Jul.22 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he will “give it my all” in Formula 1 next year even though he knows he will not have a winning Renault. The two-time world champion is ending his sabbatical in 2021, but he insists that his main focus for now is the Indy 500. “I have been watching the […]
F1’s Michael Masi to inspect Imola circuit
Jul.22 (GMM) Imola’s chances of adding a third Italian venue to the 2020 calendar will take a big step forward on Wednesday. Recently, the former San Marino GP venue upgraded its FIA homologation status to Formula 1-ready Grade 1. Imola boss Uberto Selvatico Estense said earlier in July: “We are delighted that the news about […]
Formula E ‘flattered’ by criticisms from F1
Jul.22 (GMM) Formula E should be “flattered” by criticisms coming from the world of Formula 1. That is the view of Jamie Reigle, the all-electric open wheeler series’ new CEO. Last year, Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko said the energy drink company is definitely not interested in Formula E because “we are pure racers”. “For […]
‘Copying’ in F1 ‘around for decades’ – Todt
Jul.22 (GMM) FIA president Jean Todt says the practice of “copying other teams” has been in Formula 1 “for decades”. His statement comes amid the saga surrounding Racing Point’s so-called ‘pink Mercedes’, with Renault’s protest unofficially supported by several other teams. F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn said earlier this week that “there isn’t a team […]
Zanardi transferred to rehabilitation centre
Jul.22 (GMM) Over a month since his horror hand-cycling crash, Alex Zanardi has left the hospital in Siena, Italy. Doctors at the Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital announced late last week that they would try to bring him out of his coma. In a statement, the hospital confirmed that the “sedo-analgesia program” has indeed now […]
Vettel ‘regrets’ how Red Bull tenure ended
Jul.21 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has admitted he regrets the way in which he left Red Bull at the end of a tough final season with the energy drink team in 2014. Rumours in the past days suggested one of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of a return to Red Bull for Vettel in […]
Hamilton hits back at F1 legends over racism
Jul.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has hit back at F1 legends Mario Andretti and Sir Jackie Stewart over their recent criticism of the Mercedes driver’s Black Lives Matter activism. As the six-time world champion spruiks his anti-racism message within the F1 paddock, 1978 title winner Andretti suggests that Hamilton is actually “creating a problem that does […]
Father defends Magnussen over illegal radio penalty
Jul.21 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen’s father has leapt to his defence after the Haas driver was penalised for receiving illegal radio instructions in Hungary. Dane Magnussen’s was one of the most impressive drives last Sunday as he finished P9 thanks to an inspired strategy. But he dropped to P10 when stewards ruled that both he and […]
Montezemolo ‘very worried’ about Ferrari’s future
Jul.21 (GMM) Ferrari must take “courageous decisions” or risk losing more than just the 2020 world championship. That is the warning of former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who told Rai radio that “this season is lost” for the famous Maranello based team. “This season is lost, but the next ones are at risk,” he […]
Vettel says Mercedes cruising to 2020 title
Jul.21 (GMM) After just three races in 2020, Mercedes does not appear to have a viable challenger for the world championship. When asked if he can imagine Lewis Hamilton failing to equal Michael Schumacher’s record tally of seven titles this year, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel told Bild newspaper: “Yes – if Valtteri (Bottas) wins it.” Even […]
Perez doubts Racing Point will oust Lance Stroll
Jul.21 (GMM) Sergio Perez admits it is “obvious” that if Racing Point needs to make room for Sebastian Vettel next year, it is his seat that will be vacated. Although a deal with Vettel is not yet done, there have been suggestions team owner Lawrence Stroll is prepared to drop his own son Lance in […]
No ‘fundamental’ problem with 2020 Red Bull – Horner
Jul.20 (GMM) Red Bull’s 2020 car is not fundamentally flawed. That is the claim of team boss Christian Horner, after Max Verstappen bounced back from poor qualifying pace and even a pre-race crash to finish second behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in Hungary. Before that, team official Dr Helmut Marko said he thinks the 1.4 second […]
Racing Point ‘interested’ in signing Vettel – boss
Jul.20 (GMM) Racing Point has declared its clear interest in signing up Sebastian Vettel for 2021. Rumours swirled all weekend in Hungary around the story of Vettel potentially joining the Aston Martin project, but both sides kept their comments on the matter low-profile. But Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer now clearly admits the team has […]
‘Too early’ to consider 2021 F1 seat for Schumacher – Binotto
Jul.20 (GMM) It is “too early” to consider whether Mick Schumacher will be promoted into Formula 1 for 2021. That is the news from Mattia Binotto, even though the Ferrari boss admits seven time world champion Michael Schumacher’s son performed well in Hungary at the weekend with a double podium. “I think Mick is performing […]
Ferrari must have ‘courage to make changes’ – Binotto
Jul.20 (GMM) Ferrari will take a sharp turn away from its planned “development path” for the 2020 car, after being lapped by race winner Lewis Hamilton in Hungary. “Formula 1 can change so quickly,” former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher said. “Ferrari fought for the championship a year ago, so what we see now is really […]
Red Bull to use ‘Racing Point model’ for Alpha Tauri – Marko
Jul.20 (GMM) Alpha Tauri will ‘do a Racing Point’ if the FIA declares that the Silverstone based team’s controversial 2020 car is fully legal. Renault rounded out the weekend’s Hungarian GP by doubling down on its official protest against the car that is being called the ‘pink Mercedes’. “We hope that after the FIA decision […]
FIA boss Todt says ‘all lives’ matter
Jul.20 (GMM) As Lewis Hamilton blasts Formula 1’s anti-racism measures as “not good enough”, FIA president Jean Todt has declared that “all lives” matter. After matching Michael Schumacher’s single-circuit record by winning in Hungary for the eighth time, six-time world champion Hamilton slammed the “embarrassing” pre-race spectacle as he again kneeled for the Black Lives […]
Another technical controversy for Racing Point
Jul.19 (GMM) Another war front has opened up for the Racing Point team. Already, Renault is tipped to lodge a second official protest against the Lawrence Stroll-owned team over its ‘pink Mercedes’ car. Reports indicate that the investigation over whether the team illegally copied Mercedes’ 2019 brake inlets, or actively collaborated with the reigning champions, […]
Wolff scoffs at Binotto’s engine power claims
Jul.19 (GMM) Toto Wolff used an expletive to describe his feelings about Ferrari’s apparent engine power drop from 2019 to 2020. Teams were already unhappy with Ferrari for refusing to release the details of the Maranello outfit’s secret agreement with the FIA, following last year’s engine legality saga. But now Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto claims […]
Wolff slams Ferrari over Concorde comments
Jul.19 (GMM) Toto Wolff has slammed Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto for making “ridiculous” comments in Hungary about the new Concorde Agreement. The sport’s new commercial deal, set to begin in 2021 and run for five years, was held up by the corona crisis and Formula 1 shutdown. But team boss Binotto says Ferrari is now […]