Jan.6 (GMM) Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says 2020 will be a “delicate” moment for Sebastian Vettel. Just before Christmas, Ferrari extended Charles Leclerc’s contract until the end of 2024, isolating former number 1 Vettel whose deal runs out this year. “Leclerc is a hard racer and an intelligent boy who can become a […]
Ferrari admits Hamilton met with chairman
Jan.6 (GMM) Ferrari needs “two experienced drivers” for 2021, according to team boss Mattia Binotto. Just before Christmas, the Maranello team announced that Charles Leclerc’s current contract has been extended for two more years, taking the new deal to the end of 2024. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims the deal involves a tripled salary for […]
Raikkonen eyes world rally title
Jan.6 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen says he wants to add a world rally title to his CV in the future. The 40-year-old Finn, who won the Formula 1 title for Ferrari in 2007, could leave Formula 1 after his current contract with Alfa Romeo expires late this year. During his F1 sabbatical in 2011, Raikkonen contested […]
Sponsor says Kubica ‘involved’ in Alfa Romeo deal
Jan.6 (GMM) Robert Kubica will have an important role at Alfa Romeo in 2020, the Polish driver’s sponsor PKN Orlen has announced. On New Year’s Day, it was revealed that Orlen, the Polish oil company, would switch from Williams to a major sponsorship role at Alfa Romeo for 2020. “We were not a title sponsor […]
Stroll admits he must catch teammate Perez
Jan.6 (GMM) Lance Stroll, the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll, says he knows he has to up his game at Racing Point alongside Sergio Perez in 2020. “Sergio dominated me in qualifying, which is the main area I have to work on this season,” the Canadian is quoted by France’s L’Equipe. “He was better […]
Racing Point aiming for fourth in 2020 – Perez
Jan.6 (GMM) Racing Point can finish fourth overall in 2020, according to Sergio Perez. The Mexican has re-committed to the newly Lawrence Stroll-owned team for the coming seasons, despite the fact that last year was “tough”. “When my contract expires, I always get offers, which is nice to know,” Perez told Auto Motor und Sport. […]
Ericsson’s F1 role to change for 2020
Dec.23 (GMM) Marcus Ericsson looks set to take another step away from the Formula 1 paddock in 2020. This year, the Swede split his time between a full-time Indycar race seat and a reserve role at Alfa Romeo. After F1’s summer break, Ericsson had to pull out of an Indycar race when Alfa Romeo ordered […]
Lawrence Stroll hails ‘fighter’ Kubica
Dec.23 (GMM) Robert Kubica appears to be headed towards a third driver role for 2020 at Racing Point. Earlier, with the Pole looking likely to combine an F1 role with a DTM race seat with BMW, it appeared that Haas would be his 2020 destination. But Poland’s sport.pl claims that Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll […]
Ferrari ‘getting used to’ driver rivalry
Dec.23 (GMM) Ferrari is “getting used to” to the inter-team battle between Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc. The traditional Ferrari strategy is to appoint a clear number 1 driver and a solid supporting act, and for 2019 the hierarchy began in quadruple world champion Vettel’s favour. Leclerc’s speed and ambition, however, soon became obvious. “Believe […]
Vasseur not dreaming of different Alfa Romeo lineup
Dec.23 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur admits he is not dreaming of attracting bigger-name star drivers to Alfa Romeo. The Hinwil based team will continue to field Ferrari’s 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who is 40, alongside Ferrari junior Antonio Giovinazzi in 2020. And team boss Vasseur told Blick newspaper that it is pointless to dream about […]
Todt wants 12 teams on F1 grid
Dec.23 (GMM) Jean Todt says he would like to see two new teams in Formula 1. Throughout 2019, there have been rumours of new teams expressing interest in the sport, including one linked to Formula 2 team owner Adrian Campos that is lining up Pascal Wehrlein as a driver. FIA president Todt admitted, however, that […]
Most F1 drivers would win with Mercedes – Verstappen
Dec.20 (GMM) Max Verstappen says the majority of the drivers in Formula 1 would become world champion in a Mercedes. However, the 22-year-old Red Bull-Honda driver, who is targeting the title for 2020, insists that his claim is not a jibe at six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. “I am just confident to say that it […]
Leclerc wants title battle with Vettel in 2020
Dec.20 (GMM) Charles Leclerc insists that his relationship with teammate Sebastian Vettel is still good. The pair had a fraught 2019 season as quadruple world champion Vettel struggled to hang onto his number 1 status, which culminated in the crash in Brazil. But Vettel revealed this week that he will still give Leclerc a Christmas […]
Carey says F1 wants to ‘increase diversity’
Dec.20 (GMM) Chase Carey denies that Formula E, the all-electric racing series, is a threat to Formula 1. The F1 CEO admitted that F1 competes with many sports, but some think Formula E – now filled with top drivers and carmakers – is the biggest threat. “No, actually, it certainly wouldn’t be Formula E,” Carey […]
Gasly thinks 2020 seat ‘completely deserved’
Dec.20 (GMM) Pierre Gasly thinks his 2020 seat at Toro Rosso, to be renamed Alpha Tauri next year, is “completely deserved”. Off the back of a strong first full season with Toro Rosso last year, the Frenchman was promoted to be Max Verstappen’s teammate in 2019. He told the Dutch publication Formule 1 that he […]
2021 ‘not right’ for Hamilton’s Ferrari move – Berger
Dec.19 (GMM) 2021 might not be the right time for Lewis Hamilton to switch to Ferrari. That is the view of F1 legend Gerhard Berger, who actually had two separate stints at the fabled Maranello team in the 80s and 90s. “For Lewis, I could not recommend to any driver more than if you can […]
Ferrari to keep matte livery for 2020
Dec.19 (GMM) Ferrari’s 2020 car, to be revealed to the public eight days before winter testing on February 11, will continue to feature a matte livery. Team boss Mattia Binotto said the special paint was put on the 2019 car for “weight-related reasons”. Corriere della Sera newspaper claims it saves two kilograms. And Binotto says […]
Wolff ridicules Ferrari switch rumours
Dec.19 (GMM) Toto Wolff has ridiculed ongoing speculation that his future could be in red. When the Mercedes boss sat out the race in Brazil, it fired up speculation that he might either replace Chase Carey as F1 CEO or join Lewis Hamilton in a 2021 switch to Ferrari. “Sounds like a good plan,” Wolff […]
Sainz eyes new McLaren contract for 2021
Dec.19 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has indicated he will want to stay at McLaren beyond the end of his 2020 contract. In an official Formula 1 poll voted on by the drivers themselves, Spaniard Sainz was named the fourth best of the 2019 season. And the 25-year-old wants to continue to push ahead in 2020. “There […]
Racing Point says 2021 cars to be ‘unstable’
Dec.19 (GMM) Racing Point has hit out at the new rules for 2021. Although designed in part to help the smaller teams compete with their bigger rivals, team boss Otmar Szafnauer said he is “not yet satisfied with the rules”. “They are the way they are but I do not think we will put a […]