Apr.8 (GMM) Well-known Dutch commentator Olav Mol says he has emailed Formula One Management with a proposal about how an alternative 2020 calendar should look. Officially, F1 CEO Chase Carey is still pushing for a new schedule of between 15-18 races – even though the ninth cancellation or postponement has just been added to the […]
Red Bull reserve happy with new F1 role
Apr.8 (GMM) Red Bull’s new reserve driver is more than happy with his current role in Formula 1 – even if the coronavirus crisis means he is stuck for now in Japan. Although his new role has so far been limited to travelling to Australia for the cancelled season opener, Sergio Sette Camara is hopeful […]
No ‘ghost races’ in DTM – Berger
Apr.8 (GMM) Gerhard Berger has ruled out hosting DTM races without spectators. It has been suggested that top motorsport categories might be able to get racing again in the coming months if ‘ghost races’ without an audience are held. “Racing could be one of the first sports (to reopen) because we can do ghost races […]
F1 future becomes ‘critical’ in July – Tost
Apr.8 (GMM) The situation in Formula 1 will become “very critical” if the current shutdown period continues beyond July. That is the view of Franz Tost, boss of one of the smallest teams on the grid – Red Bull-owned Alpha Tauri. “If we start competing in July, we will come out with a black eye,” […]
F1 must get ‘creative’ amid pandemic – Rosberg
Apr.8 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has urged Formula 1 to get “creative” amid the coronavirus crisis. So far in this unprecedented situation, the messages are mixed. MotoGP admits the entire championship may be cancelled, Chase Carey wants to organise as many as 18 grands prix, and UFC boss Dana White claims to have secured a private […]
Possible no major races will happen in 2020 – Ezpeleta
Apr.8 (GMM) MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta admits that top motorsport categories may not be able to race at all in 2020. Like F1, MotoGP’s race postponements because of the coronavirus crisis are now pushing into June. But unlike F1, MotoGP chief Ezpeleta is not necessarily holding out hope that a healthy number of races will […]
Original 2020 calendar ‘must be forgotten’ – Dumontier
Apr.8 (GMM) Race promoter Francois Dumontier said he had no choice other than to postpone June’s Canadian GP. As F1 decides to extend the current three-week factory shutdown for a further fortnight, the Montreal organisers announced officially that they are “saddened” to call off the popular race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for now. “Closing […]
Kubica alongside Alonso would be ‘fun’ – Domenicali
Apr.7 (GMM) It would have been “fun” to pair Robert Kubica with Fernando Alonso at Ferrari. That is the claim of Stefano Domenicali, as the open secret about Polish driver Kubica’s interrupted deal to join the Maranello team for 2012 continues to stay alive. “Before the accident, Robert was a very high level racing driver,” […]
Rosberg reverts to meditation amid crisis
Apr.7 (GMM) Having already put his smartphone away, Nico Rosberg is now coping with the coronavirus crisis by reverting to meditation. The former F1 driver says he managed to beat his then teammate Lewis Hamilton to the 2016 title by also focusing on the psychological side of racing. Rosberg told Der Standard that meditation practice […]
Austria could host more than one race – Marko
Apr.7 (GMM) Austria’s Red Bull Ring could join Silverstone in hosting more than one race in 2020 once the coronavirus crisis has eased. Eight races have been cancelled or postponed so far this year, and it is expected that Montreal’s June race might join them as soon as Tuesday. But Red Bull, owner and promoter […]
Algarve track approved to host F1
Apr.7 (GMM) The Algarve circuit in Portugal has received approval to host Formula 1 races. The Lusa news agency said the circuit in Portimao, in the country’s south, applied for the highest FIA certification level last year. “We have been trying for this since last year when we received an inspection carried out by the […]
Ex F1 sponsor says ‘real risk’ teams will fold
Apr.7 (GMM) A former F1 sponsor says there is “a real risk” that teams will go bust amid the coronavirus crisis. For years, Finnish billionaire Antti Aarnio-Wihuri supported Valtteri Bottas in Formula 1. He admitted to Iltalehti newspaper that he is worried about the way the sport – like many other sports and business entities […]
Japan test amid crisis ‘very strange’ – Calderon
Apr.7 (GMM) Tatiana Calderon says it was “very strange” to travel to Japan amid the coronavirus crisis to test her new Super Formula car for 2020. All around the world, the pandemic has brought sport and most other normal activities to a standstill. But the Super Formula series pushed ahead with a pre-season test. “It […]
Gasly hopes for Paul Ricard season opener
Apr.7 (GMM) Pierre Gasly is hopeful the Formula 1 season can kick off again by the end of June – in his native France. Officially, with the first eight races already postponed or cancelled, Canada is currently scheduled to be the new 2020 season opener. But rumours from Montreal indicate that postponement of the 14 […]
‘Uncertainty’ is worst part of crisis – Klien
Apr.7 (GMM) Former F1 driver Christian Klien says the “uncertainty” of the coronavirus crisis is the most difficult part. The Austrian, now 37, is today a pundit as well as a GT driver. When asked by Speed Week, the former Red Bull driver said: “I would say the uncertainty is the most difficult part. “I […]
Losing a team would be ‘a big setback’ for F1
Apr.7 (GMM) Two more teams have joined McLaren in furloughing employees amid the coronavirus pandemic. “The furlough period will last until the end of May whilst senior management, and our drivers, have taken a pay cut of 20 percent effective from 1 April,” backmarker Williams announced. It is part of a British government scheme that […]
Sochi pushes ahead with original 2020 race date
Apr.6 (GMM) Sochi is pressing ahead with its plans to host the Russian GP in late September. That is despite the fact that the opening eight races of the season have been cancelled or postponed, and big question marks hang above the other venues amid the pandemic. But Tass news agency in Russia reports that […]
Hockenheim relieved to not be on 2020 calendar
Apr.6 (GMM) Hockenheim is lucky to have been left off F1’s original 2020 calendar, its boss has suggested. The former German GP venue’s boss Jorn Teske said that, unlike the contracted 2020 venues, Hockenheim at least does not have to worry about refunding tickets. “Imagine having to return the money for 30 or 40 thousand […]
Kubica likens pandemic to his 2011 rally crash
Apr.6 (GMM) Robert Kubica has urged racing drivers to adjust to the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Pole compares the situation – with F1 factories closed and racing drivers unable to race – with his recovery from a near-fatal rallying crash in 2011 that left him with a permanent arm injury. “After the accident […]
Abiteboul has questions about ‘pink Mercedes’
Apr.6 (GMM) Cyril Abiteboul is openly questioning Racing Point’s approach to the design of its 2020 car. Although the sport is generally pulling together amid the coronavirus crisis, that is not stopping the Renault boss from wondering about what was dubbed in the paddock as the ‘pink Mercedes’. Despite its relationship with Mercedes, and team […]