Apr.9 (GMM) Less than one-fifth of the way into Formula 1’s longest ever calendar, the realisation that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are heading for yet another title is now setting in. Mercedes’ Toto Wolff said before departing Suzuka that Verstappen will not only certainly win his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship in 2024, but that […]
Alpine ‘prepared’ to lose both drivers for 2025
Apr.8 (GMM) Alpine is “prepared” for the eventuality that Esteban Ocon or Pierre Gasly – or both – will abandon the crisis-struck team at the end of the year. Despite being Renault’s works team, the outfit emerged from the winter with the slowest car of all. The first upgrades were added to the car at […]
Williams ‘very worried’ about chassis, spare parts crisis
Apr.8 (GMM) Alex Albon admits he is “very worried” about whether Williams can pick up the pieces ahead of Formula 1’s next stop in China. The team’s 2024 so far has been characterised by a devastating combination of delays, chassis and spare parts shortages – and a series of heavy crashes. There were two more […]
Alonso dropping out of contention for top team move
Apr.8 (GMM) Fernando Alonso appears to be heading towards a new deal with Aston Martin – although he’s still not committing to staying put or even staying in Formula 1 beyond 2024. Recently, the Spaniard was legitimately linked with moves to either Red Bull or Mercedes for 2025. But at Suzuka, Max Verstappen said having […]
Red Bull still mired by ‘a lot of unrest’
Apr.8 (GMM) The power struggle and Christian Horner scandal may have died down publicly, but there’s still “a lot of unrest behind the scenes” at Red Bull. Amid speculation Suzuka was his last outing in his role as the brand’s top Austrian consultant, Dr Helmut Marko – although widely quoted throughout the weekend and most […]
Red Bull not ruling out 2025 promotion for Tsunoda
Apr.8 (GMM) Yuki Tsunoda has leapt into contention to secure a promotion to Red Bull’s top team for 2025. Throughout the Japanese GP weekend, the outfit’s top figures hailed the improvement Sergio Perez has made so far this year. But suddenly, with Tsunoda outpacing and out-racing Daniel Ricciardo at the junior RB squad and even […]
Top F1 stars slam sprint race in Shanghai
Apr.8 (GMM) Top Formula 1 drivers have hit out at the sport’s forthcoming return to China. F1 hasn’t been to Shanghai since the outbreak of the covid pandemic, but it is now the next stop on the bustling 2024 schedule. And whilst not criticising China’s return to the calendar, top stars – including triple world […]
No F1 return with Mercedes for Vettel – source
Apr.7 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel will not be launching a return to Formula 1 with Mercedes. That is the confident claim of Germany’s largest newspaper, Bild, citing sources who profess to know that Toto Wolff’s short-list to replace Lewis Hamilton next year has only three names on it. “And the German is not one of them,” […]
Vasseur not worried ‘at all’ about Leclerc slump
Apr.7 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur insists he’s not worried “at all” about Charles Leclerc’s currently flagging form. Earlier at Suzuka, Formula 1 journalist Marijn Abbenhuijs asked the 26-year-old driver if he is worried that his currently unemployed-in-2025 teammate Carlos Sainz is shining brighter in this year’s Ferrari so far. Specifically, the Algemeen Dagblad reporter wondered if […]
Perez racing towards new deal for 2025 – Marko
Apr.7 (GMM) Sergio Perez appears to be rising to the challenge as his contract comes up for renewal at Red Bull. Although dominant teammate Max Verstappen was not happy with his lap, Perez was less than a tenth of a second off the pole-time at Suzuka. “I have to think,” said the team’s top F1 […]
Simple loose screw caused rare Verstappen DNF
Apr.6 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s brake failure in Melbourne – his first technical DNF for two years – could have been caused by a simple case of a forgotten loose screw. Supplier Brembo denied any responsibility up-front, while Dr Helmut Marko said it wasn’t the case of a faulty caliper but some sort of “assembly issue”. […]
Aston Martin denies making big-money bid for Newey
Apr.6 (GMM) Aston Martin has denied making an ‘astronomical’ bid to lure Adrian Newey away from Red Bull. Amid Red Bull’s dominance, the team’s 2024 season has been marred by internal and public strife amid an obvious leadership power struggle and the Christian Horner scandal. So serious has the chaos been that Dr Helmut Marko, […]
Sacked Mazepin awaiting verdict after suing Haas
Apr.6 (GMM) Haas is already the subject of legal action after firing Nikita Mazepin in early 2022. Recently, when the Russian driver won a European Court of Justice case against his political sanctions, former F1 figure Oksana Kosachenko said the 25-year-old’s next step should be to sue Haas for wrongful dismissal. But Mazepin has now […]
RB sceptical about Ricciardo’s chassis switch
Apr.6 (GMM) Team racing director Alan Permane is sceptical a change of chassis for Daniel Ricciardo will make any difference for the struggling Australian. Ricciardo’s hopes of using the junior team RB as a springboard for his return to Red Bull Racing are fading in 2024, as teammate Yuki Tsunoda establishes a clear advantage. Earlier […]
Sainz ‘definitely’ better than Leclerc at present – Marko
Apr.6 (GMM) Red Bull is leaving the door open to a return to the Red Bull family for Carlos Sainz. Sainz, who was brought into Formula 1 by Dr Helmut Marko at the same time as Max Verstappen, left the Red Bull camp and began his road to Ferrari via Renault and McLaren. But shortly […]
Revival of French GP unlikely for now – F1 CEO
Apr.6 (GMM) Stefano Domenicali has played down France’s hopes of returning to the Formula 1 calendar – unless the government gets involved. As the sport’s schedule become steadily more congested, Paul Ricard – having last held a grand prix in 2022 – became a victim as it was priced out of the market. The new […]
Haas boss denies early ‘smokescreen’ of ‘bulls**t’
Apr.6 (GMM) Ayao Komatsu has hit back at claims that his expectation that the Haas team could remain dead last in 2024 was always “bulls**t”. The criticism came from the Japanese’s long-time predecessor Gunther Steiner, who recently accused Komatsu of putting up a “smokescreen” of zero expectations for 2024. “They downplayed (expectations) to have an […]
Alonso inches closer to new Aston Martin deal
Apr.6 (GMM) Fernando Alonso seems to be inching towards a new deal to remain at Aston Martin beyond 2024. Recently, the Spaniard and two-time champion has been riding the wave of a renewed show of form – to the point that he was being linked with sensation moves to Mercedes or even Red Bull. However, […]
Sargeant crashed Albon’s repaired chassis at Suzuka
Apr.5 (GMM) Logan Sargeant’s 2024 season has gone from bad to worse in Japan. The American, who is on his second and final chance to impress Williams this year, had to sit out Melbourne after the team ejected him from his chassis following preferred teammate Alex Albon’s big practice crash. Williams managed to repair Albon’s […]
Rivals plan awkward drivers’ briefing for Alonso at Suzuka
Apr.5 (GMM) Many of Fernando Alonso’s rivals at Suzuka were planning an awkward official drivers’ briefing for the two-time champion. George Russell says he bumped into the Spaniard in a coffee shop last week following their incident and his big crash in Melbourne – after stewards penalised Alonso for what many are calling a clear […]