Feb.13 (GMM) Charles Leclerc has revealed he tried becoming a vegan over the winter break. F1’s six time world champion Lewis Hamilton has popularised the idea of veganism in the paddock, with Leclerc’s teammate Sebastian Vettel admitting he tried it in 2019. “The experiment lasted six weeks and I learned a lot,” the German said […]
Consumer group wants 2020 Ferrari car ‘seized’
Feb.13 (GMM) Italy’s best known consumer rights group is threatening to sue Ferrari and urging the government to “seize” the team’s newly-launched 2020 car. Following similar controversies a year ago, the inclusion of the ‘Mission Winnow’ branding on the new red car is once again causing a stir. Mission Winnow is a brand created by […]
Vietnam GP could be cancelled too – Magnussen
Feb.13 (GMM) F1 is facing the prospect of a gaping six-week hole in its 2020 calendar, with Vietnam’s new grand prix also in doubt because of the coronavirus. As expected, the FIA on Wednesday said the Chinese GP in April will be postponed, with F1 CEO Chase Carey saying a rescheduling is unlikely. “Clearly we […]
Hamilton deserves ‘super amounts’ of money – Wolff
Feb.12 (GMM) Toto Wolff has played down suggestions he is clashing with Lewis Hamilton over the financial value of their collaboration beyond 2020. Amid suggestions Hamilton is asking for an incredible $70 million-plus per year, the six time world champion and Ferrari have been flirting with the prospect of linking up for 2021. But amid […]
Aston Martin wants to be F1 ‘top team’
Feb.12 (GMM) Aston Martin wants to be among the “top teams” in Formula 1. Recently, as the British luxury carmaker struggled with financial problems, it was bailed out by a group led by Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll. As a result, Aston Martin said it would stop being Red Bull’s title sponsor after 2020 and […]
Williams will not escape crisis – Villeneuve
Feb.12 (GMM) Williams “will never get out of this crisis”, according to the once-great F1 team’s last world champion, 1997 title winner Jacques Villeneuve. Villeneuve, outspoken on most F1 issues as he works today as a pundit for Italian television, has been highly critical of his former team as Williams slumped to the back of […]
Bottas helped Hamilton improve in 2019 – Villeneuve
Feb.12 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve thinks Valtteri Bottas deserves to be regarded as one of the best drivers in Formula 1. Actually, the Finn is often regarded as a comfortable Mercedes teammate for six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. But Villeneuve, F1’s outspoken 1997 world champion, thinks Bottas actually helped Hamilton to become an even better driver […]
Sirotkin may remain F1 tester in 2020
Feb.12 (GMM) Sergey Sirotkin may remain in Formula 1 as a test driver in 2020. With the backing of the Russian program SMP Racing, the 24-year-old made his F1 debut in 2018 with Williams, but had to settle for a reserve role with both Renault and McLaren last year. For 2020, though, it looked likely […]
F1 set to officially postpone Chinese GP
Feb.12 (GMM) British newspapers claim that China’s Formula 1 race, currently scheduled for April, will be called off within the next 24 hours. F1’s authorities were already “monitoring” the alarming situation with the coronavirus epidemic, and the FIA has now issued a new statement. “The FIA will evaluate the calendar of its forthcoming races and, […]
Kubica race seat to be confirmed on Thursday
Feb.12 (GMM) Robert Kubica’s DTM race seat looks set to be announced on Thursday. The well-connected Polish source Powrot Roberta claims that despite BMW’s works DTM concern having overlooked the former Williams driver, Kubica will instead race a BMW-prepared private car in the German touring car series. 35-year-old Kubica, who will also be Alfa Romeo’s […]
Vettel is Ferrari’s ‘first choice’ for 2021
Feb.12 (GMM) Mattia Binotto on Tuesday answered “no” when asked if he would rule out Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari in 2021. But he said keeping Sebastian Vettel in red “is our first choice at the moment”. British media sources are reporting that Hamilton, 35, will begin his talks with Mercedes on Wednesday about a new […]
Ferrari says 2020 car ‘extreme’
Feb.12 (GMM) Ferrari’s newly-revealed 2020 car is “extreme” and “radical” in areas, team figures said on Tuesday. “I know it looks the same, but I assure you that it is not,” Italian media quote team boss Mattia Binotto as saying. “It is an evolution of last year’s car, but we were also extreme in some […]
Grosjean plays down new F1 driver generation
Feb.11 (GMM) There are no “big differences” between F1’s exciting new generation and the older drivers who came before them, according to Romain Grosjean. Ahead of 2020, there is a lot of excitement about whether young stars Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc can challenge the ‘old guard’ for the title, like Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian […]
Two Russian tracks may alternate Russia GP – official
Feb.11 (GMM) Sochi may alternate a single Russian GP date on future F1 calendars with a new venue in St Petersburg. Hermann Tilke, the designer of the St Petersburg venue called Igora Drive, recently said it will be “certainly capable of hosting Formula 1”. So when asked about rumours Liberty Media wants to expand the […]
Russia GP rejects Liberty’s gravel run-off plan
Feb.11 (GMM) Race organisers in Sochi have rejected Liberty Media’s request to add gravel traps to the F1 track ahead of the Russian GP in September. “The organisers of the championship want to increase the entertainment on the tracks, so we were asked to replace the asphalt run-off with gravel in some corners,” Sergey Vorobyov, […]
2020 Ferrari to be ‘deeper red’ – report
Feb.11 (GMM) Like the Ferraris raced by legend Gilles Villeneuve four decades ago, Maranello’s 2020 car will reportedly feature a ‘tricolour’ on the livery. That is the claim of Italy’s Corriere della Sera, as the fabled team prepares to launch its new car in Reggio Emilia on Tuesday. “Surprises will not be lacking, both in […]
Mercedes wants F1 team to be ‘cost-neutral’ – Wolff
Feb.11 (GMM) Toto Wolff wants Mercedes’ Formula 1 team to be “cost-neutral within the next two years”. Amid speculation the Daimler board may be inching towards pulling the plug, the Austrian is quoted by German-language media as hitting out at “lunatics” who are spreading rumours online. He was speaking at the reveal of Mercedes’ 2020 […]
Prost names Hamilton’s ‘most dangerous rivals’
Feb.11 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s “most dangerous rivals” for 2020 drive for Red Bull and Ferrari. That is the view of F1 legend Alain Prost, now a key advisor at the works Renault team. “The most complete driver right now is Hamilton,” he is quoted by Le Parisien, “because he has experience and is with a […]
Mercedes planning to be in China – Wolff
Feb.11 (GMM) Toto Wolff says he is still making plans to be in China for the grand prix in April. The coronavirus death toll has now passed the 1000 mark, apparently vindicating Formula E’s decision to pre-emptively cancel its Chinese round that was scheduled for 21 March. “Formula E cancelled a race that should have […]
Correa says FIA crash findings ‘surprising’
Feb.10 (GMM) Juan Manuel Correa, who almost died in Anthoine Hubert’s fatal Formula 2 crash at Spa last year, has hit out at the FIA for the second time in three weeks. At the end of January, the 20-year-old Ecuadorian-American, who is still nursing a serious leg injury from the horror September crash, said just […]