Feb.5 (GMM) Aston Martin is hoping to sign up Nico Hulkenberg to be the former Racing Point team’s official reserve driver in 2021. Last year, the out-of-work F1 driver raced three times in the unwell Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll’s places, but he then failed to secure the full-time Red Bull seat for 2020. So […]
Haas will not develop 2021 car
Feb.5 (GMM) Team boss Gunther Steiner says Haas will not develop its 2021 car. “Our goal is to get back to where we were in 2018,” he told the German broadcaster n-tv. Haas has replaced both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean with rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for the new season. He doubts the […]
F1 drivers to meet over Mazepin controversy
Feb.5 (GMM) Formula 1 will meet with the 20 drivers when the season gets up and running in Bahrain, to discuss the importance of them being “positive ambassadors” for the sport. The news comes as F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali admits that the recent Nikita Mazepin groping scandal was “not acceptable” – and as the 2021 […]
CEO wants ‘one or two’ Alpine wins in 2022
Feb.5 (GMM) The newly-rebranded Alpine team must start appearing regularly on the podium by 2022. That is the goal set by Renault CEO Luca de Meo, who decided to drop the Renault name from Formula 1 and instead promote Alpine as a brand that he says will be “a mixture of a mini Ferrari and […]
Mercedes refusing to comment on Hamilton saga
Feb.5 (GMM) Mercedes is still refusing to comment on raging speculation about Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 seat. It is now being rumoured that the seven time world champion may be on the cusp of agreeing a one-year contract with the same EUR 40 million salary, with permission to add two more personal sponsors to his helmet […]
Domenicali urges Red Bull rivals to agree ‘freeze’
Feb.5 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has urged Red Bull’s rivals to agree to an engine development ‘freeze’ from 2022. Red Bull has said the freeze, requiring a majority vote of the team contingent, is the only way it can take over departing Honda’s works engine operations. “I hope everyone realises that it is the right choice […]
Second race in Bahrain ‘possible’ – Domenicali
Feb.5 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has admitted this year’s Formula 1 world championship could begin with an extended stay in Bahrain. We reported earlier that plans for a replacement race at Portimao were in tatters due to Portugal’s worsening covid crisis. “Two races in Bahrain? That’s a possibility,” F1 CEO Domenicali told Italian media. “Portugal has […]
Own engine program could give Red Bull boost – Lammers
Feb.4 (GMM) Running its own engine program could actually be an advantage for Red Bull, according to Dutch GP boss Jan Lammers. Currently, the energy drink owned team is waiting to hear if the other teams and the FIA will agree to a 2022 engine development ‘freeze’. If the freeze goes ahead, Red Bull and […]
Kubica may focus only on F1 role in 2021
Feb.4 (GMM) Robert Kubica has admitted he may spend the entire 2021 season focusing exclusively on his reserve driver role with Alfa Romeo. The Pole, who had the same role in 2020, has ruled out returning to the German touring car championship DTM, whilst admitting that he is keen on endurance sports cars. Indeed, 35-year-old […]
Grosjean may feel ‘nervous’ before racing return
Feb.4 (GMM) Romain Grosjean admits he might feel “nervous” once he gets up and racing for the first time since his fiery Bahrain crash. The former Haas driver announced on Wednesday that he has inked a 2021 deal with the Indycar team Dale Coyne Racing – and confirmed speculation that he will sit out the […]
Hamilton contract saga ’embarrassing’ – Schumacher
Feb.4 (GMM) The saga surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 contract is becoming “embarrassing”. That is the view of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, referring to the fact that the only team with an official vacancy ahead of the new season next month is Mercedes. He told Sky Deutschland that Hamilton is taking a “risk” – perhaps […]
McLaren drivers are ‘serious’ not ‘goofy’ – boss
Feb.4 (GMM) Zak Brown has backed new team driver Daniel Ricciardo’s warning that 2021 will not be “a comedy show” at McLaren. Ricciardo, who has switched from Renault, and existing McLaren driver Lando Norris are known as the most light-hearted and fun-loving in the paddock. However, Australian Ricciardo has already dismissed the claim that it […]
Bahrain may host two races early in 2021
Feb.4 (GMM) Formula 1’s 2021 calendar could be set for yet another pre-season shakeup. China and Vietnam have already been cancelled, Imola has been drafted in, and the season opener in Australia postponed until November – and now there are new doubts about the currently-scheduled third race. At present, F1 lists the 2 May race […]
Ferrari looking for Camilleri successor – Elkann
Feb.3 (GMM) Ferrari is searching for “the best possible boss” for the future, according to the Maranello marque’s president and temporary CEO John Elkann. The 44-year-old Agnelli family heir became Ferrari chairman in 2018 when Sergio Marchionne died, and he stepped up again in December when Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri suddenly left. There has been […]
CEO Domenicali insists F1 not ‘boring’
Feb.3 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali is upbeat about the future of Formula 1, despite the ongoing covid crisis and claims the races are increasingly “boring”. “Boring races?” Italian broadcaster Rete4 quotes the sport’s new F1 CEO as saying. “I see the numbers and last year the audience was growing.” Domenicali, the former Ferrari and Lamborghini boss, […]
Perez ready to shine for Red Bull – Grosjean
Feb.3 (GMM) Romain Grosjean has tipped Sergio Perez to shine this year as he switches to Red Bull. Grosjean, the former Haas driver, is expected to announce his move into Indycar with the Dale Coyne team on Wednesday. The Frenchman is leaving Formula 1 with his head high after his fiery Bahrain crash late last […]
Hamilton contract to be clear by March 2
Feb.3 (GMM) Mercedes has announced that its “drivers” will be available to speak to the media at the launch of the 2021 car in “exactly one months’ time”. The forthcoming March 2 event, announced by the title winning team on Tuesday, should therefore finally end the uncertainty about Lewis Hamilton’s unsigned 2021 contract. Mercedes said […]
F1 ‘fears’ about covid situation ‘justified’ – Wolff
Feb.3 (GMM) “Fears” that Formula 1 will not be able to race through its currently-scheduled 2021 calendar “are justified”. That is the view of Toto Wolff, who admits that with the coronavirus pandemic still raging, the sport will have to continue to adjust and adapt for now. Another boss worried about the situation is Beat […]
2022 Honda engine plan still alive – Marko
Feb.2 (GMM) Red Bull remains confident rival Formula 1 teams will agree to an engine development ‘freeze’ from 2022. Top official Dr Helmut Marko insists the measure is the only way Red Bull’s plan to take over the works Honda operation can go ahead following the Japanese manufacturer’s departure at the end of the year. […]
Senna was also ‘alone’ in F1 system – Hamilton
Feb.2 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton has likened his experiences in Formula 1 to those of his childhood hero and F1 legend Ayrton Senna. Currently the subject of intense speculation about his 2021 contract, the seven time world champion told La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Sportweek publication that Senna also conspicuously stood apart during his time in F1. […]