Oct.14 (GMM) F1’s 2021 driver market is hotting up once again. Red Bull has been supporting the struggling Alex Albon this year, but Dr Helmut Marko is now admitting that Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez are under consideration for 2021. “We are open to all sides,” the top team official told Servus TV. “Until now, […]
Alonso admits not back to full speed in F1 car
Oct.14 (GMM) Fernando Alonso is not worried about failing to get back up to speed ahead of his return from a two-year sabbatical in 2021. For a 100km ‘filming day’ in Barcelona, the 39-year-old got behind the wheel of Renault’s 2020 car on Tuesday. “Everything felt good,” Alonso said afterwards. “I wasn’t able to maximise […]
Abiteboul blames himself for losing Ricciardo
Oct.13 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul says he blames himself for losing Daniel Ricciardo to McLaren for 2021. As one of the sport’s top drivers, Ricciardo sensationally decided to leaeve Red Bull after 2018 to join the works Renault team – but just two years later he is setting sail again for McLaren. At the Nurburgring, the […]
Grosjean points will not influence Haas’ 2021 decision
Oct.13 (GMM) Haas will not let a single good performance influence its driver decision for 2021, according to team boss Gunther Steiner. At the Nurburgring, it began to become obvious that the American team could oust both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean at the end of the season. Names including Nikita Mazepin, Callum Ilott, Sergio […]
Three of four Red Bull seats filled for 2021 – Marko
Oct.13 (GMM) Three out of Red Bull’s four Formula 1 seats for 2021 are as good as filled already, Dr Helmut Marko has revealed. It is believed Daniil Kvyat will be ousted at Alpha Tauri and replaced with Honda-backed rookie Yuki Tsunoda, with Pierre Gasly to be his teammate. Max Verstappen is already under contract […]
Alonso in Barcelona for Renault testing
Oct.13 (GMM) Fernando Alonso arrived in Barcelona on Monday to prepare for his test debut at the wheel of Renault’s 2020 car. The Spaniard, returning to Formula 1 next year, will on Tuesday do a 100km ‘filming day’ with the team that will be renamed Alpine in 2021. And then on Wednesday, 39-year-old Alonso will […]
Alfa Romeo to run Schumacher-Raikkonen in 2021 – Marko
Oct.13 (GMM) All the signs are pointing towards a Mick Schumacher-Kimi Raikkonen lineup at Alfa Romeo for 2021. That is the view of Dr Helmut Marko, a top Red Bull official who is in charge of the energy drink-owned team’s driver program. He told Sport1 that his position means “You can see which drivers are […]
Taking over Honda engine is ‘preferred solution’ – Marko
Oct.13 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says Red Bull’s preferred solution for 2022 is to take over the intellectual property of Honda’s power unit and go it alone as a works engine supplier. Former team driver Robert Doornbos told Ziggo Sport that Honda’s shock departure from Formula 1 is in fact an opportunity for Red Bull. […]
Vettel not convinced about two-day race format
Oct.13 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel is not convinced that Formula 1 should switch to a two-day format. Ahead of the planned two-day schedule at Imola, the subject came to the fore at the Nurburgring last weekend when the medical helicopter could not fly on Friday. The Mercedes drivers, Max Verstappen and other prominent figures said the […]
Vettel suggests Schumacher better than Hamilton
Oct.13 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says his hero and mentor Michael Schumacher had talent that he has not seen “in anyone else”. As Lewis Hamilton equalled the all-time record for victories – 91 – at the Nurburgring last weekend, German Vettel was wearing a helmet in tribute to Schumacher. “Michael will always be my hero forever,” […]
Red Bull met with Renault’s new CEO
Oct.12 (GMM) As Red Bull seeks to replace its departing Honda engines for 2022, team officials met with their counterparts from Renault at the Nurburgring on Sunday morning. Despite their ultimately broken relationship of the recent past, Christian Horner and Dr Helmut Marko got together with Renault’s Cyril Abiteboul. Footage of the meeting in the […]
Not all tickets sold for Nurburgring race
Oct.12 (GMM) Organisers of last Sunday’s race at the Nurburgring failed to sell all of the limited number of available tickets. Amid the covid crisis, German authorities restricted the on-site audience to just 20,000 members of the public. But DPA news agency claims that only 13,500 were counted at the famous circuit, whose event was […]
Vettel ‘will flourish’ after leaving Ferrari
Oct.12 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel “will flourish” at Aston Martin next year, according to the quadruple world champion’s next F1 team boss. Currently struggling alongside Charles Leclerc after Ferrari decided to oust him for 2021, Vettel has been signed by Racing Point – which will be rebranded as Aston Martin. In the last days, 33-year-old Vettel […]
Red Bull’s Marko phoned Hulkenberg last Friday
Oct.12 (GMM) F1 ‘super sub’ Nico Hulkenberg could have been at the wheel of Alex Albon’s Red Bull last weekend at the Nurburgring. Ultimately, while the former Renault driver sipped a cup of coffee on Saturday, Hulkenberg was called up at the last minute to replace Racing Point’s unwell Lance Stroll in qualifying and the […]
Renault to reassure McLaren over engine failure
Oct.12 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul says Renault needs to reassure McLaren about the quality of the engines being supplied to customer and rival McLaren. At the Nurburgring, the Renault unit powering McLaren’s Lando Norris failed. In the highly lucrative and competitive constructors’ world championship, McLaren leads the works Renault team for fourth place by just two […]
F1 to discuss engine crisis in Portimao meeting
Oct.11 (GMM) Formula 1 bosses will get together next week in Portimao to discuss the future of the sport’s engine regulations. Honda’s decision to quit F1 to focus on greener and more relevant technology has sent shockwaves up and down the paddock. Many insist it is just the latest proof that the current ‘power unit’ […]
Villeneuve slams ill Stroll for missing race
Oct.11 (GMM) 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has slammed Lance Stroll for sitting out this weekend’s racing at the Nurburgring. Fellow Canadian Stroll did not appear on track for Saturday morning practice, with Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer explaining that the 21-year-old “couldn’t get off the toilet”. Villeneuve, though, was not convinced. “Even with a […]
Wolff ‘ready to vote’ for two-day race weekends
Oct.11 (GMM) Mercedes’ race drivers and team boss have all come out in support of scratching Fridays from the Formula 1 race format. At the Nurburgring, F1 enthusiasts got a taste of the future when heavy fog meant the medical helicopter could not fly and Friday practice was called off. “Germany wanted to steal the […]
Wolff denies Hamilton talks could ‘fail’
Oct.11 (GMM) Toto Wolff has denied that long-delayed contract negotiations with Lewis Hamilton may ultimately “fail”. The six-time world champion’s current deal with Mercedes expires in less than three months, triggering wild rumours that the parties may be set for a sensational split. Team boss Wolff explained: “Lewis and I simply have not had time […]
‘Completely new’ Ferrari engine for 2021 – Binotto
Oct.11 (GMM) There are signs of life amid Ferrari’s 2020 competitive slump. With parts added to the uncompetitive car at Sochi and again at the Nurburgring, and more new parts coming for Portimao in two weeks, Charles Leclerc qualified a surprising fourth on Saturday. “Perhaps the upgrades are making a small but decisive difference,” Leclerc […]