Feb.26 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin has played down the role Mercedes’ innovative ‘DAS’ steering system will play in 2020. The F1 paddock was stunned at the first Barcelona test when it was noticed that Mercedes’ drivers also push and pull on the steering wheel to adjust the ‘toe’ of the front wheels in motion. But Sirotkin, […]
Relaxed Hulkenberg doesn’t ‘need’ F1 return
Feb.26 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says he is not desperate to return to Formula 1 or motor racing. After a decade on the grid, the 32-year-old lost his Renault seat at the end of last year and reportedly turned down opportunities to switch to Haas or Williams. For now, he is happy to live a different […]
Ferrari rumours ‘nice to hear’ – Sainz
Feb.26 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says it is “nice to hear” his name being linked with a switch to Ferrari. But the Spaniard says he is happy at McLaren. “Everyone knows that I feel at home here and I am talking to them about 2021,” he told Sky Italia. “Of course, it is nice to hear […]
No return to F1 with McLaren for Alonso – Brown
Feb.26 (GMM) Zak Brown has ruled out a return to Formula 1 with McLaren for Fernando Alonso. That is despite the fact that Alonso will race a third McLaren entry in May’s Indy 500, after Honda vetoed his first-choice deal with Andretti. “We’ve always said we’re open to running Fernando in a third car for […]
Ferrari seeks ‘clarification’ over DAS
Feb.25 (GMM) Ferrari will seek “clarification” about the legality of Mercedes’ trick steering system DAS. It appears that the FIA has declared the ‘push and pull’ function of the steering wheel, which adjusts the toe-in and toe-out in motion, to be legal. “We know very little about this decision,” Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies said. […]
Life ‘easier’ at Alfa Romeo – Kubica
Feb.25 (GMM) Robert Kubica says he does not want to compare last year’s Williams with the 2020 Alfa Romeo. The Pole struggled badly with Williams last year, and last week got his new reserve role with Alfa Romeo up and running in Barcelona. “I don’t want to compare,” Kubica said at a sponsor event in […]
Mercedes ahead of Red Bull in early 2020 – de la Rosa
Feb.25 (GMM) The 2020 pecking order appears to be Mercedes ahead of Red Bull and Ferrari – and Racing Point’s ‘pink Mercedes’ not too far behind. That is the claim of former long-time F1 race and test driver Pedro de la Rosa, who last week watched trackside at Barcelona with his daughter Luna. “Racing Point […]
Ricciardo urges Ocon to behave in 2020
Feb.25 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo has urged Esteban Ocon to behave in 2020. After a year on the Mercedes bench, 23-year-old Ocon is returning to the grid this year as Ricciardo’s teammate at Renault. Ricciardo says Ocon is noticeably “hungry”, and the Frenchman says he is targeting his Australian teammate. “He (Ricciardo) is a guy who […]
Alpha Tauri ‘close to Racing Point’ – Marko
Feb.25 (GMM) Red Bull’s second team Alpha Tauri is high in the 2020 midfield, according to Dr Helmut Marko. After the debut of Racing Point’s ‘pink Mercedes’, it became clear that the car is the first challenger behind the big three teams. But Marko said that following close behind is Alpha Tauri. “Our second team […]
DAS giving Mercedes two-tenth edge – Marko
Feb.25 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Red Bull-Honda is Mercedes’ “first challenger” in 2020. The Red Bull official was speaking before the final three days of winter testing in Barcelona this week. “We will only get a clearer picture this week,” he told Auto Bild. “We’ll be driving the Melbourne version on Friday and I […]
Ferrari may not be lagging behind – Surer
Feb.25 (GMM) Ferrari could be sandbagging in the 2020 winter tests, according to former driver and pundit Marc Surer. The Italian team openly says it is lagging behind Mercedes and Red Bull, and some think even Racing Point could be ahead of Ferrari. Surer isn’t so sure. “In the last few years Ferrari has been […]
Bottas wants low-profile F1 contract talks
Feb.25 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is aiming to conduct his contract negotiations this year away from the “headlines”. Last year, before his Mercedes deal was extended for one more season, speculation in the media about the Finn’s future was rife and he said it affected his performance. So he is already starting to think about how […]
Wife reassures Grosjean about reputation
Feb.25 (GMM) Romain Grosjean says his wife tries to reassure him about his negative reputation in Formula 1. The Haas driver says he is constantly being attacked on social media, having attracted an unshakeable reputation for mistakes and crashes. “It’s much easier to criticise Romain Grosjean than Lewis Hamilton, who wins all the races,” he […]
Ferrari reacts to Italian coronavirus crisis
Feb.25 (GMM) Formula 1 could be on a collision course with coronavirus. The Chinese GP has already been postponed, a question mark hangs over Vietnam, and McLaren has blocked Chinese people from entering its motorhome in Barcelona. And now, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Ferrari has ramped up anti-pandemic measures at its Maranello factory. […]
Teams not giving up motorhomes – Horner
Feb.25 (GMM) F1 teams are unlikely to give up their impressive paddock motorhomes, according to Christian Horner. Recently, F1 sporting director Ross Brawn said he is looking into making the sport more sustainable. One idea is to transport more equipment by sea and rail, and another is to end the fleet of trucks that take […]
Haas not worried about slow test times
Feb.25 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says he is not worried about Haas’ early testing form. After a bad 2019, the small American team had high hopes for a big improvement. But so far, there have not only been crashes with the 2020 car, Kevin Magnussen’s best time last week in Barcelona was the slowest overall. Steiner […]
Renault to develop new car early in 2020
Feb.25 (GMM) Renault will do some quick-fire car development early in 2020. After a low-profile winter, it was thought the French team had effectively written off 2020 in favour of focusing fully on the new rules for 2021. While that may partially be true, Renault does intend to aggressively develop the newly-launched car early this […]
Racing Point ‘clearly fourth’ fastest – Surer
Feb.25 (GMM) Racing Point looks to have leapt to the very top of the 2020 midfield. The team finished just seventh last year, but with more funding thanks to new owner Lawrence Stroll and a new approach, the ‘pink Mercedes’ has been produced. “They’ve copied last year’s Mercedes and it seems to work extremely well,” […]
Source says Ferrari aero ‘does not work’
Feb.24 (GMM) Ferrari’s 2020 rivals are “faster”, according to team boss Mattia Binotto. It is a vastly different story compared to a year ago, when Ferrari dominated the winter tests. Then in Australia, it emerged that the Maranello team was not setting the pace. Now, Binotto said after Ferrari’s inauspicious first week of testing last […]
Kubica return left Rosberg ‘surprised’
Feb.24 (GMM) Robert Kubica says he is “positive” even though he has dropped off the F1 grid for 2020. 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, who assisted Kubica as he bid to resurrect his career in the last few years, admits he was “surprised” with the Polish driver’s disappointing return to Formula 1 last year. “I’m […]