Feb.21 (GMM) Christian Horner is not among those who are concerned about the ‘pink Mercedes’ that will be on the 2020 grid. Racing Point’s new car is visually almost identical to Mercedes’ 2019 contender, with an intensified collaboration over the winter involving the transfer of more component designs. Racing Point technical boss Andy Green insists […]
Ferrari ‘not looking for laptimes’ – Vettel
Feb.21 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel has played down early fears about Ferrari’s start to the 2020 pre-season. The Italian team’s new car is yet to trouble the top of the timesheets in Barcelona, but after recovering from a cold Vettel said the SF1000 “does what we expect”. Asked if the car has more downforce than its […]
F1 pushing ahead with Vietnam GP – Horner
Feb.21 (GMM) Formula 1 is pressing ahead with preparations for the Vietnam GP, according to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. The country is just across the border from China, which is in the grip of the coronavirus crisis. The situation is even affecting the F1 test paddock in Barcelona, where McLaren banned Chinese journalist […]
New lawsuit holds brakes on Miami GP
Feb.21 (GMM) The engines of Miami’s grand prix hopes continue to sputter. Formula 1’s push to add a second US race to the calendar looked to have strengthened this week, when the Miami-Dade County Commission voted down a proposal. The proposed legislation, put forward by Commissioner Barbara Jordan, would have made racing even inside the […]
Ocon handshake ends feud with Verstappen
Feb.21 (GMM) Esteban Ocon has made a public gesture in a bid to end the tension with Max Verstappen. He did not race in 2019, but after a collision with Max Verstappen at Brazil the season earlier, Frenchman Ocon was violently and repeatedly shoved by the Dutchman. So as Ocon returns to the grid in […]
F1 takes step closer to Africa
Feb.21 (GMM) Formula 1 is taking a step closer to Africa. Last year, the sport’s former commercial boss Sean Bratches observed: “We are now racing on five continents. “Africa is the last habitable continent that we don’t race on. We want to change that.” So it is interesting that F1 has announced that the sport […]
Marko thinks Mercedes steering trick illegal
Feb.21 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Mercedes’ innovative steering wheel system, described by Sebastian Vettel as like a “joystick”, is illegal. Germany’s Bild newspaper said Red Bull is not ruling out a protest if it is used in Australia. James Allison, Mercedes’ technical boss, admitted the team calls it “DAS” – meaning dual-axis steering. On […]
F1 broadcaster to skip Vietnam over coronavirus
Feb.20 (GMM) F1 may be pressing ahead with the inaugural Vietnam GP, but the German broadcaster RTL will not be joining the rest of the Formula 1 world in Hanoi. One day after race organisers said the coronavirus crisis would not cause the postponement or cancellation of the April 5 event, RTL has taken its […]
Vasseur confident Alfa Romeo will renew deal
Feb.20 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur says he is confident team backer Alfa Romeo is not about to pull out of Formula 1. The current contract runs out late this year, and there have been rumours that the project – the brainchild of late Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne – will be axed. But Vasseur, in charge of […]
Team owner says Alonso has 2020 Indy 500 deal
Feb.20 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has inked a deal to race in May’s Indy 500. That is the claim of Indycar team owner Michael Andretti, after it emerged recently that Honda reportedly vetoed a deal with the two-time champion. Andretti admitted on Wednesday that he and Alonso “couldn’t come to terms” but he said no party […]
Gasly, Kvyat went to Red Bull too soon – Tost
Feb.20 (GMM) Alpha Tauri’s two drivers bear “scars” from their premature promotions to the senior Red Bull team, according to team boss Franz Tost. The former Toro Rosso team is lining up in 2020 with Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly, who both had to return to the Faenza based outfit after separate unsuccessful promotions. “My […]
Tost tips Honda to stay in F1
Feb.20 (GMM) Franz Tost thinks Honda will stay in Formula 1 after 2021. The Austrian is the boss of Red Bull’s second team, the newly-renamed Alpha Tauri. Both Red Bull-owned outfits are powered by Honda, who at present have only committed to the sport for the next two seasons. “I trust that Honda will remain […]
F1 seeks solution to China GP postponement
Feb.20 (GMM) F1 is considering an unprecedented triple back-to-back series of races at the end of the 2020 season. Following revelations that Liberty Media could lose $43 million over the cancellation of the already-postponed Chinese GP, moves are afoot to re-jig the calendar. Assuming the coronavirus crisis eases by then, the leading solution at present […]
‘Pink Mercedes’ makes life difficult for McLaren – Sainz
Feb.20 (GMM) Racing Point is not hiding the fact that its newly-revealed 2020 car closely resembles last year’s title-winning Mercedes. For some, the similarity is striking. “One can say without exaggeration that it is a 2019 Mercedes in pink,” said the highly respected Auto Motor und Sport editor Michael Schmidt. Racing Point technical boss Andy […]
Albon wants race win in 2020
Feb.20 (GMM) Alex Albon says he wants to win a race in 2020. The British-born Thai driver has one of the toughest assignments in Formula 1, as the highly rated 2020 title favourite Max Verstappen’s teammate. He said in Barcelona that he can tell that the paddock expects something special from Red Bull this year. […]
Haas solves 2019 problems with new car
Feb.20 (GMM) Haas looks to have put its serious car problems of last year in the past. In 2019, the small American team struggled all season with an aerodynamic and tyre management problem that saw it slump to second-to-last in the championship. “We hoped the car would feel good and it did,” Kevin Magnussen told […]
Drivers hail ‘unimaginable’ speed of 2020 cars
Feb.20 (GMM) Formula 1 is stepping into a higher gear in 2020, with many drivers noticing on the first day of winter testing that the cars are faster than last year. “I took it easy and was flabbergasted at the laptime,” McLaren driver Carlos Sainz said. “It was so easy for me to do. I […]
Alonso says he will race in 2020 Indy 500
Feb.19 (GMM) Fernando Alonso says he will be racing in May’s Indianapolis 500. That is despite the fact that Honda reportedly vetoed his deal with the top Andretti team, and Ed Carpenter’s team said it also could not accommodate the Spaniard. But when asked by a fan if he will be in the Indy 500 […]
Vietnam GP ‘will not be postponed’ – official
Feb.19 (GMM) Vietnam insists it is not about to call off its inaugural grand prix. China’s April race has already been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, but serious questions are now being raised about nearby Vietnam. However, the new Hanoi race CEO Le Ngoc Chi is quoted by the Vietnamese daily Dan Tri as […]
‘No reason’ to change drivers for 2021 – Seidl
Feb.19 (GMM) McLaren has “no reason” to contemplate changing drivers ahead of the 2021 season, according to team boss Andreas Seidl. Carlos Sainz said recently that he wants a new contract for 2021, and McLaren is also happy with its other new driver last year – Lando Norris. When asked about the 2021 ‘silly season’ […]