Apr.7 (GMM) It would have been “fun” to pair Robert Kubica with Fernando Alonso at Ferrari. That is the claim of Stefano Domenicali, as the open secret about Polish driver Kubica’s interrupted deal to join the Maranello team for 2012 continues to stay alive. “Before the accident, Robert was a very high level racing driver,” […]
Rosberg reverts to meditation amid crisis
Apr.7 (GMM) Having already put his smartphone away, Nico Rosberg is now coping with the coronavirus crisis by reverting to meditation. The former F1 driver says he managed to beat his then teammate Lewis Hamilton to the 2016 title by also focusing on the psychological side of racing. Rosberg told Der Standard that meditation practice […]
Austria could host more than one race – Marko
Apr.7 (GMM) Austria’s Red Bull Ring could join Silverstone in hosting more than one race in 2020 once the coronavirus crisis has eased. Eight races have been cancelled or postponed so far this year, and it is expected that Montreal’s June race might join them as soon as Tuesday. But Red Bull, owner and promoter […]
Algarve track approved to host F1
Apr.7 (GMM) The Algarve circuit in Portugal has received approval to host Formula 1 races. The Lusa news agency said the circuit in Portimao, in the country’s south, applied for the highest FIA certification level last year. “We have been trying for this since last year when we received an inspection carried out by the […]
Ex F1 sponsor says ‘real risk’ teams will fold
Apr.7 (GMM) A former F1 sponsor says there is “a real risk” that teams will go bust amid the coronavirus crisis. For years, Finnish billionaire Antti Aarnio-Wihuri supported Valtteri Bottas in Formula 1. He admitted to Iltalehti newspaper that he is worried about the way the sport – like many other sports and business entities […]
Japan test amid crisis ‘very strange’ – Calderon
Apr.7 (GMM) Tatiana Calderon says it was “very strange” to travel to Japan amid the coronavirus crisis to test her new Super Formula car for 2020. All around the world, the pandemic has brought sport and most other normal activities to a standstill. But the Super Formula series pushed ahead with a pre-season test. “It […]
Gasly hopes for Paul Ricard season opener
Apr.7 (GMM) Pierre Gasly is hopeful the Formula 1 season can kick off again by the end of June – in his native France. Officially, with the first eight races already postponed or cancelled, Canada is currently scheduled to be the new 2020 season opener. But rumours from Montreal indicate that postponement of the 14 […]
‘Uncertainty’ is worst part of crisis – Klien
Apr.7 (GMM) Former F1 driver Christian Klien says the “uncertainty” of the coronavirus crisis is the most difficult part. The Austrian, now 37, is today a pundit as well as a GT driver. When asked by Speed Week, the former Red Bull driver said: “I would say the uncertainty is the most difficult part. “I […]
Losing a team would be ‘a big setback’ for F1
Apr.7 (GMM) Two more teams have joined McLaren in furloughing employees amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The furlough period will last until the end of May whilst senior management, and our drivers, have taken a pay cut of 20 percent effective from 1 April,” backmarker Williams announced. It is part of a British government scheme that […]
Sochi pushes ahead with original 2020 race date
Apr.6 (GMM) Sochi is pressing ahead with its plans to host the Russian GP in late September. That is despite the fact that the opening eight races of the season have been cancelled or postponed, and big question marks hang above the other venues amid the pandemic. But Tass news agency in Russia reports that […]
Hockenheim relieved to not be on 2020 calendar
Apr.6 (GMM) Hockenheim is lucky to have been left off F1’s original 2020 calendar, its boss has suggested. The former German GP venue’s boss Jorn Teske said that, unlike the contracted 2020 venues, Hockenheim at least does not have to worry about refunding tickets. “Imagine having to return the money for 30 or 40 thousand […]
Kubica likens pandemic to his 2011 rally crash
Apr.6 (GMM) Robert Kubica has urged racing drivers to adjust to the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Pole compares the situation – with F1 factories closed and racing drivers unable to race – with his recovery from a near-fatal rallying crash in 2011 that left him with a permanent arm injury. “After the accident […]
Abiteboul has questions about ‘pink Mercedes’
Apr.6 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul is openly questioning Racing Point’s approach to the design of its 2020 car. Although the sport is generally pulling together amid the coronavirus crisis, that is not stopping the Renault boss from wondering about what was dubbed in the paddock as the ‘pink Mercedes’. Despite its relationship with Mercedes, and team […]
Extended factory shutdown likely – Wolff
Apr.6 (GMM) A further factory shutdown period because of the coronavirus crisis is likely in Formula 1, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. To help cope with the crisis, the teams agreed to bring forward the usual August shutdown to now, and extend it to three weeks instead of two. “It’s fixed for three weeks, […]
Wolff remaining Mercedes boss in ‘short term’
Apr.6 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he is staying in charge of Mercedes’ works F1 team for “the short term”. The Austrian has been linked strongly with Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin project, amid rumours Wolff has fallen out with new Daimler boss Ola Kallenius. But he told Osterreich newspaper: “In most of the stories I read […]
Dutch GP boss says ‘ethical’ to stop F1 speculation
Apr.6 (GMM) Dutch GP boss Jan Lammers has called for speculation about re-starting Formula 1 to stop for now. “We actually want to stop reporting until there is more clarity,” the former F1 driver, who is the lead spokesman for the Zandvoort event, told the Dutch publication Formule 1. “Every answer raises new questions, and […]
F1 should consider scrapping 2020 title – Villeneuve
Apr.6 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve says it would be a mistake for Formula 1 to rush together an alternate 2020 calendar. As the coronavirus crisis continues, Liberty Media has flagged its ambition for a 15-18 race schedule to kick off in the second half of the year. But 1997 world champion Villeneuve said: “The first races […]
Silverstone open to reversing layout amid crisis
Apr.3 (GMM) Silverstone is still hopeful it will be able to host the British GP amid the global pandemic. While the entire world of sport is essentially furloughed for now, circuit boss Stuart Pringle is open to becoming fully flexible in order to host a race – or even two. “The majority of the teams […]
F1’s financial outlook drops to ‘negative’
Apr.3 (GMM) The bond credit rating service Moody’s has altered the financial outlook of Formula 1 from positive to “negative”. It is the latest blow for the sport that is furloughed due to the global pandemic, with its FWONK share price on the NASDAQ having crashed from $48 to as low as $20 in recent […]
Ecclestone, 89, to be father again
Apr.3 (GMM) Amid the doom and gloom of the coronavirus pandemic, Bernie Ecclestone has injected some good news into the world of Formula 1. At the age of 89, the former F1 supremo has announced that he is set to be a father for the fourth time. “It will be a boy,” his wife Fabiana, […]