Sep.17 (GMM) Jean Todt thinks Ferrari should be able to recover from its surprisingly-deep 2020 slump. Ever since the FIA president reached a controversial secret agreement with Maranello over its questionably-legal 2019 engine, Ferrari has moved into the midfield. Despite the famous team’s highs, it is familiar territory for Ferrari. Indeed, Todt signed to be […]
Todt hopes Volkswagen boss serious about F1
Sep.16 (GMM) Jean Todt says he hopes Volkswagen is contemplating a move into Formula 1. Late last month, and although VW brands Audi and Porsche are in Formula E, Volkswagen chief Herbert Diess said F1 with “synthetic fuels” would be “a much more exciting and fun tech-competition than Formula E”. FIA president Todt told Auto […]
Red Bull must give Verstappen ‘competitive engine’
Sep.16 (GMM) Red Bull must supply Max Verstappen with “a competitive engine” in order to keep him at the team beyond 2021. That is the surprising admission of Dr Helmut Marko, even though in the opening days of this year, the team announced that it had signed a deal with the Dutch driver through 2023. […]
F1 unlikely to return to Mugello
Sep.16 (GMM) Formula 1 appears unlikely to return to Mugello next year, despite the success of last weekend’s race at the Ferrari-owned circuit. Up and down the pitlane, drivers raved about the challenge of the high-speed and ‘old school’ layout in Tuscany, which was drafted onto the 2020 calendar at late notice due to the […]
F2 title no guarantee of F1 seat – Schumacher
Sep.16 (GMM) Mick Schumacher is not getting carried away with speculation that he is looking likely to follow his famous father into Formula 1. In an interview with RTL, the 21-year-old German would not comment on suggestions he will get a Friday practice outing for Alfa Romeo at the Nurburgring next month. But Schumacher, whose […]
No FIA penalty for Hamilton over political t-shirt
Sep.16 (GMM) The FIA has backed away from issuing a potential penalty to Lewis Hamilton over his wearing of a politically-themed t-shirt on the Mugello podium. Earlier, a spokesman for F1’s governing body admitted that “active consideration” was being given to determining whether the six-time world champion breached the sport’s anti-political rules. It is believed, […]
Mercedes denies ‘bringing politics into F1’
Sep.15 (GMM) Mercedes has denied “bringing politics into Formula 1”. The denial from the dominant championship-winning team comes amid reports the FIA is looking into whether Lewis Hamilton broke the sport’s rules about political messaging with a t-shirt he wore at Mugello. While the six-time world champion has worn a ‘Black Lives Matter’-branded t-shirt whilst […]
F1 steward Salo says Bottas ‘did nothing wrong’
Sep.15 (GMM) Mugello steward Mika Salo insists that Valtteri Bottas “did nothing wrong” before the midfield race re-start pileup last Sunday. Some of the drivers caught up in the scary incident pointed the finger at the very front of the field, where a weaving leader Bottas left his charge notably late after the safety car […]
Vettel denies fatigue behind F1 incidents
Sep.15 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has denied that driver fatigue could be behind a spate of recent incidents in Formula 1. Last weekend, the highly physically-demanding Mugello circuit rounded out yet another treble of back-to-back races on the unusual 2020 ‘corona calendar’. Some have pointed out that as the races have rolled on, driver incidents, safety […]
2021 can be ‘much better’ for Ferrari – Sainz
Sep.15 (GMM) Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri hopes “flexibility” in the F1 rules helps the famous Maranello team pull itself out of its “hole”. The partisan Italian press is now blasting Ferrari after each race, with Corriere dello Sport predicting that it will take “a long time” for the situation to change. “While the other teams […]
Nurburgring hopes for Friday run for Schumacher
Sep.15 (GMM) The boss of the Nurburgring hopes the rumours are true that Mick Schumacher will get a Friday practice outing at the German circuit next month. Prior to Mugello, it was rumoured that the Formula 2 championship leader would in fact make his Friday appearance at the Italian venue – but that was wide […]
2020 Ferrari ‘project’ is fundamentally flawed – Binotto
Sep.14 (GMM) Mattia Binotto says Ferrari is yet to get its head around a fundamental problem with the woefully uncompetitive 2020 car. So far in 2020, the narrative has been that Ferrari’s struggles are mainly because of the 2019 engine legality saga, which has obviously left the famous team underpowered. But the drivers insist that […]
Richest team ‘will always win’ in current F1 – Sainz
Sep.14 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has admitted to “frustration” that the current situation in Formula 1 means that the richest team is always the most likely to win. The technical rules are changing markedly for 2022, while the income distribution system will already become fairer next year, when the budget cap will also debut. But at […]
Verstappen ‘sick’ of repeat Honda problems
Sep.14 (GMM) Max Verstappen admitted he was “sick” of the repeat Honda-related technical problems at both Monza and Mugello. The Dutchman, who according to his boss Dr Helmut Marko could have challenged Mercedes for victory on Sunday, retired from a race for the second time within seven days at Mugello. “It seems that it was […]
Wolff denies Ineos to buy Mercedes for $900m
Sep.14 (GMM) Toto Wolff has rubbished suggestions Mercedes could be about to be taken over in a sensational $900 million deal by 2020 sponsor Ineos. Although rumblings about Wolff and the dominant F1 team’s respective futures have been heard throughout the year so far, the latest reports were triggered by comments made by former F1 […]
Masi denies F1 to blame for Mugello re-start crash
Sep.14 (GMM) F1 race director Michael Masi has rejected claims that the sport’s authorities are to blame for the big re-start crash at Mugello on Sunday. Romain Grosjean said it was the “biggest scare of my career”, while Carlos Sainz said he wouldn’t wish the feeling on “anyone” after coming across slow cars at 290kph. […]
Todt will not stop ‘reverse grid’ decision
Sep.13 (GMM) Jean Todt says he will not block Formula 1 from adopting a controversial ‘reverse grid’ format in 2021. The idea, which was voted down by the teams for this season, is still being championed by F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn, who vowed last week to try again for 2021. At Mugello, Williams’ George […]
Marko denies Newey-Aston Martin rumours
Sep.13 (GMM) Red Bull has denied it could be about to lose legendary F1 car designer Adrian Newey. After weeks of looking miserable amid Ferrari’s decline and his impending departure from the Italian team and perhaps Formula 1, Sebastian Vettel was suddenly smiling at Mugello. His mood might have been a touch of cheekiness as […]
Mercedes quiet amid $900m F1 team buyout claims
Sep.13 (GMM) Mercedes is refusing to comment on reports that its dominant works Formula 1 team is lining up an almost $900 million sale. The latest speculation has been triggered by comments made by former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan, who thinks Mercedes will be bought by Ineos. In February, Mercedes did a major sponsorship […]
New teams must pay F1 rivals $200m
Sep.13 (GMM) New Formula 1 entrants will have to pay $200 million to the existing teams in order to enter the sport, according to a clause in the new Concorde Agreement. France’s L’Equipe claims that the money would need to be evenly distributed to the ten teams – meaning a payment of $20 million per […]