Oct.12 (GMM) Mercedes’ two team bosses are refusing to celebrate the 2017 title yet. With just four races to go, Lewis Hamilton now has a commanding 59 point lead in the world championship over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. But team boss Toto Wolff told Sport Bild: “Something is certain only when it cannot be another way. […]
Raikkonen tips Ferrari to be stronger in 2018
Oct.12 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen thinks Ferrari will be even stronger in 2018. Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel are not publicly writing off the 2017 title after a disastrous tour of Asia, but the gap to Lewis Hamilton is 59 points with four races to go. When asked about Ferrari’s struggles, Raikkonen told La Gazzetta dello Sport: […]
Ferrari ‘will never give up’ – Arrivabene
Oct.12 (GMM) Embattled team boss Maurizio Arrivabene says Ferrari will “never give up”. After a horror three-race tour of Asia, Sebastian Vettel has slumped to a 59 point deficit to Lewis Hamilton with just four races to go. Ferrari’s title campaign collapsed with a crash in Singapore and reliability problems in Malaysia and Japan, prompting […]
Rosberg considering regular pundit job
Oct.12 (GMM) Nico Rosberg is considering a more regular job in the F1 paddock. The newly retired reigning world champion attended a pre-season test in Spain early this year as well as the grand prix in Monaco, where he lives with his young family. But at Suzuka, German Rosberg was on hand as a paid […]
Abu Dhabi wants to keep hosting F1 finale
Oct.11 (GMM) Abu Dhabi wants to hold onto its place at the very tail-end of F1’s calendar. For the past several years, the Arab emirate has hosted the final round of the world championship. And even though Lewis Hamilton looks set to wrap up the 2017 title before F1 heads to Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina […]
Vandoorne struggled in F1 spotlight – Boullier
Oct.11 (GMM) McLaren is now happy with the performance of Stoffel Vandoorne. Earlier, the British team expressed concern about how the Belgian rookie was struggling to adapt to life in formula one. “Unfortunately for Stoffel, he was at the centre of the attention of the press and spectators as he became the teammate at McLaren […]
F1 looking into Dutch street race
Oct.11 (GMM) F1 could be looking to stage a race on the streets of the Dutch capital. Reports including in the Berliner Kurier indicate that on the back of Max Verstappen’s huge popularity, Liberty Media is open to a potential race on the streets of either Amsterdam or Rotterdam. “Liberty’s seriousness is demonstrated by the […]
Vettel not thinking about F1 retirement
Oct.11 (GMM) Sebastian Vettel says he is not thinking about his retirement from F1. At the end of last year, Nico Rosberg suddenly quit his Mercedes contract as he achieved his dream of winning the world championship. When asked if he could do the same if he wins a fifth title, which would be his […]
McLaren could let Alonso race at Daytona
Oct.11 (GMM) McLaren could let Fernando Alonso contest the famous Daytona 24 hour endurance sports car race early next year. It is believed the British team and the Spanish driver are discussing the fine details of their F1 contract for 2018. Alonso skipped Monaco to contest the Indy 500 this year, but he has expressed […]
Wolff hits back at Marko over ‘style’ comment
Oct.11 (GMM) Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has hit back at his Red Bull counterpart Dr Helmut Marko. At Suzuka, Marko slammed Wolff for lacking “style” by meeting with Jos Verstappen, the father of Red Bull driver Max. Wolff hit back: “I have had a good relationship with Jos since Max was not even close to […]
Liberty poised to tell teams F1 future plans
Oct.11 (GMM) F1 owner Liberty Media is poised to present to teams the sport’s post-2020 engine concept. Auto Motor und Sport reports that in conjunction with the governing FIA, the proposed rules will be shown to the teams on October 31. “For me personally, with a white sheet of paper I would have a twelve […]
Beating Hulkenberg ‘will not be easy’ – Sainz
Oct.10 (GMM) Carlos Sainz says he is happy to make the switch to Renault earlier than originally planned. Actually, the Spaniard said recently that he preferred to spend the rest of the season with Toro Rosso before starting afresh with his new Renault adventure in 2018. But then a sudden deal was reached between Renault […]
Kubica will not race Toro Rosso in Austin – Rosberg
Oct.10 (GMM) Co-manager Nico Rosberg has counted Robert Kubica out of the running for a one-off debut in Austin next weekend. Toro Rosso is looking for a one-off replacement for Pierre Gasly, who during the US grand prix weekend will be in Japan fighting for the Super Formula title. Pole Kubica is looking to return […]
Red Bull wants Ricciardo until 2020
Oct.10 (GMM) Red Bull wants to keep Daniel Ricciardo beyond next year. That is the view of team boss Christian Horner, even though fellow Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko said at Suzuka that the Australian driver is “on the market”. “Technically Helmut is correct,” Horner is quoted by international reports including De Telegraaf. “Daniel’s […]
Alonso to blame for bad career choices – Rosberg
Oct.10 (GMM) Only Fernando Alonso is to blame for the Spaniard’s failure to add another title to his tally in over a decade. That is the view of the reigning world champion Nico Rosberg, who came out of retirement to appear as a pundit for British television at Suzuka last weekend. When asked by Spain’s […]
Massa should retire – Marko
Oct.10 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko thinks Felipe Massa should retire. The rebuke comes after the lapped Fernando Alonso and Massa, the Brazilian F1 veteran, held up Max Verstappen in the closing stages of the Dutchman’s pursuit of Suzuka winner Lewis Hamilton. “Max had the pace to attack Hamilton,” Marko, the Red Bull official, told ORF […]
Marchionne still believes in Vettel title
Oct.10 (GMM) Sergio Marchionne insists Ferrari’s 2017 title charge is not over. That is despite the fact the partisan Italian press thinks Sebastian Vettel’s campaign went up in smoke in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. “In three races, Maranello destroyed all the good that had been done in the first 13,” said La Gazzetta dello Sport. […]
Toro Rosso to announce Gasly’s US GP replacement
Oct.10 (GMM) Team owner Red Bull will imminently decide who will replace Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly at the US grand prix next weekend. Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko says Toro Rosso’s media statement saying Gasly will race alongside Daniil Kvyat in Austin was “wrong”. He said the team was caught off-guard by the late […]
Austin seat still not confirmed for Gasly
Oct.9 (GMM) It still is not clear whether Pierre Gasly will race for Toro Rosso next time out at Austin. Earlier, it seemed possible the French rookie would return to Japan instead of contesting the US grand prix, as he is in contention for the Japanese Super Formula title. But Toro Rosso seemed to end […]
Bottas emerging from performance slump – Wolff
Oct.9 (GMM) Toto Wolff says Valtteri Bottas is starting to rebuild his confidence after a performance slump late in 2017. A solid first season at Mercedes for the Finn earned him a new deal for 2018, but since the contract was signed, Bottas has notably struggled. There have even been rumours the 28-year-old’s slump could […]