Feb.25 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas is aiming to conduct his contract negotiations this year away from the “headlines”. Last year, before his Mercedes deal was extended for one more season, speculation in the media about the Finn’s future was rife and he said it affected his performance. So he is already starting to think about how […]
Wife reassures Grosjean about reputation
Feb.25 (GMM) Romain Grosjean says his wife tries to reassure him about his negative reputation in Formula 1. The Haas driver says he is constantly being attacked on social media, having attracted an unshakeable reputation for mistakes and crashes. “It’s much easier to criticise Romain Grosjean than Lewis Hamilton, who wins all the races,” he […]
Ferrari reacts to Italian coronavirus crisis
Feb.25 (GMM) Formula 1 could be on a collision course with coronavirus. The Chinese GP has already been postponed, a question mark hangs over Vietnam, and McLaren has blocked Chinese people from entering its motorhome in Barcelona. And now, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Ferrari has ramped up anti-pandemic measures at its Maranello factory. […]
Teams not giving up motorhomes – Horner
Feb.25 (GMM) F1 teams are unlikely to give up their impressive paddock motorhomes, according to Christian Horner. Recently, F1 sporting director Ross Brawn said he is looking into making the sport more sustainable. One idea is to transport more equipment by sea and rail, and another is to end the fleet of trucks that take […]
Haas not worried about slow test times
Feb.25 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says he is not worried about Haas’ early testing form. After a bad 2019, the small American team had high hopes for a big improvement. But so far, there have not only been crashes with the 2020 car, Kevin Magnussen’s best time last week in Barcelona was the slowest overall. Steiner […]
Renault to develop new car early in 2020
Feb.25 (GMM) Renault will do some quick-fire car development early in 2020. After a low-profile winter, it was thought the French team had effectively written off 2020 in favour of focusing fully on the new rules for 2021. While that may partially be true, Renault does intend to aggressively develop the newly-launched car early this […]
Racing Point ‘clearly fourth’ fastest – Surer
Feb.25 (GMM) Racing Point looks to have leapt to the very top of the 2020 midfield. The team finished just seventh last year, but with more funding thanks to new owner Lawrence Stroll and a new approach, the ‘pink Mercedes’ has been produced. “They’ve copied last year’s Mercedes and it seems to work extremely well,” […]
Source says Ferrari aero ‘does not work’
Feb.24 (GMM) Ferrari’s 2020 rivals are “faster”, according to team boss Mattia Binotto. It is a vastly different story compared to a year ago, when Ferrari dominated the winter tests. Then in Australia, it emerged that the Maranello team was not setting the pace. Now, Binotto said after Ferrari’s inauspicious first week of testing last […]
Kubica return left Rosberg ‘surprised’
Feb.24 (GMM) Robert Kubica says he is “positive” even though he has dropped off the F1 grid for 2020. 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, who assisted Kubica as he bid to resurrect his career in the last few years, admits he was “surprised” with the Polish driver’s disappointing return to Formula 1 last year. “I’m […]
No big updates for engine in 2020 – Taffin
Feb.24 (GMM) Renault looks set to introduce only one development step on its engine in 2020. The French team has made no secret of its intention to focus most intently on preparations for the sweeping new 2021 regulations this year. That will also apply to the engine. “This (2020) engine is an evolution of all […]
Racing Point denies team is ‘new Haas’
Feb.24 (GMM) Otmar Szafnauer has hit back at claims that Racing Point has become the ‘new Haas’ of Formula 1. “Maybe in future they should think before they speak,” Haas boss Gunther Steiner said last week, referring to the way Racing Point had reacted when the first Haas car was derided as a ‘Ferrari copy’. […]
Claire Williams says team targeting Q2 in 2020
Feb.24 (GMM) George Russell says there is “no chance” that in 2020 Williams will be lagging the field by as much as last year. Having faced a barrage of criticism for the once-great British team’s decline in recent years, team boss Claire Williams said last week: “The smile has not left my face since these […]
Bottas must ‘destabilise’ Hamilton – Rosberg
Feb.24 (GMM) Nico Rosberg has urged Valtteri Bottas to work hard to “destabilise” Lewis Hamilton in 2020. The 2016 world champion is famous for having beaten his former teammate Hamilton to the title and then quitting both Mercedes and Formula 1. He said the “only possible way” his successor Bottas can also beat Hamilton is […]
2021 rules turning F1 into ‘GP1’ – Newey
Feb.24 (GMM) Adrian Newey says the 2021 regulations risk turning Formula 1 into a sort of “GP1”. The Red Bull technical boss, who is one of the sport’s most famous designers in history, told the British source Inews that he usually “looks forward” to regulation changes. “What was very nice about the last major change […]
Mercedes ‘DAS’ does not damage tyres – Pirelli
Feb.24 (GMM) Mercedes looks set to race its controversial new ‘push-pull’ steering wheel system called DAS in 2020. When images of the drivers adjusting the ‘toe’ of the front wheels by pushing and pulling on the steering wheel emerged last week in Barcelona, it caused a major stir. But ‘DAS’ – standing for duel-axis steering […]
Miami GP could happen in ‘ten years’ – Carey
Feb.24 (GMM) Chase Carey appears to be putting the idea of a Miami GP on the back burner. F1 owner Liberty Media, which is headed by CEO Carey, has been championing the idea of a second US grand prix at Miami’s Hard Rock stadium. But local opposition groups are fighting hard against the idea, with […]
Mugello also wants to replace 2020 China GP
Feb.24 (GMM) Italy’s automobile club Aci says it will support Imola and Mugello as the circuits bid to replace the postponed 2020 Chinese GP. It was already known that Imola had put its hand up to replace Shanghai amid the coronavirus crisis, but now it emerges that Ferrari-owned Mugello is also keen. “To hold a […]
Contract talks involve ‘ten year plan’ – Hamilton
Feb.21 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton says he is working on a “five to ten year plan” in relation to his next contract in Formula 1. It is believed the six-time world champion and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff are arguing over the value of the next deal, amid reports of up to $70m per year retainers. But […]
Leclerc reverts to low-tech pen and notebook
Feb.21 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has reverted to a pen and paper to give Ferrari feedback about its 2020 car. At Sauber and again with Ferrari last year, the 22-year-old used a tablet computer to make notes in the garage to give to his engineers. But in Barcelona this week, Leclerc was spotted using a notebook […]
Grosjean admits he could leave F1 after 2020
Feb.21 (GMM) Romain Grosjean admits that 2020 could be his last season on the Formula 1 grid. Now 33, the Frenchman made his debut in 2009 and has picked up a reputation for erratic driving. A reporter told him in Barcelona that many were not surprised when he spun and damaged his 2020 Haas on […]