Mar.3 (GMM) The signs are looking brighter that even amid the global coronavirus crisis, Formula 1 will race ahead in 2020. Earlier, with China already postponed, it looked possible that the other three opening races of the season – Australia, Bahrain and Vietnam – would also not happen. But Formula One Management has reportedly arranged […]
Money ‘not decisive’ in Hamilton talks – Wolff
Mar.2 (GMM) Toto Wolff has hinted that Mercedes will not be able to pay Lewis Hamilton more in 2021. The six-time world champion’s lucrative current contract runs out this year, and both have rubbished rumours that Hamilton is pushing for as much as $70 million per year for the new one. “Obviously every driver tries […]
Team boss says secret Ferrari settlement ‘a scandal’
Mar.2 (GMM) A statement issued by F1’s governing body late last week poses “more questions than answers”. That is the view of La Gazzetta dello Sport, after the FIA shocked the Formula 1 world last Friday by saying it had reached a secret “settlement” with Ferrari. It follows an investigation into the legality of Ferrari’s […]
Red Bull can beat Mercedes in Australia – Marko
Mar.2 (GMM) Red Bull-Honda is now “a step closer” to winning the 2020 world championship. After winter testing, Mercedes appears to still be in a clear lead, but Red Bull has apparently leapfrogged the struggling Ferrari. “The car does what we expected and what we hoped for,” said Marko, Red Bull’s top Austrian official. “We […]
Vettel doubts he will race in F1 until 40
Mar.2 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel does not think he will still be racing in Formula 1 when he turns 40. The oldest driver on the grid is 40-year-old Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel is just 32, but a slide in form in recent years has triggered speculation he may soon retire. The German looks set to sign a […]
Williams claims sexism behind team criticism
Mar.2 (GMM) Claire Williams claims criticism of the way she runs the once-great British team is due to sexism. Williams, founded by Claire’s father Sir Frank Williams, finished dead last in 2019 and George Russell has admitted the 2020 car will also be the slowest this year. “We are undoubtedly in a better position,” said […]
‘Impossible’ to copy Mercedes car – Sainz
Mar.2 (GMM) Racing Point’s technical boss suggests teams like McLaren are just jealous of what has been dubbed the ‘pink Mercedes’. It is rumoured that McLaren or Renault are not ruling out lodging an official protest about Racing Point’s 2020 car in Melbourne. “I don’t know what sort of claim they can bring against us,” […]
Barcelona works to keep Spanish GP
Mar.2 (GMM) Barcelona is hoping to keep its place on the F1 calendar. The Spanish GP was only an eleventh-hour addition to this year’s schedule, but talks between Circuit de Catalunya boss Joan Fontsere and F1 CEO Chase Carey took place at the venue last Friday. “There are those who say that F1 will not […]
F1 unsure if Melbourne season opener is on
Mar.2 (GMM) A very dark cloud is now hanging over Formula 1’s 2020 season. With pre-season testing now complete, only China has been cancelled so far amid the worsening coronavirus crisis. But everyone in the paddock is unsure about what is going to happen next. “I assume that we will be in Melbourne,” said Ferrari’s […]
Engine could be Mercedes’ Achilles heel
Feb.28 (GMM) Although Mercedes’ new DAS-equipped 2020 car has wowed onlookers in Barcelona, the Achilles heel may be the engine. Engine customer Williams expressed frustration this week about repeated problems with the 2020 Mercedes engine in testing. Appearing to confirm that there may be a deeper problem, Lewis Hamilton stopped on track in the works […]
Haas may not return to 2018 levels – Steiner
Feb.28 (GMM) Gunther Steiner has admitted that Haas may not be able to return to the level of competitiveness the small American team had in 2018. Last year, hopes were high for another good season, after Haas finished fifth overall in 2018. But the 2019 car, while often competitive over a single lap, just as […]
Renault working on brand new engine for 2021
Feb.28 (GMM) Alain Prost has confirmed claims that Renault will introduce a brand new engine for 2021. Of the four engine makers on the grid, Renault has been the most reliable in winter testing. That could be because the engine is basically the same as the one that raced in 2019. Renault is clearly focusing […]
Perez not bothered by ‘pink Mercedes’ jibe
Feb.28 (GMM) Sergio Perez has brushed off suggestions that Racing Point’s 2020 car is a “pink Mercedes”. The Silverstone based team, seventh overall last year behind McLaren, Renault and Alpha Tauri, has instantly leapfrogged to the very top of the midfield with a car that looks strikingly like the 2019 Mercedes. “I don’t care if […]
‘Areas’ of 2020 McLaren not improved – Norris
Feb.28 (GMM) Lando Norris says there are “areas” of McLaren’s 2020 car that have not been significantly improved over the winter. Last year, the British team was ‘best of the rest’ behind the top three teams. But so far in winter testing, McLaren and Renault look neck and neck, with Racing Point having leapfrogged them […]
Kubica can return to F1 grid – Vasseur
Feb.28 (GMM) Robert Kubica has a chance of returning to the Formula 1 grid. That is the claim of Frederic Vasseur, boss of the Alfa Romeo team where the Polish driver is now the official reserve. Having spent all of 2019 at the bottom of the grid with Williams, Kubica topped the timesheets in Barcelona […]
F1 now on high alert over coronavirus crisis
Feb.28 (GMM) Formula 1 has gone into high alert over the ever-deepening coronavirus crisis. When a reporter for RTBF had a coughing fit during an interview on Thursday, Esteban Ocon asked him at the Barcelona test: “That’s not coronavirus, is it?” It was a joke, but the widespread anxiety is real. Alpha Tauri, whose factory […]
2020 F1 season may not start until Zandvoort
Feb.27 (GMM) The global coronavirus crisis could throw F1’s 2020 season into chaos. China has already been postponed, but now the other three races at the top of the calendar – Australia, Bahrain and Vietnam – are in doubt. F1 CEO Chase Carey said in a teleconference that the sport is indeed “heading to Melbourne, […]
Ocon not better than Hulkenberg – Sirotkin
Feb.27 (GMM) Esteban Ocon is not a better choice than Nico Hulkenberg for the 2020 Renault race seat. That is the view of the French team’s 2019 reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin. Having lost his seat to 23-year-old Ocon for 2020, the decade-older Hulkenberg is currently taking in the Carnaval festival in Rio de Janeiro as […]
‘Pink Mercedes’ protest rumours circulate
Feb.27 (GMM) Rumblings of a Melbourne protest against Racing Point’s ‘pink Mercedes’ are circulating in the Barcelona test paddock. Bigger teams like McLaren and Renault are coming to terms with the fact that they have been leapfrogged as ‘best of the rest’ by a car that is visually almost identical to the Mercedes. Some suspect […]
Ricciardo skips over Ferrari rumours
Feb.27 (GMM) Daniel Ricciardo is reluctant to comment on rumours that he is on Ferrari’s wish-list for 2021. Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto says Sebastian Vettel is the top priority, but paddock gossip has also named Carlos Sainz as another potential replacement for the quadruple world champion. When asked what racing a red car would mean […]