Feb.20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has inked a deal to race in May’s Indy 500. That is the claim of Indycar team owner Michael Andretti, after it emerged recently that Honda reportedly vetoed a deal with the two-time champion. Andretti admitted on Wednesday that he and Alonso “couldn’t come to terms” but he said no party […]
Gasly, Kvyat went to Red Bull too soon – Tost
Feb.20 (GMM) Alpha Tauri’s two drivers bear “scars” from their premature promotions to the senior Red Bull team, according to team boss Franz Tost. The former Toro Rosso team is lining up in 2020 with Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly, who both had to return to the Faenza based outfit after separate unsuccessful promotions. “My […]
Tost tips Honda to stay in F1
Feb.20 (GMM) Franz Tost thinks Honda will stay in Formula 1 after 2021. The Austrian is the boss of Red Bull’s second team, the newly-renamed Alpha Tauri. Both Red Bull-owned outfits are powered by Honda, who at present have only committed to the sport for the next two seasons. “I trust that Honda will remain […]
F1 seeks solution to China GP postponement
Feb.20 (GMM) F1 is considering an unprecedented triple back-to-back series of races at the end of the 2020 season. Following revelations that Liberty Media could lose $43 million over the cancellation of the already-postponed Chinese GP, moves are afoot to re-jig the calendar. Assuming the coronavirus crisis eases by then, the leading solution at present […]
‘Pink Mercedes’ makes life difficult for McLaren – Sainz
Feb.20 (GMM) Racing Point is not hiding the fact that its newly-revealed 2020 car closely resembles last year’s title-winning Mercedes. For some, the similarity is striking. “One can say without exaggeration that it is a 2019 Mercedes in pink,” said the highly respected Auto Motor und Sport editor Michael Schmidt. Racing Point technical boss Andy […]
Albon wants race win in 2020
Feb.20 (GMM) Alex Albon says he wants to win a race in 2020. The British-born Thai driver has one of the toughest assignments in Formula 1, as the highly rated 2020 title favourite Max Verstappen’s teammate. He said in Barcelona that he can tell that the paddock expects something special from Red Bull this year. […]
Haas solves 2019 problems with new car
Feb.20 (GMM) Haas looks to have put its serious car problems of last year in the past. In 2019, the small American team struggled all season with an aerodynamic and tyre management problem that saw it slump to second-to-last in the championship. “We hoped the car would feel good and it did,” Kevin Magnussen told […]
Drivers hail ‘unimaginable’ speed of 2020 cars
Feb.20 (GMM) Formula 1 is stepping into a higher gear in 2020, with many drivers noticing on the first day of winter testing that the cars are faster than last year. “I took it easy and was flabbergasted at the laptime,” McLaren driver Carlos Sainz said. “It was so easy for me to do. I […]
Alonso says he will race in 2020 Indy 500
Feb.19 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he will be racing in May’s Indianapolis 500. That is despite the fact that Honda reportedly vetoed his deal with the top Andretti team, and Ed Carpenter’s team said it also could not accommodate the Spaniard. But when asked by a fan if he will be in the Indy 500 […]
Vietnam GP ‘will not be postponed’ – official
Feb.19 (GMM) Vietnam insists it is not about to call off its inaugural grand prix. China’s April race has already been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, but serious questions are now being raised about nearby Vietnam. However, the new Hanoi race CEO Le Ngoc Chi is quoted by the Vietnamese daily Dan Tri as […]
‘No reason’ to change drivers for 2021 – Seidl
Feb.19 (GMM) McLaren has “no reason” to contemplate changing drivers ahead of the 2021 season, according to team boss Andreas Seidl. Carlos Sainz said recently that he wants a new contract for 2021, and McLaren is also happy with its other new driver last year – Lando Norris. When asked about the 2021 ‘silly season’ […]
Verstappen ‘the best’ in F1 today – Gasly
Feb.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen is perhaps “the best” driver on the Formula 1 grid, according to his former teammate Pierre Gasly. Gasly was disappointed last year when he struggled to keep up with Verstappen at Red Bull Racing and was demoted to Toro Rosso after half a season. But the Frenchman has no hard feelings […]
Drivers should control on-track discipline – Villeneuve
Feb.19 (GMM) Formula 1 was better when driver discipline was left up to the drivers rather than “too many rules and too many decisions”. That is the view of outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who remembers a time when drivers were left to sort out grievances on the track. “Today there is the action […]
Ferrari ‘ready to discuss’ new Vettel contract
Feb.19 (GMM) Ferrari is “ready to discuss” extending Sebastian Vettel’s contract. That is the claim of Leo Turrini, a well-known Ferrari insider. His latest views, aired on his Quotidiano blog, follow Mattia Binotto’s recent comment that Vettel is the “priority” as Ferrari considers its 2021 lineup. “It is only the first move of a delicate […]
F1 could have ‘Russian team’ soon – Aleshin
Feb.19 (GMM) A “Russian team” could soon be on the Formula 1 grid. That is the claim of Mikhail Aleshin, a 32-year-old Russian who is a senior driver for the SMP Racing program that brought Sergey Sirotkin into F1. When asked if SMP’s next step could be a F1 team, Aleshin told Sportbox: “That is […]
Hulkenberg on ‘temporary’ break from racing
Feb.19 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg says he is on a “temporary break” from motor racing. Despite never finishing on the podium, the 32-year-old was on the grid for a decade until Renault ousted him at the end of last year. “I feel comfortable in the phase I am in,” said the German, “(which is) not having […]
2020 Renault affected by ‘turbulent’ winter
Feb.19 (GMM) Renault has admitted it is coming out of a “turbulent” period inside the French works team. The outfit has been criticised for its low-profile winter and lacklustre objectives for 2020. Executive director Marcin Budkowski admits the new car was affected by unrest. “The initial concept was set with a different technical director and […]
Verstappen contract has an exit clause – Marko
Feb.19 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has admitted that Max Verstappen’s new contract does contain an exit clause. “There are some,” the Red Bull official admitted to Auto Bild, after Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he would be surprised if a talent like Verstappen would have locked himself into a watertight deal through 2023. “But as […]
Red Bull increases budget for 2020
Feb.19 (GMM) Red Bull has upped its budget for 2020. Recently, Ferrari said that ahead of the $175 million budget cap for 2021, the Maranello team would spend more to prepare this year. Red Bull is following suit. “The increase is within limits,” Dr Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport. “We are already very […]
Racing Point may drop pink livery for 2021
Feb.18 (GMM) Racing Point may need to drop its pink livery ahead of the team’s 2021 rebranding as Aston Martin. When the Silverstone based team’s pink livery for 2020 was unveiled on Monday, it was clear that last year’s title sponsor Sportpesa had been dropped. We reported last year that the Kenyan sports betting platform […]