Apr.30 (GMM) Nikita Mazepin insists he has a “very good relationship” with his Haas race engineer – even if it sometimes doesn’t sound that way on the radio. “Yes, sometimes it sounds a little unfriendly,” team boss Gunther Steiner admits. “But he’s just very direct. That’s his character. “He has a very good relationship with […]
Promoter says Montreal ghost race ‘impossible’
Apr.30 (GMM) Canadian GP organisers couldn’t afford to push ahead with a Formula 1 ‘ghost race’ this year. Ultimately, it was governments’ insistence that F1 personnel spend 14 days in quarantine that made racing in Montreal impossible for the sport in 2021. But promoter Francois Dumontier said even a spectator-free event wouldn’t have worked. “I […]
Wolff relationship ‘better’ after Imola talks – Russell
Apr.30 (GMM) George Russell says his relationship with Toto Wolff is actually “better” after the controversy of Imola. The Williams driver and Mercedes junior copped a stinging rebuke from Wolff following his high speed collision with Valtteri Bottas – after which Russell actually slapped the works Mercedes driver on the helmet. At Portimao, Bottas said […]
Ferrari to keep driver lineup for ‘years’ – Webber
Apr.30 (GMM) Ferrari is likely to keep its current driver lineup for “years to come”. That is the prediction of former F1 driver Mark Webber, who admitted to Speed Week that he came “very close” to moving to the Maranello based team in 2013. Now, Ferrari has Charles Leclerc under long-term contract alongside team newcomer […]
Brown hits out at F1 ‘team affiliations’
Apr.30 (GMM) “Team affiliations” are hurting Formula 1, according to McLaren supremo Zak Brown. The Woking based team switched to Mercedes power for 2021, but the lack of the German carmaker’s branding on the McLaren livery is conspicuous. It’s a clear sign by the British team amid a phenomenon referred to by Brown as “team […]
Gasly not ruling out team switch
Apr.30 (GMM) Pierre Gasly is not ruling out a change of Formula 1 teams. Recently, having admitted his disappointment about being dropped by the senior team in 2019, the Frenchman was linked with a move from Red Bull-owned Alpha Tauri to Alpine for 2022. “I hope it works out with Red Bull, because it’s thanks […]
F1’s Austin, Mexico double-header safe
Apr.30 (GMM) October’s double-header in Austin and Mexico appears to be staying on the 2021 calendar. That is despite the fact that June’s Canadian GP was cancelled for the second consecutive year due to covid restrictions. Organisers in Mexico City, however, say their event is safe even though the Formula 1 circuit is still being […]
Verstappen plays down Hamilton ‘shoulder nudge’
Apr.30 (GMM) Max Verstappen has played down his ‘shoulder nudge’ with 2021 title rival Lewis Hamilton recently at Imola. When asked about their championship rivalry, Verstappen’s father Jos smiled this week: “When I look at the shoulder nudge they gave each other after qualifying at Imola, I think we know what we can expect.” However, […]
Hamilton wants to keep racing in 2022
Apr.30 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is showing no sign of wanting to retire from Formula 1 at the end of 2021. At the end of troubled negotiations, the seven time world champion recently agreed a deal for only one more year with Mercedes. However, he then uncharacteristically agreed to stay behind at Imola last week to […]
Government not ready to green-light Australian GP
Apr.29 (GMM) The local state government is not ready to declare that the postponed and rescheduled 2021 Australian GP will definitely be able to go ahead. When explaining the cancellation of the Canadian GP for the second year in succession, Formula 1 declared in a statement that it was “impossible” for the sport to enter […]
Verstappen’s father smiles at Hamilton ‘shoulder nudge’
Apr.29 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s father and co-manager is happy about the latest developments at Red Bull. Earlier, it emerged that Verstappen actually possesses an ‘exit clause’ in his current contract that may allow him to leave Red Bull at the end of the year. However, Red Bull is not only fully competitive in 2021, the […]
Hamilton ‘unwilling to accept’ Verstappen pressure
Apr.29 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is struggling to cope as he finally faces a serious challenger to his recent run of utter dominance in Formula 1. That is the claim of Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, who thinks Max Verstappen’s pace is the reason that Mercedes’ Hamilton is suddenly making key mistakes. “He had no consistent […]
Zanardi ‘gradually getting better’ – son
Apr.29 (GMM) Alex Zanardi is “conscious” and “gradually getting better”, his son Niccolo has told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Little has been reported about the condition of the former Formula 1 and Indy driver after his collision with a truck during a hand-cycling race some ten months ago. Zanardi, 54, suffered head and facial […]
Spectators to return to Formula 1 soon
Apr.29 (GMM) The return of spectators to Formula 1 may now be looming large, despite the fact that three of the next four grands prix will definitely be ‘ghost races’. The optimism also comes despite the official cancellation of the Canadian GP, whose June event will be replaced by 2020 substitute venue Istanbul. The good […]
Aston Martin backs away from F1 legal action
Apr.29 (GMM) Aston Martin has backed away after threatening legal action over Formula 1’s aerodynamic rule changes for 2021. Boss Otmar Szafnauer, presumably acting on behalf of billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll, had hinted he suspects Liberty Media may have been part of the push to specifically disadvantage the Mercedes-like ‘low rake’ teams. But Auto […]
Steiner not critical of Schumacher’s ‘cautious’ approach
Apr.29 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says he will not try to stop Mick Schumacher from being so “cautious” as he begins his Formula 1 career with Haas this season. While Nikita Mazepin has been under fire for his off-track antics and on-track incidents, fellow rookie and teammate Schumacher is taking a much more measured approach to […]
Haas’ future in F1 ‘secure’ – Steiner
Apr.28 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has played down suggestions that the Haas project may be coming to an end in Formula 1. It is said that the small American team only started the 2021 season – its sixth in Formula 1 – because of Dmitry Mazepin’s sponsorship injection and extra support by Ferrari. Haas is treading […]
Mercedes trying to delay Hodgkinson move – Marko
Apr.28 (GMM) Mercedes is “trying everything” to delay Ben Hodgkinson’s move to head up the new Red Bull engine program, according to Dr Helmut Marko. Hodgkinson has been at Mercedes for two decades, but Red Bull has managed to poach him so that he can be Red Bull Powertrains’ first technical director. However, reports suggest […]
Sprint qualifying must ‘prove itself’ – Marko
Apr.28 (GMM) Formula 1 is open to scrapping the brand new sprint qualifying format if it does not “prove itself” this season. That is the claim of Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko, following the sport’s announcement that a 100km Saturday sprint race awarding 3 points to the winner will be trialled at Silverstone, Monza […]
F1 back to 2014 performance next year – Verstappen
Apr.28 (GMM) Formula 1 cars will return to the grip levels of “2014 or 2015” next year, according to Max Verstappen. This year, with F1 performance at near record levels, the Dutchman appears to be in a head-to-head battle with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton for the title. “I believe Mercedes could be a little stronger than […]