Mar.8 (GMM) Zandvoort is hoping to welcome a full house of spectators to its first Dutch GP in September. Formula 1 has just announced that Portimao will join the 2021 schedule in May – with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali declaring that he hopes spectators will be there. “We hope to welcome fans to Portimao again […]
Bahrain GP spectators must be vaccinated
Mar.5 (GMM) Bahrain GP organisers say only previously-infected or fully vaccinated people can attend this month’s Formula 1 season opener. “Entry will only be granted to ticket holders on presentation of one of these badges,” the organisers declared, referring to the two aforementioned covid-19 categories. “Failure to do so will result in entry being denied.” […]
Alpine keen but not desperate for F1 customer
Mar.5 (GMM) Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has played down suggestions the Renault-owned outfit is desperate to link up with a customer team in Formula 1. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported last week that Renault is worried it will fall behind its other major competitors who are forging close alliances with junior teams. Williams was therefore […]
Haas makes car changes after Grosjean crash
Mar.5 (GMM) Haas has made changes to its car for 2021 in reaction to Romain Grosjean’s terrifying and fiery crash in Bahrain late last season. The news comes ahead of the submission to the World Motor Sport Council on Friday of the stewards’ report following an investigation into the incident. “The report will come out […]
Alpine defends ‘no team boss’ structure
Mar.5 (GMM) New Alpine CEO Larent Rossi has backed the decision to not replace the departed Cyril Abiteboul as team principal for 2021. Instead, executive director Marcin Budkowski will have more responsibilities this year, and he will be jointly supported in the role by new racing director Davide Brivio, who arrives from MotoGP. “They will […]
FIA says Haas’ Russian livery is legal
Mar.5 (GMM) A prominent Russian politician has welcomed the controversial new Haas livery, declaring that “common sense triumphs over anti-Russian hysteria”. The company of Russian team rookie Nikita Mazepin’s father Dmitry Mazepin – Uralkali – was on Thursday unveiled as the American team’s new title sponsor. And despite the fact that the world anti-doping agency […]
Alpine cannot rely only on Alonso – Ocon
Mar.4 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says he is not worried that Alpine will essentially become Fernando Alonso’s team in 2021. Frenchman Ocon, 24, is the incumbent at the rebranded Enstone based outfit, but after Alonso’s two-year F1 sabbatical he is being joined by the team’s double champion Alonso this season. “The team will listen to me […]
Bottas to be ‘more selfish’ in 2021
Mar.4 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has announced he will be “more selfish” in 2021. The Finn has been Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate since the shock retirement of Nico Rosberg at the end of 2016 – and he lost the title each time. “Valtteri has been in an unfortunate situation in recent years with short contracts,” team […]
No Ferrari engine fire-up until Bahrain – Steiner
Mar.4 (GMM) Haas will not fire up its 2021 car until the small American team touches down in Bahrain for the start of official testing next week. Normally, Haas’ car for the new season is put together at the Dallara facility – which, like engine supplier Ferrari, is based in Italy. However, with covid making […]
Mercedes tackles F1 budget cap with new division
Mar.4 (GMM) A new division at Mercedes was set up to help the Formula 1 team tackle the new budget cap. At Ferrari, moves to support customer team Haas at Maranello and kick off a works Le Mans program for 2023 have been seen as ways to get under the budget limit without sacking staff. […]
Mercedes reserve says Verstappen can match Hamilton
Mar.4 (GMM) Max Verstappen has the potential to take on Lewis Hamilton at the very top of Formula 1. That is the view of Nyck de Vries, a Dutchman who drives for Mercedes’ works Formula E team. The 26-year-old has also been made a reserve driver for the title-winning F1 team for 2021. “I am […]
Wolff tips return of F1 spectators in 2021
Mar.4 (GMM) Toto Wolff thinks spectators will begin to return to Formula 1 races in 2021. That is despite the fact that June’s Azerbaijan GP has already announced that spectators will not be allowed to gather around the Baku street layout. “I’m always a pessimist by nature and trying to calculate for the worst-case scenario,” […]
Wolff worried about Perez’s Mercedes engine knowledge
Mar.4 (GMM) Toto Wolff is worried about Sergio Perez – for two reasons. Firstly, the Mercedes boss says his team’s dominance could be threatened for 2021 because Red Bull now has a more experienced teammate alongside Max Verstappen. “They have similar resources to ours and are a very ambitious team,” Wolff told Sky Deutschland. “With […]
Vettel defends ‘underestimated’ Stroll
Mar.4 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has defended his new teammate Lance Stroll. Stroll, the 22-year-old son of Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll, is often criticised for the privilege that helped power him to Formula 1. “He’s been a bit underestimated,” quadruple world champion Vettel told Sky Deutschland. “Generally, people are condemned very quickly these days. […]
Vettel plays down sale of Ferrari road cars
Mar.4 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has denied that offloading his collection of Ferrari road cars might be seen as sour grapes after being ousted by the Maranello team. “The rationale was just to free up a bit of space,” the quadruple world champion said at the launch of his green 2021 Aston Martin. “I am very […]
Hamilton to discuss ‘kneeling’ in Bahrain
Mar.3 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he isn’t sure if the pre-race ‘kneeling’ routine will continue in 2021. Amid the US unrest last year in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Hamilton pushed for Mercedes to switch to a black livery and began kneeling before races in deference to the Black Lives Matter movement. 12 of […]
Baku to host F1 ‘ghost race’ in June
Mar.3 (GMM) Azerbaijan’s return to the F1 calendar this year will take place without the presence of a crowd. Last year, the popular Baku street race was cancelled amid the pandemic, but Formula 1 has scheduled a June 6 date for the event’s return in 2021. However, the company that operates the Baku City Circuit […]
Ocon happy to fill in for absent Alonso
Mar.3 (GMM) Esteban Ocon says he is filling in for Fernando Alonso while the Spaniard completes his recovery from last month’s cycling crash. Alonso, who is returning to F1 with Alpine in 2021, missed the launch of the new car on Tuesday and it will be Ocon who takes the blue single seater for its […]
Hulkenberg may still be Mercedes reserve – Wolff
Mar.3 (GMM) Toto Wolff has hinted that Nico Hulkenberg may still become a Mercedes reserve driver in 2021. That is despite the fact that the reigning champions have actually unveiled its works Formula E drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Nick de Vries in similar F1 roles for this year. However, team boss Wolff says former Renault […]
Red Bull handling problems ‘solved’ – Albon
Mar.3 (GMM) Alex Albon says Red Bull has succeeded in improving the handling of its Formula 1 car ahead of the 2021 season. The team recently admitted that the difficult handling was one reason Albon struggled to keep up with Max Verstappen last year – ultimately leading to the British-born Thai driver’s demise. However, Red […]