Jul.9 (GMM) F1 legend Gerhard Berger thinks Sebastian Vettel should quit Formula 1 rather than switch to a midfield team. With Fernando Alonso signed up at Renault, Ferrari refugee Vettel’s only options for 2021 are a plum seat at Mercedes, or a move to a smaller team. In Austria last weekend, Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius […]
Kvyat explains why he refused to kneel
Jul.9 (GMM) Daniil Kvyat has explained why he refused to kneel on the grid last weekend in Austria. In support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Lewis Hamilton and 13 other Formula 1 drivers followed the trend started by former NRL star Colin Kaepernick in 2016. Russian Kvyat was among six drivers who remained standing. […]
Verstappen’s Honda engine being analysed in Japan
Jul.9 (GMM) Red Bull is still waiting for the cause of Max Verstappen’s retirement in Austria last Sunday to be confirmed. Initially, the team said it was an “electrical” problem that leaves the Dutch driver with zero points after the first race. “We still have to determine that together with Honda,” Dr Helmut Marko told […]
No Friday sessions for Alonso in 2020
Jul.9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has played down suggestions he might make an appearance this year during a Friday practice session. Some have suggested it would be a wise move for the 38-year-old to prepare for his return to Formula 1 next year with Renault. But the Spaniard insisted: “I don’t think I will drive a […]
Alonso was sick for ‘several weeks’
Jul.9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has revealed that, amid the coronavirus pandemic, he suffered “for several weeks” with a mystery illness. Many have noticed that the almost 39-year-old Spaniard, who is returning to Formula 1 next year with Renault, has appeared visibly thinner in recent weeks. Alonso admits he was sick “for several weeks”. “I went […]
Alonso admits he will not win in 2021
Jul.9 (GMM) Fernando Alonso admits he will not be able to win next year after returning to Formula 1 with Renault. After days of rampant speculation, the French team confirmed on Wednesday that the almost-39-year-old will replace Daniel Ricciardo next year. Alonso has clearly signed a two-year contract, as the Spaniard said he knows that […]
Webber suggests Vettel should quit Ferrari in 2020
Jul.8 (GMM) Mark Webber thinks it could be “better” if his former teammate Sebastian Vettel quits Ferrari before the end of the current season. The Ferrari-Vettel relationship took a further dive in Austria last weekend when the quadruple world champion revealed that his ousting was in fact not a mutual decision. Then, on Red Bull-owned […]
New Renault CEO approves Alonso contract – report
Jul.8 (GMM) Multiple authoritative media sources are now reporting that Fernando Alonso will definitely return to Formula 1 with Renault in 2021. We reported on Tuesday that, with Spanish radio Cadena SER and Movistar correspondent Noemi de Miguel having broken the news in the past days, the French team was shaping up to announce Daniel […]
Red Bull looking into ‘more extreme’ DAS system
Jul.8 (GMM) Red Bull is looking into designing a “more extreme solution” now that the FIA has declared Mercedes’ innovative DAS steering system fully legal. In Austria, the energy drink owned team lodged an official protest against the technology, which allows Mercedes’ drivers to adjust the ‘toe’ of the front wheels by pulling and pushing […]
Red Bull enters world of F1 broadcasting
Jul.8 (GMM) Red Bull has now entered the world of Formula 1 broadcasting. Already an owner of two teams and the promoter of the Austrian GP, it has now been confirmed that Red Bull-owned Servus TV will keep Formula 1 on free-to-air television in Austria. The broadcaster will share the coverage with existing F1 broadcaster […]
‘Gloves are off’ in Mercedes vs Red Bull battle
Jul.7 (GMM) Tensions are heating up between title contenders Mercedes and Red Bull. In Austria, it became clear that the fight this year would not just be between their respective drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. On Friday, Red Bull launched a protest against Mercedes’ innovative ‘DAS’ steering system. And on Sunday, the energy drink […]
Renault may announce Alonso news on Wednesday
Jul.7 (GMM) Renault is shaping up to reveal Fernando Alonso as the works team’s driver for 2021. The rumours gained new momentum last week, when Spanish radio Cadena SER said the two-time world champion could even return to Formula 1 this season to replace McLaren-bound Daniel Ricciardo. Team boss Cyril Abiteboul denied that, insisting that […]
Failure makes title ‘a lot harder now’ – Verstappen
Jul.7 (GMM) The opening race weekend of 2020 has made Max Verstappen’s big title target “a lot more difficult to achieve”. The Dutchman, and his Red Bull team, want the 22-year-old to beat Sebastian Vettel’s old record to become the youngest ever world champion this year. But Verstappen retired during the season opener last Sunday […]
Activism ‘a distraction’ for Hamilton – Schumacher
Jul.7 (GMM) The first race of 2020 in Austria was “certainly not the best weekend” for Lewis Hamilton. That is the view of former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, who has been vocally critical of the way Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel performed at the Red Bull Ring. But while in the spotlight for his Black Lives Matter […]
No big decisions amid F1 uncertainty – Steiner
Jul.7 (GMM) Haas will continue to tread water regarding the development of its 2020 car, according to team boss Gunther Steiner. As owner Gene Haas considers whether to keep funding the small American team, Steiner recently ordered a halt to car developments amid the corona crisis and uncertain race calendar. “I still don’t know the […]
Ecclestone, Marko, told Vettel to reveal truth
Jul.7 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone says he advised Sebastian Vettel to go public about the way he was axed by Ferrari. Before last weekend, the official story was that the quadruple world champion and the Maranello team had decided mutually to part ways after 2020. But Vettel shattered that narrative in Austria, revealing that he was […]
‘No problem’ with Vettel as teammate – Verstappen
Jul.7 (GMM) Max Verstappen insists he would have “no problem” racing with Sebastian Vettel as his teammate. As Vettel’s relationship with Ferrari crumbles apparently by the hour, Red Bull boss Christian Horner continues to play down the likelihood that the quadruple world champion may return to the team he leads. “Seb needs a good environment, […]
Zanardi condition ‘severe’ after third surgery
Jul.7 (GMM) After a third surgery, the hospital looking after Alex Zanardi says the former F1 driver’s neurological condition remains “severe”. The Santa Maria Alle Scotte hospital in Siena, Italy, said the latest five-hour operation was for “cranio-facial reconstruction”, after the 53-year-old recently crashed into a truck during a hand-cycling road race. “The fractures were […]
Ferrari CEO backs embattled team boss Binotto
Jul.7 (GMM) Ferrari’s CEO has expressed “confidence” in team boss Mattia Binotto after an uncompetitive start to the 2020 season in Austria. The Maranello team is currently fast-tracking its scheduled Hungary update so that “at least some” of the parts can debut on the troubled 2020 car this weekend. But given that the new car […]
UK gov’t clears F1 staff for Silverstone races
Jul.6 (GMM) The Formula 1 circus has received a green light to travel to Britain for the back-to-back races at Silverstone next month. Until now, all international travellers to Britain were facing 14 days of mandatory quarantine, which would have made the races almost impossible. “Now that the pubs have opened … we assume there […]