Mar.10 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has given the thumbs-up to Formula 1’s plan for the Saturday sprint race ‘super qualifying’ format that will be trialled over three races in 2021. That is despite the fact that others, including likely 2021 Mercedes reserve Nico Hulkenberg, have poured cold water on the plan. “It’s rubbish,” Hulkenberg told […]
Ferrari progress is ‘million dollar’ question – Sainz
Mar.10 (GMM) The “million dollar” question for Ferrari is just how much progress the fabled team has made over the winter. That is the admission of Maranello’s newcomer Carlos Sainz, as Ferrari customer Gunther Steiner declared that the Italian outfit has taken “a good step forward” with its 2021 engine. “I haven’t seen the data […]
Red Bull’s Marko admits F1 talks with Porsche
Mar.10 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted to being in talks with Porsche. Reports emerged last week that the Volkswagen brand is eyeing Formula 1’s new engine regulations for 2025. Marko then told Servus TV that Red Bull is “speaking to companies about possible partnerships” now that the team will run its own engine program […]
Vettel plays down ‘sensitive’ driving style
Mar.10 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has played down suggestions he has one of the most sensitive driving styles in Formula 1. While some think the German suffered psychologically as his recent Ferrari career wound down, others believe he simply struggled to drive the red cars. But the quadruple world champion denied that he is particularly fussy […]
Alonso ‘absolutely fit’ for Bahrain test
Mar.10 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is “absolutely fit” ahead of the single pre-season test in Bahrain that begins on Friday. The 39-year-old Spaniard, who is returning to Formula 1 this year with Renault-owned Alpine, missed not only the launch but also the shakedown of his 2021 car recently. But Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi said that despite […]
Hamilton ‘grumpy’ ahead of 2021 season – Brundle
Mar.10 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is heading into the 2021 season feeling “a bit grumpy”, according to respected F1 commentator and former driver Martin Brundle. Brundle, who works for Britain’s Sky, said he has just finished filming some television features with the seven time world champion. “He was very generous but a bit grumpy actually, I […]
‘No hurry’ for 2022 Mercedes talks – Bottas
Mar.9 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas insists he is “not really in a hurry” to find out if he will stay at Mercedes in 2022. With both the Finn and Lewis Hamilton currently on one-year contracts, team boss Toto Wolff is keeping his options open for 2022. When asked about his forthcoming contract talks, Bottas is quoted […]
Teams waiting for ‘super qualifying’ details
Mar.9 (GMM) Aston Martin’s technical boss is waiting for the details of the three-race ‘super qualifying’ trial for 2021 before giving it the thumbs up. The F1 teams have given a tentative green light to the proposal that, at three race weekends in 2021, a ‘sprint race’ on Saturday will set the grid for Sunday’s […]
Hulkenberg ‘finalising’ F1 reserve role for 2021
Mar.9 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg could add a third team to his roster of Formula 1 employers for 2021 – even though he is not guaranteed a single race this season. Last year, after losing his Renault seat, the 33-year-old German became Racing Point’s ‘super sub’ when Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll contracted covid-19. For 2021, […]
Brivio admits ‘difficult’ adjustment to F1
Mar.9 (GMM) New Alpine boss Davide Brivio has admitted his transition to Formula 1 is a “difficult” one. The 56-year-old Italian comes to F1 from the world of MotoGP, where he is one of the most successful team managers in the history of premier motorcycle racing. “It was not easy to leave my previous team, […]
Perez should be ‘number 2’ driver – Albers
Mar.9 (GMM) Sergio Perez should aim to establish himself as a long-term ‘number 2’ alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. That is the advice of former F1 driver Christijan Albers, who thinks the experienced Mexican driver has made a good start to his Red Bull tenure by playing down his chances of beating Verstappen early […]
Red Bull eyeing 2022 engine partnership
Mar.9 (GMM) Red Bull is talking to companies about partnering up now that the energy drink-owned outfit has full control of its own engine in Formula 1. After years of complaining about customer engine suppliers, Red Bull has agreed with the departing Honda that it will take over the Japanese marque’s engine operations from 2022. […]
Vettel must control ‘psychological problems’ – Klien
Mar.9 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel needs to watch out for “psychological problems” as he settles into life at Aston Martin. That is the view of former F1 driver Christian Klien, who said that although the quadruple world champion has moved teams after his struggles at Ferrari, he now has another serious challenge to grapple with. “At […]
‘No promises’ about 2022 Mercedes seat – Russell
Mar.8 (GMM) George Russell says he has been given “no promises” by Mercedes about a race seat with the works team for 2022. As Williams’ likely back-of-the-grid 2021 car was revealed, Russell said the team’s goal for this season is to “not be last” after a battle with Haas and Alfa Romeo. “The new Ferrari […]
Albers says James Key is a ‘new Newey’
Mar.8 (GMM) James Key is a potential “new Newey”, according to a former F1 driver. Christijan Albers, a Dutch driver who raced for Minardi and Spyker, actually worked alongside current McLaren technical boss Key during his F1 career. “Adrian Newey is pretty much done,” he told the Dutch publication Formule 1. “At Red Bull, they […]
Mazepin will not lose F1 super license – Todt
Mar.8 (GMM) Jean Todt has defended his decision to stay out of the Nikita Mazepin ‘groping’ affair. Social media users have been applying intense pressure on Haas and Formula 1 to act on the alleged wrongdoing of the 21-year-old Russian rookie driver. But FIA president Todt said it wouldn’t be fair to take Mazepin’s super […]
Hulkenberg not denying Mercedes reserve rumours
Mar.8 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg is keeping his cards close to his chest amid speculation he will join Mercedes this year as a Formula 1 reserve driver. It is even rumoured that the German could double up as reserve for Mercedes-powered Aston Martin, too. “The question is not when the decision will be made, but when […]
Driver retracts ‘Binotto sacked’ claim
Mar.8 (GMM) A Ferrari driver has hit reverse gear after suggesting F1 team boss Mattia Binotto may be on the cusp of losing his top job. Josef Kral, a 30-year-old Czech driver who races a Ferrari 488 GT3, backtracked when he was slammed by social media users for talking out of turn. “Just to make […]
Wolff plays down engine problem reports
Mar.8 (GMM) Toto Wolff has denied Mercedes is struggling with an engine reliability problem ahead of the 2021 season. The title-winning team supposedly ‘turned down’ its engines when Max Verstappen dominated the season ending Abu Dhabi GP, and Mercedes engine boss Hywel Thomas said recently there had been “problems” with the unit ahead of the […]
No podium after 2021 ‘super-qualifying’ races
Mar.8 (GMM) There will be no podium celebrations after the three trial ‘super qualifying’ sprint races in 2021. Although the new format will be tested at three grands prix this year, there are concerns about the addition of a shorter race detracting from Sunday’s main event. “A grand prix of 300 kilometres, the biggest challenge […]