Aug.27 (GMM) Ferrari is expected to follow Renault’s lead in withdrawing its appeal over the ‘pink Mercedes’ affair. Although it had prompted the saga by protesting the legality of Racing Point’s Mercedes-like brake ducts, Renault announced that it ultimately decided to drop the appeal. “Intensive and constructive work between the FIA, Renault and all Formula […]
Ecclestone still welcome at Russian GP – promoter
Aug.27 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone is still welcome at the Russian GP, organisers of the Sochi race have announced. The former F1 supremo was recently scolded by the sport’s new owners after controversially claiming that black people are often “more racist than white people”. Liberty Media reacted by saying the 89-year-old is no longer F1’s ‘chairman […]
Albon’s confidence ‘badly damaged’ – Heidfeld
Aug.26 (GMM) It is “extremely important” that Red Bull continues to support struggling driver Alex Albon. That is the view of Nick Heidfeld, as pressure continues to mount on the British-Thai driver as Albon struggles to match up to Max Verstappen. Notable, however, is that where Red Bull has often been highly critical of its […]
Raikkonen plays down pressure on Vettel
Aug.26 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has played down the pressure that is mounting on the shoulders of his former Ferrari teammate. According to insiders, Sebastian Vettel has been marginalised not only by a now Charles Leclerc-focused Maranello, but by the notorious Italian press. But former Vettel teammate Raikkonen insists: “The pressure or the attention is no […]
Team boss says F1 ‘still works’ for Gene Haas
Aug.26 (GMM) Formula 1 still “works” for Haas team owner Gene Haas. That is the claim of Gunther Steiner, who runs the small American outfit that had been openly questioning its future on the grid beyond 2020. However, like all the other existing teams, Haas has now signed the new 2021-2025 Concorde Agreement. “I guess […]
Honda wants Alpha Tauri debut for Tsunoda
Aug.26 (GMM) Honda is admitting it would like to see Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda make his way into Formula 1 with Alpha Tauri. It comes after Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko said Daniil Kvyat is “not performing as we would expect” in 2020. It would appear to be the perfect opening for the Honda-backed Formula […]
Motorhomes make F1 comeback at Spa
Aug.26 (GMM) F1’s grand ‘motorhomes’ are making their return to the paddock this week at Spa-Francorchamps. So far in the coronavirus-marred 2020 season, teams have been cutting costs by operating out of makeshift buildings and with outsourced catering. But at Spa – the seventh race out of the 17 that have now been scheduled in […]
Mercedes’ team culture ‘impressive’ – Vandoorne
Aug.26 (GMM) Stoffel Vandoorne says the culture inside the Mercedes team is what makes it so dominant. The former McLaren driver lost his F1 seat at the end of 2018, but was signed up for Mercedes’ new Formula E team and finished runner-up. But the Belgian is also a Mercedes reserve driver, and after working […]
Mercedes gave Racing Point ‘data and drawings’ – Marko
Aug.25 (GMM) Racing Point must have received “data” and “drawings” from Mercedes in order to create a fully-competitive copy of the reigning champion team’s 2019 car. That is the word from Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, echoing former F1 team boss Colin Kolles’ claims last week that Racing Point even received a 60 percent scale […]
Marko not ruling out Ricciardo return
Aug.25 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko says there may be “a way back” to Red Bull for Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian driver stunned the F1 world by leaving Red Bull for Renault at the end of 2018, but he has already decided to switch again to McLaren for 2021. “I said to Daniel ‘I don’t get […]
Now Imola wants spectators at 2020 F1 race
Aug.25 (GMM) A third circuit on the 2020 calendar says it wants spectators to be able to attend this year. Earlier, we reported that some teams are nervous about Sochi and Portimao’s plans to allow 30,000 and 50,000 spectators respectively to attend their races later this season. Imola has now joined them. “We expect the […]
Honda has better race engine than Renault – Marko
Aug.25 (GMM) Honda is now the best engine manufacturer in Formula 1 behind Mercedes, according to Dr Helmut Marko. Red Bull’s top Austrian official is looking forward to the banning of ‘party mode’ engine settings from Monza – even though Toto Wolff has warned that it could actually make Mercedes stronger in the races. “Mercedes […]
Bottas must ‘get into Hamilton’s head’ – Villeneuve
Aug.25 (GMM) Merely trying to beat Lewis Hamilton “on the track” will not be enough for Valtteri Bottas. That is the view of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, whose title showdown with Michael Schumacher is now legendary. Now, he is giving advice to Bottas, who has fallen 43 points behind his Mercedes teammate so far […]
Williams was sold for EUR 152 million
Aug.24 (GMM) Buying the Williams team cost the British team’s new owners EUR 152 million, according to Bloomberg. Having slumped to the very back of the field last year, the Grove based team announced last Friday that it has been acquired by private investment firm Dorilton Capital. “This may be the end of an era […]
Wolff denies ‘flexible rear wing’ claims
Aug.24 (GMM) Toto Wolff has rejected suggestions Mercedes’ 2020 car is benefitting from having a flexible rear wing. Already under fire for allegedly pushing technical secrets to Racing Point, the latest accusation is that the rear wing of the German team’s dominant 2020 car bends exceedingly at speed. “We don’t have a flexible rear wing,” […]
Berger advises Vettel to say ‘bye-bye’ to F1
Aug.24 (GMM) In Sebastian Vettel’s place, F1 legend Gerhard Berger says he would say “bye-bye” to Formula 1. In the past days, it has appeared more and more likely that Aston Martin – currently Racing Point – will stick with Sergio Perez and his powerful sponsors rather than sign the Ferrari refugee. Berger admitted to […]
Hulkenberg to turn down Mercedes reserve role
Aug.24 (GMM) Nico Hulkenberg would turn down an offer to become Mercedes’ official F1 reserve driver. After the German’s impressive performance when substituting at short notice for Sergio Perez at Silverstone, Toto Wolff hinted that a Mercedes role could be in the offing for the former Renault driver. But Hulkenberg told Sport1’s AvD Motorsport Magazin: […]
Marko wants telemetry and radios banned in F1
Aug.24 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton dominates Formula 1 because he has “a more powerful engine”. That is the claim of Dr Helmut Marko, the top Austrian official at Red Bull-Honda. He is looking forward to the forthcoming ban on ‘party mode’ engine settings, which has been delayed for a week until Monza following a request not […]
Mercedes, Honda asked for ‘party mode’ ban delay
Aug.24 (GMM) Mercedes and Honda pushed for the ‘party mode’ ban to be delayed until Monza, according to Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport. It had been expected that the ban, restricting cars to a single engine mode for both qualifying and the race, would come into force for this weekend’s race at Spa. “The requests […]
F1 must ‘pressure’ Pirelli for better tyres – Hamilton
Aug.24 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton wants Pirelli to create better tyres for Formula 1. At Silverstone recently, the six-time world champion won the race with only three tyres intact, following a spate of wear issues among the field. And then in Barcelona, he won again but only after carefully managing tyre wear by reducing his pace. […]