Apr.22 (GMM) A Formula 1 insider said he can “understand” Sebastian Vettel if the German has turned down Ferrari’s contract extension offer for 2021. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Ferrari offered the quadruple world champion a one-year deal with a monetary offer that would slash his annual pay by over a half. Vettel, 32, […]
Drivers look ahead into ‘weird’ F1 future
Apr.22 (GMM) Drivers are looking nervously into the clouded future of Formula 1 and motor racing. The coronavirus pandemic, and the ensuing lockdowns and political and economic turmoil, means that despite efforts to organise an alternative 2020 race calendar, no one is actually sure when the racing will resume. “If we don’t get this situation […]
Online racing will not replace ‘real’ F1 – Kubica
Apr.21 (GMM) Robert Kubica is another F1 driver who will not get involved in F1’s official virtual racing series. A growing number of active drivers were in the field for the most recent online race based on the official F1 2019 game, which was won by Charles Leclerc. Kubica, who is Alfa Romeo’s reserve driver, […]
Hamilton denies rumours from Bali
Apr.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is reportedly sitting out the coronavirus pandemic in Bali. The six-time world champion has kept a conspicuously low profile during F1’s shutdown, but it now emerges that he is not at one of his homes in either Monaco or New York. According to Bild newspaper, Hamilton talks to Toto Wolff every […]
Pandemic stalls McLaren progress – Seidl
Apr.21 (GMM) The coronavirus pandemic is a blow to McLaren’s steady rise up the grid, team boss Andreas Seidl has admitted. After a slump spanning several years, McLaren had improved more recently and was looking forward to the opportunity of the new 2021 rules. But not only have the rules been postponed until 2022, McLaren […]
Liberty would rescue failing teams – Horner
Apr.21 (GMM) Liberty Media is ready to bail out teams who go bust during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Christian Horner. F1 and some circuits are pushing hard to organise races in some form from about July, with Claire Williams saying a plan like that is “critical” to the small teams’ mere survival. Some, though, […]
Arrivabene joins fight against virus
Apr.21 (GMM) Former Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has joined Italy’s fight against coronavirus. We already reported that Pirelli boss Mario Isola works in an ambulance in the country, and now Mediaset is reporting that Arrivabene is also a front-line ‘driver’. “Arrivabene has not told anyone but since the storm hit he has been driving […]
Monza not giving up on fans attending 2020 race
Apr.21 (GMM) Monza is not giving up on hosting an Italian GP later in 2020, according to Italian automobile club president Angelo Sticchi Damiani. Italy has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, but Damiani indicated that Monza wants to be on the rescheduled calendar. “What will the grands prix look like in the coronavirus […]
Merhi works for unnamed F1 team
Apr.21 (GMM) Former F1 driver Roberto Merhi says he is unable to reveal which current team he performs simulator duties for. The 29-year-old Spaniard raced for Marussia in 2015, but he now tells Marca sports newspaper that he remains involved with the sport. “The team I work for in Formula 1 doesn’t want me to […]
Zandvoort fears extended Dutch events ban
Apr.21 (GMM) Organisers of the Dutch GP at Zandvoort are keenly awaiting an announcement by the government on Tuesday. The original May 3 race date is among many that cannot currently take place, but the Netherlands’ blanket ban on mass organised events is only set to run until June 1. And it is possible that […]
No online racing for Raikkonen
Apr.21 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen says he will not be joining the growing trend of actual professional drivers entering the world of virtual online simulator racing. Even his friend and former teammate Sebastian Vettel has bitten the bullet by buying a home simulator setup in the past days, but Raikkonen says he is “indifferent”. “I will […]
‘So much uncertainty’ about F1 return – Tost
Apr.21 (GMM) Franz Tost is not sure there is reason for great optimism even though moves are being made to organise the first actual races of 2020. Another Red Bull official, Dr Helmut Marko, said the chances are “very good” that the Austrian authorities will green-light the plan for races at the Red Bull Ring […]
Haas rejects Red Bull’s ‘customer car’ idea
Apr.20 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has rejected fellow F1 team boss Christian Horner’s ‘customer car’ proposal amid the sport’s coronavirus crisis. Horner, boss of Red Bull, said that amid rumours several smaller teams could fail over the next few months, customer cars could be the answer. “I would be in full favour of supplying for the […]
Barcelona open to 2020 ‘ghost races’
Apr.20 (GMM) Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya is prepared to host a grand prix this year without spectators – but has ruled out reversing the layout for a second race. Hopes for the already postponed Spanish GP seemed to fade when finance minister Mario Jesus Montero said “tourist activities” will only resume in Spain if “there […]
Magnussen open to McLaren, Renault return
Apr.20 (GMM) Kevin Magnussen says he is “completely open” to returning to McLaren or Renault. The Dane currently races for Haas, whose owner Gene Haas was already thinking about pulling out of Formula 1 even before the coronavirus crisis. Magnussen told BT newspaper that he knows his chances of moving to a top three team […]
Austria GP plan chances ‘very high’ – Marko
Apr.20 (GMM) Austria and Silverstone appear to be headlining F1’s return to racing action. It is believed a new race calendar will be published as soon as May, with the first two or three races to be held at the Red Bull Ring, followed by Silverstone. “We have been asked if we could hold a […]
F1 should not hold ‘ghost races’ – Vettel
Apr.20 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel thinks Formula 1 should “wait” rather than put on what he and others are calling “ghost races”. Amid the sport’s coronavirus-induced standstill, F1’s apparent plan is to host two or even three races at single venues like Austria and Silverstone from July. The races would be held behind closed doors, without […]
Vettel only negotiating with Ferrari
Apr.18 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is only negotiating with Ferrari over a new contract for 2021. Earlier, amid intense speculation about his future, the German was linked with a potential switch to McLaren. But the 32-year-old quadruple world champion says he is talking only to Ferrari. “I think I had made that clear before,” […]
Wolff buys into Aston Martin
Apr.18 (GMM) Toto Wolff has bought a stake in Aston Martin. The British car company, whose new executive chairman Lawrence Stroll also acquired a major stake recently, will become the new identity of Stroll’s Racing Point team from 2021. However, a spokesman for Wolff said the Austrian will remain Mercedes’ team boss. “It is a […]
Steiner hopes for at least 8 races in 2020
Apr.17 (GMM) Gunther Steiner is hoping Formula 1 can organise at least 8 grands prix in 2020. Officially, the sport’s bosses Chase Carey and Ross Brawn are hoping to cobble together a fast-paced, tightly-packed calendar of up to 18 or 19 races for the second half of the year, potentially spreading into early 2021. Haas […]