Jul.26 (GMM) Gunther Steiner says Haas’ title sponsorship situation could change after the summer break. At Silverstone, a farcical saga involving the controversial energy drink Rich Energy and its boss William Storey cast a shadow over Haas’ sponsor deal. Team boss Steiner hinted at Hockenheim that the situation could soon change. “We are still where […]
‘First goal’ to stay at Haas – Grosjean
Jul.26 (GMM) Romain Grosjean has admitted his place at Haas for 2020 may not be secure. According to paddock rumours, there are several candidates to replace him, including Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez. Teammate Kevin Magnussen, on the other hand, is relaxed. “I have a contract for next year and so I don’t […]
‘No panic’ about 2020 Mercedes deal – Bottas
Jul.26 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has dropped a strong hint about his future at Mercedes. The Finn’s current single-year deal runs out at the end of season, and names including Esteban Ocon and even Fernando Alonso have been linked with the seat. But there are now strong rumours that Mercedes will extend Bottas’ deal for 2020. […]
Quitting F1 ‘not an option’ – Vettel
Jul.26 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says quitting Formula 1 is “not an option”. Clearly under pressure at Ferrari, the 32-year-old German insists he is still enjoying driving “the fastest cars there are”. And so he told the German broadcaster RTL ahead of his home race at Hockenheim that quitting is “not an option”. “The goal is […]
Midfield drivers ‘deserve more credit’ – Sainz
Jul.25 (GMM) Carlos Sainz believes many drivers in Formula 1’s midfield “deserve more credit” for their skills. When he quit the sport at the end of last year, Sainz’s countryman Fernando Alonso said the problem with F1 is that it no longer excited him. “F1 should have the best drivers in the world and Fernando […]
‘Interesting drivers’ may rival Hamilton – Carey
Jul.25 (GMM) Some “interesting drivers” of the new generation can rival Lewis Hamilton’s place in Formula 1. That is the view of Chase Carey, the sport’s chief executive. Amid a general recent decline in television ratings, some are worried that the eventual retirement of F1’s only real superstar would be a massive further blow. But […]
Carey admits German GP talks ‘difficult’
Jul.25 (GMM) Chase Carey has admitted talks about the future of the German GP are “difficult”. It is expected that Hockenheim and Barcelona will be excluded from next year’s 21-race calendar to make room for incoming races in Vietnam and Zandvoort. “We are yet to publish the calendar for 2020, so I don’t want to […]
Alonso was ‘very close’ to Red Bull deal – Newey
Jul.25 (GMM) Adrian Newey says it would have been “fantastic” to work together in Formula 1 with Fernando Alonso. The timing of the Red Bull designer’s comments is fascinating, amid rumours Spaniard Alonso’s management has been in touch with all three top teams about 2020. Newey, who is Red Bull’s high profile technical boss and […]
Mercedes ‘big favourite’ for German GP – Vettel
Jul.25 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says Mercedes is the “big favourite” to win at Hockenheim this weekend. It is the under-fire Ferrari driver’s home German GP, but after boss Mattia Binotto said there are no updates for the 2019 car, Vettel is playing down his chances. A year ago, Vettel was on the way to victory […]
Aldo Costa to return to Ferrari – rumour
Jul.24 (GMM) Another familiar name could be on the way back to Maranello. It is already known that Simone Resta is almost certainly returning to his old Ferrari design role after a short stint at Alfa Romeo. And now Auto Bild reports that Aldo Costa could also be on the way back to Maranello. Costa, […]
F1 should have picked Assen for Dutch GP – Berger
Jul.24 (GMM) Gerhard Berger thinks Assen would have been a good venue for next year’s Dutch GP. Some, including Lewis Hamilton, are worried that despite a huge expected crowd to support Max Verstappen, the actual racing at narrow and twisty Zandvoort will be unspectacular. The other candidate to host the Dutch GP was the TT […]
De la Rosa not excited about 2021 rules
Jul.24 (GMM) Pedro de la Rosa has admitted he is not excited about F1’s new rules for 2021. The regulations have not been formally announced, but it is already known that the budget cap figure will be $175 per team. It has also emerged that the 2021 cars will produce a ‘ground effect’ to help […]
German GP boss admits Hockenheim axe likely
Jul.24 (GMM) German GP boss Georg Seiler has admitted that Hockenheim is very unlikely to be on F1’s 2020 calendar. He told DPA news agency that talks with Liberty Media are ongoing, but “there is no contract”. “For 2020 it looks like there will not be a German GP here,” said the Hockenheim chief. “There […]
Mercedes has fixed cooling for Hockenheim – Marko
Jul.24 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Mercedes will have fixed the cooling problems that helped Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to win recently in Austria. Mercedes won the opening eight grands prix of 2019 until Red Bull’s home race, where high temperatures meant the cars’ engines had to be nursed to the finish. Now, Hockenheim is […]
Raikkonen-Ferrari return rumours played down
Jul.24 (GMM) Mika Salo has played down rumours that Kimi Raikkonen could return to Ferrari. Some are saying that if Sebastian Vettel quits Ferrari at the end of 2019, the most obvious replacement is actually Raikkonen, who would make an ideal number 2 for Charles Leclerc. “I saw some rumours about that, but it seems […]
Drivers don’t know what ‘proper’ F1 is – Mansell
Jul.24 (GMM) Today’s drivers “will never know” what racing a “proper F1 car” is like. That is the claim of 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell, who says the sport’s best era was actually before his title with the super-powerful turbo engines of the 80s. “Formula 1 will never get back to that,” Mansell, now 65, […]
Three former drivers defend Vettel
Jul.24 (GMM) Three former F1 drivers are backing Sebastian Vettel to emerge from his current career crisis. Many are tipping that amid the German’s struggle with Charles Leclerc and a spate of driving mistakes, Vettel could either return to Red Bull or quit Ferrari and Formula 1 altogether. But Timo Glock told Speed Week that […]
Renault not committing to F1 beyond 2020
Jul.24 (GMM) Renault is not yet committing to supplying customer engines to McLaren beyond 2020. At present, there are rumours that McLaren could switch to Mercedes power for 2021, with Williams inheriting the Renault deal. The two British-based F1 teams are denying it. “We have never talked to Renault,” Claire Williams is quoted by Auto […]
Teams must agree on tyre design for 2020 – Isola
Jul.23 (GMM) Mario Isola has defended Pirelli by denying that the official F1 tyre supplier favours Mercedes. The Italian company’s F1 boss said every team was happy with the proposed tyres for 2019 until Mercedes began to totally dominate. “Every team receives the same products and service,” Isola told the Dutch publication Formule 1. Led […]
Ocon not denying Haas, Williams rumours
Jul.23 (GMM) Esteban Ocon has not denied rumours that he is a top candidate for a seat at Haas or Williams for 2020. The Frenchman, who is still strongly backed by Mercedes, lost his seat at Mercedes-powered Force India (now Racing Point) at the end of last year. He is currently Mercedes’ reserve driver, but […]