Jun.8 (GMM) A well-known Formula 1 tyre expert has publicly questioned Pirelli’s explanation about the high speed tyre blowouts at Baku. Even before Pirelli chiefs said a word, Max Verstappen correctly predicted that F1’s official tyre supplier would blame his and Lance Stroll’s scary incidents on track debris. However, Kees van de Grint says as […]
Wolff has ‘right’ to ‘roast’ own team – Horner
Jun.8 (GMM) Christian Horner says he doesn’t agree with Toto Wolff’s handling of a nightmare weekend for Mercedes at Baku. If you ask the international media, Lewis Hamilton was ‘solely to blame’ for his late race lunge for the lead that cost him both victory and a recaptured lead in the world championship. However, while […]
Vettel ‘completely different’ at Aston Martin – Ebel
Jun.8 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel is finally restoring his confidence after the ill-fated end to his Ferrari adventure. That is the view of Kai Ebel, the legendary face of RTL’s former long-time television coverage of Formula 1 in Germany. He was speaking after Vettel brushed aside his struggle to get up to speed at Aston Martin […]
‘Plenty of time’ to extend Perez deal – Horner
Jun.8 (GMM) Sergio Perez appears to be on track for a Red Bull contract extension. With Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon both ousted after struggling to keep up with Max Verstappen, the highly-experienced Perez was drafted in on a one-year deal for 2021. After an initial struggle to acclimatise to his new team, the 31-year-old […]
Alternatives line up for covid-affected F1 races
Jun.8 (GMM) Alternative race hosts are lining up for potentially vacant spots on the 2021 Formula 1 calendar. Singapore’s 2021 race is the latest casualty of the ongoing covid crisis, but Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt claims Turkey will be the likely replacement. Further cancellations are also possible later in the season, with […]
Not developing 2021 car would be ‘stupid’ – Verstappen
Jun.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen has urged his team yet again to remain fully committed to developing his championship-leading 2021 Red Bull. While much of the field is now almost entirely focused on designing their cars for the all-new 2022 rules, Verstappen insists Red Bull cannot afford the same luxury. “If we want to beat Mercedes, […]
Hamilton making bigger mistakes in 2021 – Verstappen
Jun.7 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are making the most mistakes so far in 2021, according to title rival Max Verstappen. While Verstappen’s Red Bull crashed into retirement with a Pirelli tyre blowout at Baku, Hamilton’s ‘no points’ result was due to him running off the road whilst duelling with Sergio Perez at the restart. […]
Mazepin wants to complete military service
Jun.7 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin says he remains committed to becoming a reserve officer in the Russian military. The F1 rookie’s father and Haas title sponsor Dmitry Mazepin last week complained that the Russian military is insisting that his 22-year-old son complete his mandatory service. “Nikita has 23 races to do this year, and they are […]
Chassis fault is ‘logical’ explanation – Bottas
Jun.7 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas’ chances of keeping his seat at Mercedes took another hit at Baku with a miserable weekend of pace for the Finn. As the hopeful George Russell knocks loudly on Toto Wolff’s door, Bottas had to admit he felt like “a moving chicane” all weekend on the Azerbaijani streets. “Something was badly […]
Perez bucks Marko’s ‘pressure’ at Baku – Doornbos
Jun.7 (GMM) Sergio Perez on Sunday responded to Dr Helmut Marko’s recent “pressure” in the best possible way. That is the view of former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos, after Perez shrugged off his earlier struggles to keep up with Max Verstappen by winning at Baku. “First of all, I’m very sorry for Max about […]
Leclerc predicts Ferrari wins ‘soon’
Jun.7 (GMM) Charles Leclerc thinks race wins will start coming “soon” for the improving Ferrari team. Although the end of both Q3 sessions were disrupted, the 23-year-old was on pole for both recent street races in Monaco and Azerbaijan. However, Leclerc finished just fourth on Sunday – but he said the most important goal at […]
Verstappen, father, knew Pirelli would blame debris
Jun.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen correctly predicted Pirelli’s response to the tyre failure that cost him victory in a scary high-speed blowout and crash at Baku. Immediately after the incident, F1’s sole tyre supplier said it would investigate the cause of the Red Bull driver and Lance Stroll’s similar incidents. Verstappen said: “I already know what […]
Bottas helped Hamilton beat Verstappen – Marko
Jun.6 (GMM) Mercedes sacrificed Valtteri Bottas so that his teammate Lewis Hamilton could get a major slipstreaming benefit in qualifying. That is the view of Dr Helmut Marko, as the open tension between Red Bull and the reigning world champion team continued to heat up at Baku. Mercedes’ Hamilton and Bottas have struggled for pace […]
Alonso tells F1 rivals to ‘calm down’ at Baku
Jun.6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has urged his fellow Formula 1 drivers to “calm down” ahead of Sunday’s Azerbaijan GP. On Saturday at the high-speed Baku street circuit, there were multiple session stoppages for crashes. The most significant was the one involving Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz, which spoiled the decisive moments of Q3 for the […]
Kai Ebel slams Hamilton and Mercedes
Jun.6 (GMM) Well-known and colourful Formula 1 broadcaster Kai Ebel has hit out at the sport’s reigning champions Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. He was the flamboyant face of RTL’s long-running television coverage of the sport in Germany, but that deal passed into pay broadcaster Sky’s hands for 2021. Now, 56-year-old Ebel has compared seven time […]
Wolff still not ruling out rear wing protest
Jun.6 (GMM) Toto Wolff is still refusing to rule out a post-race protest against Red Bull’s allegedly flexible rear wing. Amid a chaotic qualifying at Baku, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton managed to overcome earlier difficulties to outpace his title rival Max Verstappen and set up an exciting prospect for Sunday. However, the risk of a disputed […]
F1 scraps reverse race plan for second Austrian GP
Jun.5 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has reluctantly ruled out spicing up the second Austrian GP this year by reversing the layout of the Red Bull Ring. As Formula 1 grapples with the ongoing covid pandemic, Red Bull stepped up by offering to host a second race at the circuit it owns in Styria. To keep […]
F1 can be exciting without ‘tyre war’ – Pirelli
Jun.5 (GMM) Pirelli is confident that Formula 1 can be more exciting even without a ‘tyre war’. Earlier this week, well-known former F1 driver and now broadcaster David Coulthard admitted he is no fan of the current Pirelli era, which he says is “super boring” compared to his era of head-to-head tyre maker competition. “I […]
Vettel, Wolff back Hamilton over racing costs
Jun.5 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel and Toto Wolff have backed Lewis Hamilton’s sentiment after the seven time world champion described modern Formula 1 as a “billionaire kids’ club”. Hamilton suggested the exploding costs of becoming a professional racing driver is locking out youngsters from more modest backgrounds – and ramping up the representation of drivers with […]
Sainz ‘surprised’ by top F1 drivers’ struggles
Jun.5 (GMM) Carlos Sainz is “surprised” that so much is being said about Formula 1 drivers struggling to adapt to their cars in 2021. So far this year, high profile drivers including Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez have struggled to varying degrees since making team moves over the winter. Sainz is […]