GMM) F1 race director Michael Masi has denied that Sunday’s race at Azerbaijan was only restarted for ‘the show’. “The Americans took over so I wasn’t really surprised that the first thing is the entertainment,” said Alpha Tauri driver Pierre Gasly, referring to Formula 1’s owners since 2017, Liberty Media. At Baku, the race […]